A Windows Phone 7 For Every Microsoftie 298
theodp writes "So, how can Microsoft guarantee its Windows Phone 7 devices will enjoy broader adoption than the ill-fated Kin? By giving every Microsoft employee a free one, that's how. A Microsoft spokesman confirmed the move, explaining that the idea is to thank employees for all their work, and make sure that they have experience with Windows Phone 7 devices. Microsoft has nearly 90,000 employees worldwide."
They should expand the program (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll use a Windows Mobile phone, too... if it's free. Sure as hell never paying for another device running WinCE, the most pointless operating system ever.
Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:5, Insightful)
It's absolutely mind-boggling that Windows Phone 7 is missing some very fundamental features, like copy/paste, third-party multitasking, and universal search.
Absolutely mind-boggling you say? How about absolutely doomed?
In the past, competitors like Apple were lambasted by the public for not having such features, so you'd think Microsoft would take precautions not to repeat such mistakes.
You don't understand, Microsoft is adept at watching Apple do something right or make progress and then totally just think that they're different and special and therefore won't suffer from those problems.
What's worse, the rest of the smartphone world isn't slowing down, and with Windows Phone 7 not scheduled to launch till the holidays, the divide could get deeper.
It's called releasing a phone that's already behind the curve. So, unless you have a product name that causes people to hemorrhage cash [youtube.com] regardless of the features, you're doomed. Like the release of the Zune. Except it appears Windows Phone 7 doesn't even have an exclusive 'squirt' functionality.
Criticisms aside, there's a lot we like about Windows Phone 7. The Zune integration is killer, and the core apps are much improved.
Zune integration is 'killer' you say? That's going to do it, huh? Well, everybody who owns a Zune now has the option to integrate it. All five of them. And the core apps are much improved? After suffering from the ailments of IE6 you think I want any version of Internet Exploder on my goddamn mobile device? You're insane. I don't care how refined it is.
We also commend Microsoft for being able to acknowledge that its old OS wasn't working and taking a chance on rebuilding something from the ground up.
Really? You're telling me that Microsoft owned up to and acknowledge its old OS wasn't working? I've never known Microsoft to tell their customers that something is wrong.
Long story short this product is doomed with a 97% confidence of certain doomage.
But only to true employees (Score:3, Insightful)
But only to true employees, not to temps and interns.
It isn't even real Windows CE (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Eating your own dog food? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It'll be interesting... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'll agree that 'eating your own dogfood' is good for the phone's development team, but do you really think everyone else has any real input into it? Real customers don't even get real input unless there's an antenna-gate or something.
I've been wondering for a while why companies seem to be so inept at listening to their customers. I understand the concept of 'vocal minority' and all that, but certain things should just be obvious when someone complains about them. Like lack of 'cut and paste' functionality on a 'smart phone'. I'm sure someone at Apple said 'What about cut and paste?' and someone shrugged it off. I'll even admit that I don't see why it was a big deal. But it -was-. And even after thousands of people started mocking the iPhone for not having it, Apple continued to ignore the complaints. That's the part I find so hard to believe.
Re:Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:0, Insightful)
In other words: I don't care how much MS does to step up their technology. I hate them and anything they do will not be good enough for me. I'm a raving fanboi with a chip on my shoulder and if you want an honest opinion of a product from a company that I hate you're not going to find it here.
I really wish they had an ignore button around here.
Stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sorry but this is a stupid statement and a stupid article. Apple gives a large number of it's employees an iPhone and Google gives a large number of its an Android phone. It's call "eating your own dog food".
In addition they get a friendly pool of testers who can give them instant feedback (and probably quite detailed given that they'll naturally try to use it with the products they are managing) on the devices in real world situations (such as bugs, issues, integration with web services, exchange support) and can also simulate some scenarios (such large scale remote activation, wipe and locate) far better than a couple of devices in a lab can.
Finally, if you're a manufacturer of a product, it doesn't look very good if your employees all use your competitors does it? Whenever I've dealt with a Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Apple, HTC or LG rep I've never seen them use anything but their own phones and I'd be concerned about the statement they are making if they did.
Microsoft Marketing (Score:2, Insightful)
I think it is great (Score:3, Insightful)
But why is this news? I mean, go figure, a company gives it's own employees a device it makes in house. Does this warrant discussion at /.?
Re:They should expand the program (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow, this is the entire content of a +5 Insightful post.
Could you at least give us a single piece of technical evidence to back that up? However anecdotal?
Re:Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a concept in the marketing industry called "The Delta". The Delta is the thing your product has that not only distinguishes it from other products, but will get consumers to choose your product over the others -- despite other possible short comings.
The original iPhone came out without copy/paste, but it still offered some unique features that allowed people to "forgive" Apple on that aspect. The web browser, the interface, the coolness factor, etc. Apple claimed they didn't include copy/paste because they were trying to work out the way to have copy/paste on a touch interface without any menuing system. When the iPhone finally came out with copy/paste, most people praised it as simple, intuitive, and easy to use.
One problem with Windows 7 Phone is that the copy/paste issue has been solved. We know how to have a nice copy/paste interface. The other issue is that the Windows 7 Phone isn't unique. What's the "Delta" over the iPhone and Android phones? This isn't saying that Windows 7 Phone isn't competitive, but that whatever advantages it has must make people decide to buy the device over the iPhone which does come with copy/paste, 100K+ apps, a wide consumer environment, and its coolness factor.
If the Windows 7 Phone came out two years ago, it would be extremely competitive and people would be rushing out to buy it. As it stands now, it is just another app phone missing features that other app phones already have.
Re:Zune Haters (Score:3, Insightful)
Have any of you Zune haters actually used them??
Here's the problem. Unlike the iPod, where I can go to any electronics store and try one out, Zunes are always in a box, behind a glass case, or there's a fake one used for display. And since I don't know anybody who actually owns one, I've never been able to try one out.
Re:But it's mnade out of PEOPLE !! (Score:2, Insightful)
Total Bullshit, Cynical Move by MS. Really worthy of some spleen and bile.
They stopped giving a damn about "their people" at least 5 years ago. For instance, last month, as the old fiscal year ended, they pulled all the soda cases from every office - replaced with vending machines. That's 1 year after they stopped all the regular food-service and snack items.
Any tech company in California or Western Europe has done the calculation. The expense on these things returns a fantastic benefit in the morale, productivity and retention of their best people. Cutting these "extravagances" ultimately costs them money. Microsoft are joined with Cisco, who practice similar false-economy, in a race to the bottom.
"Are You People Ready?"
They really should change that to:
"The Beatings Will Continue, Until Morale Improves. Oh, Here's Your Shitty Phone."
Re:Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:5, Insightful)
This is Slashdot, we know that "delta" means difference... from Calculus. Just like marketing to take a clearly defined term and turn it into something vague. "What's your delta?".
Re:It'll be interesting... (Score:1, Insightful)
apple.com/feedback
Also, they put a lot more effort into it than some engineer coming into work and being like "hmm,
Copy and paste? Boring!"
From my experience dealing with iPhone users as part of my job, most of them don't know how to use copy and paste, or care. Yeah, super important feature. For nerds, maybe.
Re:Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:4, Insightful)
Windows may have negative value to people here on Slashdot. But if you're an executive for whom computers isn't your core business, Windows = business and Apple = schoolkids. Windows implies solid integration with Outlook, your windows shared files, doc files, etc. When you try to open that 30MB excel spreadsheet containing 5,000 separate sheets and every aspect of your business, it will open fine. (I've seen people with these. I accidentally erased one once.). Meeting invites will get through just fine, unlike that hippie kid in marketing with the Macintosh. And since you already know Windows thanks to that training seminar you went to, you should be fine with this.
Really, the competitor for a "Windows" based smartphone is the Blackberry, not the iPhone. And while RIM has been doing an all around good job, if you've been using a blackberry for years there are enough quirks that you'd probably want to switch to something easier to use and better.
Re:But it's mnade out of PEOPLE !! (Score:3, Insightful)
Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Always remember - you get what you pay for. You paid for marketing, bling, and glitz. That's what you got. If you wanted a telephone, you would have bought something without Microsoft on it.
Re:Gir's Analysis: Doom, Doom, Doom (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft always admits that their products are flawed, after they release new versions. It's one of the ways they get people to get the next version.
Every version of Windows since 1995 have had what I call "purchase reassurance messages" during the install where they say "This is the best version of Windows yet!"; which is actually a backhanded way of saying "We know the previous version had many flaws and sucked out loud, but this one doesn't as much!"
Windows 95 is great! It will change everything! >>> Windows 95 is terrible! Windows 98 fixes all the problems! >>> Windows 98 has deep and serious flaws. Windows ME fixes that for the home user, and Windows 2000 is the ultimate answer for business! >>> Windows ME is shit! Windows XP will save the world! >>> Windows XP is old and outdated - just look at the UI. Windows Vista is the new way to do everything faster, and more reliably! >>> We realize that Windows Vista wasn't the best we could do, but Windows 7 is!
They've been doing this for decades, and people just keep buying in.