Microsoft Confirms Only a Handful of Windows Phones Will Receive Windows 10 Creators Update (zdnet.com) 46
Windows Phone has less than a 1 percent market share in the mobile industry, but it is not completely dead, yet. In fact, if you own a relatively new Windows Phone, it may receive a new update that will give new life to it. Microsoft has confirmed today that only a subset of Windows Phone handsets will be getting the Windows 10 Creators Update when it begins rolling out on April 25. ZDNet reports: [Here's] Microsoft's list of supported phones: Alcatel IDOL 4S; Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL; HP Elite x3; Lenovo Softbank 503LV; MCJ Madosma Q601; Microsoft Lumia 550; Microsoft Lumia 640/640XL; Microsoft; Lumia 650; Microsoft Lumia 950/950 XL; Trinity NuAns Neo; VAIO VPB051. "Devices not on this list will not officially receive the Windows 10 Creators Update nor will they receive any future builds from our Development Branch that we release as part of the Windows Insider Program. However, Windows Insiders who have devices not on this list can still keep these devices on the Windows 10 Creators Update at their own risk knowing that it's unsupported," said Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar in today's blog post. Microsoft attributed the short list of support phones to Insider feedback that indicated older phones might not be providing "the best possible experience" for customers. Microsoft also released a Fast Ring test build of Windows 10 Mobile for phones to Fast Ring Insiders today. That build number is 15204 and it includes a number of bug fixes. This is the first Redstone 3 build for Windows Phones. It's only available to Insider phone users of handsets that are on the list above.
Jim ... (Score:4, Insightful)
"It's dead Jim ..."
Also (Score:2, Funny)
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There are tons of unsold Windows phones.
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$600 is a rather high end price. There are good Android phones for less than $200.
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No they haven't abandoned it quite yet, I'm guessing for political reasons within the organization? Though they now sell Samsung Android phones in their stores that are slightly modified in that they include a bunch of Microsoft apps (i.e. Office 365 and Craptana.)
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Enough to keep the platform on life support. Still teasing the market with rumours of 'Surface Phone' vapourware emulating x86 on Snapdragon 835...
Footnote: Cerulean Moment [indiegogo.com] is a crowdfunded project launching a new mid-range handset. Still a long way to meet their funding goal, however.
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Perhaps, but based on this I think there is political pressure:
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/w... [geekwire.com]
It could also be that Microsoft has it in the back of their minds that they're going to have some "must have" feature and need the OS to be ready when the time comes, thus they maintain it. Or at least, this is what they've hinted at by saying that they don't want to release just another phone when (indirectly) commenting about surface phone rumors. Though I don't really see what they could pull off that hundreds
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I'd be tempted to use continuum if they have sold it as a standard feature on $200 handsets but the Elite X3 is only going to be purchased by business customers for staff who'd prefer an iPhone 7.
Being a slashdot nerd I have multiple monitors, USB keyboards and mouses plus an HDMI TV. I do have a 2009 era laptop running Windows 10, as a student but would gladly turf it once my degree is complete in favour of a pocket device which has possibly more processing power!
Was Told My Nokia 521 Would Receive Win 10 (Score:1)
Upgrade. Fuckers lied. I despise Apple and have never nor will ever give them any money. Guess it is time to go back to a cheap ass flip phone when my 521 croaks.
Lumia 1520 not included? (Score:1)
So I own what was the "Flagship" phone for Microsoft windows phone platform, the 1520. Admittedly its more of a "phablet" with its 6" screen but I don't understand why this phone isn't being updated. Is it that the built-in ram is only 2GB? Is it that it wasn't originally delivered with Win10? Grrr. I purchased this top-end phone when I started my side-job doing consulting for Microsoft. I figured showing up with an Nokia-MS phone...when I'm selling support for Microsoft products made sense.
https://www
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Not really a big deal (Score:2)
The Creators Update adds a fair amount of stuff for desktop systems, but for mobile it's a pretty minor update. They essentially took all the desktop updates, and gave mobile the handful of ones that made sense. There are no mobile-specific updates.
For example... Edge is updated to latest version. And it goes downhill from there. Their really slow biometric login is now a little faster, their digital assistant supports a few more commands, you can uninstall apps that previously came with the OS.
To be fair... (Score:3)
This actually will be an update for everyone with a Windows Phone, all ten users. Two of the models are on display in hopes that they will one day be purchased. ;)
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If worse comes to worse I'll fire up my SGS6 and play Pokémon Go! for two minutes until I get bored.
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I think I see where MS is headed with "mobile" - a future where a device runs the same kernel (OneCore) as a desktop or game console. The device may or may not have a screen (similar to Roku or Google Alexa).
Windows has been heading this way for quite some time. Heck, it's almost 5 years since Windows 8 was released (with a desktop that was optimized for touch screen devices).
5 years is a long time to wait (on the mobile side) for convergence. Especially since they haven't even perfected it on the desktop version yet. Meanwhile, Android may beat them to it with the new Samsung phone docking station.
Only a handful? (Score:2)
so that would be all the ones still in use then?
Wifi calling fixed yet? (Score:1)
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This is unfortunate. (Score:1)