Since last February, Microsoft has been exciting many smart phone users with the promise of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system. The new platform is dynamic, geared towards social networking and has plenty of new features that are bound to make previous critics of the Windows Mobile OS see MS in a brand new light.
However, in these past couple of days, the excitement for the new OS has turned into apprehension as the developer copies have been shipped out and the initial reactions are quite the opposite of what was originally expected.
In terms of looks and feel, the new OS’ user interface is everything that Microsoft originally demonstrated it to be and a little more. Everything runs smoothly –in fact, some could say that it runs better than the demonstration videos. But there are some crucial factors missing.
These factors are multitasking and “cut and paste”. According to Microsoft, users do not need these features and that adding them in will only sacrifice the handset’s performance.
Anyone who was tried out the Apple iPhone would be quick to say rubbish, and they have every right to do so. When the iPhone OS first launched, multitasking and cut-and-paste were two major features that we not included in the operating system. Users had to demand and beg Apple –which eventually relented; cut and paste came out early, while it took over two years to get multitasking as an available feature.
Microsoft needs to learn from Apple –or at least, Apple’s mistakes. There is not point putting the Windows Phone 7 OS through a similar problem, especially that the industry already knows the possible outcome as well as what the market needs.
With the developer copies of Windows Phone 7 already released, expect to know more about this new OS in the coming days.
