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I think that depends on what you perceive their current problem to be. I would argue that it is world-wide adoption across all price points. Selling cheap phones didn’t do Nokia any harm (until the smart-phone revolution).

If you are only considering the premium end of the market (not the point of the OP and not my interpretation of the current problem) then yes, WP8 a distant third place and only very slowly making ground (though my understanding is that they are making up ground).

At the premium end they are indeed missing features and apps available on iOS and Android. If I were MS I would be working on plugging the feature gaps ASAP. With feature parity come more sales (preference for iOS, Android or WP8 would then be based on aesthetics) and with more sales come more apps.

I myself use an iPhone (4) simply because it is the only OS that has out-of-the box synching with Outlook direct to my PC (not via the cloud). When another platform offers that I will switch, just for a change.

about 20 hours ago on Windows Phone will take over IOS Sooner than Expected Globally 1 reply

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Your initial position was that WP would never overtake iOS in the market. You now seem to be conceding that, taking poorer countries into account, it might (in terms of number of handsets).

I do not disagree that users buying cheap handsets will spend less on Temple Run 2 and other apps/media and so will be of less financial value to MS than the typical iPhone user is to Apple. However, due to the sheer numbers involved it is likely that (less premium) services and apps will come to WP (though those apps and services may not be of interest to wealthier consumers).

My guess is that having a billion cheap phones running WP would indeed be seen as a huge step forward by MS and the WP user/fan base.

about 20 hours ago on Windows Phone will take over IOS Sooner than Expected Globally 1 reply

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I think you are (willfully?) missing the point the poster is making. Let us say, for the sake of argument, iOS is the best OS out there, however, it only runs on devices which are among the most expensive in the market and are simply unaffordable outside of first world countries.

WP runs well on much cheaper hardware and has an interface that many are becoming more familiar with and it appears this is having a positive effect on sales in countries such as India already.

While you may be able/prepared to pay $300 more for an iPhone for the extra features and or a nicer interface (in your opinion) that is not an equation which works for the average smart phone purchaser outside the wealthiest nations.

Of course, Apple may change tack and bring out cheaper phones and cut down versions of the OS, leaving out Siri and other features, but that is a different argument.

about 21 hours ago on Windows Phone will take over IOS Sooner than Expected Globally 1 reply 1 recommend

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I thought your sarcasm was very clear, but then I’m British so a little more attuned to that form of wit ;)

I think you make a good point. I think the only part of the market that the Xbox One ‘misread’ are the hardest of hardcore gamers who just want ‘more of the same but with more shiny graphics’. Of course, they are the main audience for console launches and E3 so those are the voices we are hearing now.

I think for the average consumer, the inclusion of the Kinect 2 and home entertainment integration will be a much stronger selling point than the marginally superior graphics of the PS4 (still to be proven with XB1 packing a more efficient memory architecture and cloud processing) and $100 cheaper initial launch price.

People are getting more and more accustomed to online purchases – music has gone predominantly digital, movies are heading that way and console games will follow. More ‘mature’ gamers and casual games don’t buy/play so many games that resale value is much of a consideration.

The only really weak point in the XB1 arsenal is that it is only initially available (and will only work) in 21 countries giving the PS4 a free hand to become established in the rest of the world.

about 21 hours ago on Microsoft clearly misread gaming market with Xbox One 2 recommends

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Ribbon is still awful now but at least there are more customization options in 2013 and some of the more stupid button placements from 2007 have been addressed.

1 day ago on Does anyone else hate Microsoft Office 2013? 1 recommend

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Performance fine for me and once you change the back colour to grey you can avoid the snow-blindness from the all white interface.
Improved customization options for the ribbon are a welcome addition but this is still a very badly implemented alternative to the old command bars, e.g. no floating tool bars result in many more clicks/mouse travel for some tasks and the inability to dock the ribbon to the side of the screen is a terrible omission in Word where with today’s wide screens there is a lot of unused space on the left/right edges of the screen but vertical space is at a premium.

1 day ago on Does anyone else hate Microsoft Office 2013?

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I said ‘possibly’ cheaper and even emphasized the word. There are some reasonable sounding claims that Steam has helped to lower PC game prices so it is not impossible that there will be a similar effect with XB1. I don’t know what the effect will be as I don’t have a crystal ball; but I don’t believe you have one either so stop making absolute statements.

However, that was a tiny side element of my argument that having chosen online rather than physical drm (needing a copy of the game disc) it is inevitable that regional regulatory variations will limit who can play what and where… it is not MS imposing those restrictions, it is paranoid, nanny-ing governments (and in some instances the content providers) – direct your ire where it is due.

5 days ago on Xbox One 'may not work' in unsupported countries

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I believe that to sell a game or movie in most countries it has to go through a rating/certification process – this will determine the age for which it is appropriate and regulators in some countries may ban games completely depending on content and local sensitivities (I believe a number of war games are banned in Germany for example).

With Xbox 360, PS3 (and it seems in future with PS4) you can ‘bypass’ these regulations by importing games from territories where they are not banned – although it may be illegal to do so, there is no technical obstacle.

The Xbox One’s approach, while it arguably brings some benefits (sharing with family/friends, no need to physically insert the disc to play the game, possibly cheaper games due to resale restrictions) also means that restrictions on games can be enforced technically on a country by country basis (just as Netflix and Skype are restricted now). Presumably this could be circumvented by use of VPN at the cost of increased latency and slower network speeds, though again this circumvention may be illegal.

I don’t think you can claim ‘Microsoft is doing everything it can for itself & their obsession of owning the living room and locking it down to their paywall & store’ until there is more information to go on – are MS simply obeying regulations or do they have other motives which increase restrictions further… only time and more information will tell, for now you are jumping to conclusions.

If I were in one of the 21 countries where XB1 will be officially released I would buy one. As I am not, I won’t until the necessary deals/regulations are in place and I know what services will/won’t work due to the draconian local laws in my current country of residence.

5 days ago on Xbox One 'may not work' in unsupported countries 1 reply 1 recommend

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In the region where I am currently working/living Netflix, LoveFilm, Skype and torrent sites are all blocked or have restrictions on them – nothing to do with MS.
Also, all movies on TV and cinema are edited and any nudity, kissing, etc removed (three guesses which part of the world I’m in!).
Seems to make sense for MS to tell consumers to ‘wait for an official release in your country’ (and any regulations/restrictions are known) before specifying exactly what features will and will not work.

5 days ago on Xbox One 'may not work' in unsupported countries 1 reply 6 recommends

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It’s not a question of learning to use it. I’m happy for you that you love it.

On the whole, I like Windows 8. Are there some problems relating to the new start screen that interfere with my Workflow? Yes.

Do MS seem to acknowledge this and are they trying to address it? Yes (judging by what is rumoured to be in W8.1).

Why can’t you accept it when people make reasonable points about issues that they have with MS products even if those issues don’t directly affect you?

12 days ago on Windows 8.1 Start button demonstrated fully in new video 1 recommend

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See earlier post. I am reading an email that makes reference to a product code. I want to the type the product code into Search to see any documents or other emails I have that mention it. In W7 I can hit the windows key and type the code while reading it from the email.
Having to memorise, write down or copy the code (so I can paste it into W8 search) because I can’t see it on the screen once I have started search is a pain.
We just want an option for search to take up only a part of the screen (which I understand may be possible in W8.1).

12 days ago on Windows 8.1 Start button demonstrated fully in new video 1 recommend

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Realistic scenario: I receive an email mentioning a product code, asset tag or document number (from our EDMS) – I hit the Windows key and type in the code while reading it from the email (it is a long code and not easy to remember).
Why not copy it?
1. More time – I have to select it, copy it, paste it.
2. Maybe it is not in exactly the right ‘format’ (dots and dashes that make up the code excluded or not in the right place) so I would have to edit it anyway.

Does this happen often? For me, yes, multiple times per day.

Just get over the fact that some of the changes that MS have made in Windows 8 disrupt the workflow of some users. Credit to MS that they seem to have accepted there is an issue given that it appears there will be an option in Windows 8.1 for Search not take up the entire screen.

All (reasonable) people are asking for is that the new Windows not make their working life more difficult.

Oh, and what is this about no ‘virtual indexing’ in Windows 7? Windows has had background indexing of documents, emails, etc since the desktop search add-in for Windows XP… unless you are talking about something different.

12 days ago on Windows 8.1 Start button demonstrated fully in new video

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Does this mean these small tablets will be running ‘full’ windows? AIUI Windows RT comes with Office anyway (or is that only Surface RT?).

Make docking stations available for these and you have a productive ‘desk-top’ machine that you can very easily take ‘on the move’ and use for at least reading office documents and other ‘tablet tasks’ until you can dock it again.

Safe to assume that Office will be tied to the hardware, but will you be entitled to any updates/upgrades. Will it be tied to your MS ID possibly preventing a second-hand purchaser from using Office?

14 days ago on Microsoft giving free MS Office with every Windows 8 tablet

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‘Better’ is your subjective viewpoint of the overall change however, there are numerous areas where the Ribbon approach delivers an objectively worse user-experience. For example, the removal of floating tool bars and tear-off pallets. For some tasks it is much faster/easier to work with these as it drastically reduces the distance the mouse needs to be moved. Add to this that with the old menus you could create your own custom floating toolbars (and even modify the right click menus) and you could really tailor the Office applications to they way you work..
The Ribbon idea is OK, but the implementation is poor and it has been designed for the ‘lowest common denominator’. MS designed the Ribbon for the least experienced users and removed much of the customisation (slowly being re-introduced I’m happy to see) and flexibility of floating pallets and tool bars and did not offer any sort of ‘compatibility mode’. Clearly this move was going to seriously annoy more advanced users and those using the tools for the less common use-case scenarios.
I have the latest version of Office and Office 2003 on my machine and I regularly ‘drop back’ to 2003 when I need to be productive.

14 days ago on Everyone has that one Microsoft product they can't stand. What's yours?