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Windows Phone 7 Series takes two steps back.

By Gerard Lagana Thu, Mar 18, 2010 @ 3:30 PM

Smartphone Limitations Photo 159x300 Windows Phone 7 Series takes two steps back.Since the iPhone was released nearly three years ago, people have been complaining about three things that the iPhone doesn’t do.  The first being, that Apple won’t allow third-party apps to multi-task on the iPhone.  Rumors are now circulating that when iPhone OS 4.0 is released that it will support third-party multi-tasking.  Second, is that the iPhone did not have cut, copy, and paste until recently.  When iPhone OS 3.0 was released this feature was implemented.  Finally, people complained that the iPhone is closed, or in a Walled Garden with its Apps.  Why am I bringing all this up?  Funny you should ask.

Sascha Segan, of PCMAG.com fame, is reporting that Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series, is going to encompass all three of these things that people have been complaining about with the iPhone.  As where Apple is making strides to bring these features to the iPhone, Microsoft is taking two steps back with their Windows Phone 7 Series.  Microsoft in true fashion is now playing catch-up to Apple.  They have seen the one thing that people don’t like about the iPhone, it’s closeness, and now they are mirroring that with their own Windows Phone 7 Series.  Microsoft’s Windows Phone Developer Charlie Kindel is quoted as follows:

“Like the iPhone, Windows Phone 7 won’t support third-party apps being able to run in the background. But third parties will get access to a wider range of services than are available on the iPhone. For instance, Pandora could stream in the background using a special background-music service, Kindel said. But VoIP apps will be limited; there won’t be a service to allow third-party apps to access telephony in the background.”

Well, lets look at the second and third sentences in his quote.  Kindel states that, third-party apps like Pandora will be able to run with “…a special background-music service.”  This sounds awfully familiar to the way that the iPod app on the iPhone works.  Where you can listen to your music, and run other apps while your music is playing.  From the get go Apple has had multi-tasking on the iPhone.  It’s just with their core apps though, not with third-party apps.  However, as I stated earlier, it’s rumored that third-party multi-tasking will be in iPhone OS 4.0.  There are concerns with multi-tasking — one of which is battery drain.  Those pesky background services don’t close themselves after you’ve closed your application.  They are still running in the background eating away at your battery.  Hopefully, Apple will have devised a way to end these processes when the app is closed.  Or, at least give us a way to kill the process that is running.

We’re also seeing Microsoft omitting cut, copy, and paste from Windows Phone 7 series.  This is strange because this feature is in all of the Window Mobile OSes.  So why is Microsoft omitting it.  Bill Ray of The Register explains why,

“Cut and paste does present a UI challenge to the finger-driven interface, but no more than changing the font size or underlining text, which is rather the point. Microsoft doesn’t want people changing font sizes or cutting and pasting documents together. Windows Phone 7 Series devices are for making phone calls, playing music and listening to entertaining farting noises – just like the iPhone.”

Wow!  Microsoft is doing the exact thing that Apple has been catching heat for.  So, I wonder if the Microsoft fanboys will be up in arms over this feature that has been used in their previous mobile OSes.  (Yes, there are Microsoft fanboys.  You know who you are, don’t try and deny it.  Be proud of your fanboy status!)  All joking aside, Microsoft isn’t learning anything from the iPhone.  They are simply three years behind.

Kindel continues to talk about how consumers will only be able to install applications on their Windows Phone 7 Series by using the Microsoft Marketplace.  Ok, let me see, Microsoft Marketplace sounds awfully close to iTunes Store.   This has been an issue with so many people.  Google’s Android has used this as a selling point for their platform.  With Google Android you don’t have to install your apps from a Marketplace per say.  So, now Microsoft will have their own Walled Garden to which they will control.  Maybe this will take the heat off of Apple since now there are two companies doing the same thing.

I know I’m going to catch a lot of flack over this, but it has to be said: Microsoft is following Apple’s model.  Apple came out with the iPod, then the iPhone.  Microsoft came out with the Zune, now they are coming out with Windows Phone 7 Series.  Unfortunately, Microsoft has not learned from Apple’s growing pains.  Instead they are repeating history.  I think it’s great that Microsoft is trying something new, but try to be a little more original next time.

Photo Credit: Windows Phone 7 Series – Inicio

Article Via PCMAG.com & The Register

  • Phillip Quinlan

    Wow I didn’t know this was Microsoft’s plan! That sucks.

    • http://www.macgasm.net/author/geard Gerard Lagana

      Yeah, this seems out of character for Microsoft to take these features away that their other OSes have.

  • http://billclark.net/ Bill

    I’m somewhat unsurprised that an Apple fanboy left out a rather important piece of information:

    From Engadget: Microsoft says leaving clipboard operations out was a conscious design decision based on user research showing that people don’t actually use copy and paste very often, and that instead 7 Series features a systemwide data detection service which recognizes things like phone numbers and addresses so you can take action on them. Third-party apps can hook into this service, so that an email address can be routed to the email client of your choice, but there’s no copy and paste functionality.

    This, again, is similar to the iPhone, but nonetheless is important to mention. Your post is skewed to lead the reader to believe that there will be NO way of using information between programs (i.e., tap to dial a number, etc.).

    While Windows Phone 7 won’t make me give up my iPhone, you’ve got to give Microsoft a little credit. After all, Apple likely agrees with Microsoft on this and only included copy and paste after enough of us bitched about it for a long time.

    Your writing reads like Fox News… fair and balanced?

    • http://www.macgasm.net/author/geard Gerard Lagana

      Bill,
      First of all I would like to address your concerns about how I presented my material. Apparently, you felt that I was one sided in talking about copy and paste. I regret that you feel this way. I would like you to know that I always take a fair and objective view when I’m writing. If my comment about Microsoft fanboys in anyway offended you, I would like to apologize for this. It was meant for humor, not attack.

      With that said I was not aware of the Engadget article that you quoted. I would like to thank you for bringing that article to my attention. As you can see at the bottom of my article I quoted two different sources. The first being PCMAG.com (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361377,00.asp), and the second being The Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/17/cut_n_paste_b_gone/). Please feel free to read the articles on both of these sites.

      In The Register article they do bring up the fact that Windows Phone 7 Series can automatically detect phone numbers and the such for interaction with other applications. However, it does not address the fact that true cut, copy, and paste are not going to be included on the Windows Phone 7 Series. This is the point I wanted to get across.

      You were so kind to direct my attention to the Engadget article, I would like to return the favor, by pointing out that Engadet has made an update to their copy and paste section:

      “Copy and paste: conspicuously missing ?UPDATED

      Beyond the lack of true multitasking, Microsoft has another notably absent headline feature that’ll undoubtedly ruffle some feathers: copy and paste. In light of the flak Apple took for leaving copy and paste out of the initial releases of the iPhone’s OS, you’d think Microsoft would’ve taken the plunge and made this happen, but we get the impression it’s all about time constraints here and they simply prioritized a real clipboard too low on the list to make the cut for the first release of the platform. Instead, they’re offering up some supposedly rich data-detection services that will sniff out phone numbers from messages and documents and the like, which cuts the pain a tad — but it’s certainly no replacement, and the company’s lines about end-users not actually needing a clipboard system ring a little hollow to our ears.”

      Engadget goes on to talk about Delighters, this is what they had to say:

      “”Delighters”: What you see here isn’t the full list of functionality and features — Microsoft has said it’ll be rolling out “delighters” over time that extend the platform in unique and interesting ways. We don’t know exactly what they’ll be, but we were flat-out told that copy / paste support isn’t among the group, so that’s that.”

      As you can see what you sent, conflicts with what Engadget had updated. So, this would lead me to believe that you are being one sided in regards to Microsoft’s decision. Fortunately, I don’t see it this way, and don’t interpret what I’m saying to you as being wrong. I’m simply demonstrating how multiple articles will have different points. In this case Engadget had made updates. If this link – http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/18/windows-phone-7-series-the-complete-guide/ is not what you read, please feel free to point me to the article you read. This is where I found the update to copy and paste.

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  • b1gdon

    You know, for me, that background music service would accomplish about 90% of the multitasking I would like to do. I travel alot, so I would like to be able to listen to internet radio while surfing the web on a WiFi connection. I know that’s stretching the capabilities of my 2 year old 3G device, but I’m the Iphone 4 can handle it.

    PS, mark my words, MS7 Phone will have copy/paste. I just can’t see them sticking to their guns on this one.

    • http://www.macgasm.net/author/geard Gerard Lagana

      I’m pretty sure that Microsoft will add copy and paste. It’s just a matter of when.