Steve Ballmer pounds chest, decrees Windows Mobile 7 coming next year
By Ross Miller 
posted Feb 24th 2009 6:03PM
posted Feb 24th 2009 6:03PM
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can not wait that long!!!!
Anyone remember this article?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/is-this-windows-mobile-7/
And Microsoft's pathetic attempt to steal the iPhone thunder with FUD inspired demonstration of the impressive "touch-based" architecture in Windows Mobile 7.
Yawn.
Windows Mobile is finished.
Dude you are sooooo out of style.
The goodness is that WInMob, (phone.. they say now) is offered in an assortment of flavored devices and they all Run Winmob main OS.
Give me a well tweaked htc hd aaaaa.....may flavors....
Greetzz.
If Windows 7 Mobile turns out to be Windows 7 I will be very impressed
DEATH TO THE MOBILE SCHISM! GIMME REGULAR FUNCTIONALITY!
@ Sergio - why do you talk like that
Is Paul Chapel still douching. Ballmer and MS posts are like catnip to it.
You'd have to be nuts to wait that long for Microsoft to get its act together.
Abandon ship! It's OK, there's far too much innovation happening on other platforms to stick with WinMo, and it's not like they have a monopoly or anything.
The longer they wait, the higher the expectations will be. Given the fact that Windows Mobile has languished for so long, they are just playing catch up. By the time WinMo 7 hits, it might still be behind the leading edge. And with more and more people getting used to the manufacturer-specific interfaces, consumers might now want to revert back to anything that is stock Microsoft. All the chest bumping in the world cannot help Microsoft overcome this challenge. I love innovation; and I really hope they can pull off something truly astounding... but I'm having some serious doubts that will happen.
Ballmer is worthless.
Actually, he's got an estimated net worth of $15 billion.
Your comment, on the other hand...
With Kim Jong Jobs emaciating away wherever he is Engadget and Gizmodo have dialed up Ballmer snark. If I was just casual observer reading these blogs you'd get the impression Ballmer is some kind of dithering idiot. If Bill Gates had not gone in Philanthropy these closet iBoi's would have torn him a new one.
Kim Jong Jobs...that's a new one.
> Ballmer is worthless.
I don't know, I think he has the potential to be a reasonably successful used car salesman after he's finally turfed from Microsoft.
"you'd get the impression Ballmer is some kind of dithering idiot"..
And your point is??
But... does anyone care? :D
So many better alternatives already out there :)
i care
better ... really? For people who actually do business on their phone?
I care a lot thank you. and i'm sure a lot of businesses who continuously invest in the software along with other Microsoft business crap.
Ok, ill admit i was a bit quick to say no one cares :)
But still, with Android, WebOS and the likes on the scene with a modern mobile OS, Microsoft is going to have be pretty quick with Windows Mobile 7 :)
And why is it that people are talking about Windows Mobile in a post about Windows 7?....
I think people care now but whether they will care in a year (potentially almost 2 years, depending upon which part of 2010 Steve is referring to) is another question entirely. The SmartPhone market continues to accelerate but Microsoft still seems to be finding itself stuck in 1st gear, which is odd given the resources and experience that it has.
The article mentions emphasis on Silverlight.
One thing the WinMo platform has in its favour is that good quality development system that lets you move desktop Windows code into your mobile. Just have to get the user experience a whole lot better.
I can hardly wait.. :)
how is ballmer still CEO?
this day and age a CEO is the single most representative being associated with a company... why would any board of directors deliberately vote for THAT to be the face of their company?
even a generic ken doll type exec would fare better than ballmer.
the guy comes across as an angry, arrogant bull dozer.
Performance? Loyalty? Results? At least he didn't get his azz fired and embarrassed like Jobs.
Are we all now turned into Apple iBoi's worrying about our Lifestyle's and how we can accessorize it with the right product and right company who's CEO has to look just right?
Ballmer is hilarious and if you ever been a MS tradeshow his audience loves his demeanor.
Bill Gates will always be the face of Microsoft. CEOs come and go, people always remember the founders.
They remember the Founders you say?
"Odo, the Founders *are* the Dominion. Ironic that we now control the destiny of thousands of solids."
"Why would you want to control the destiny of anyone?"
"Because that which you control cannot hurt you. It is our destiny to impose order on a chotic universe."
Gates has many ambitions, but I don't think that's one of them.
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance.
cavemen don't dance
But they'll still try to both sing and dance...
http://developersdevelopers.com/
Surprised he didn't stick out that lion's tongue this time....... oh may be it is just me that didn't see it
Good... I guess when the amazing Photon (WM7) hits, all the impressive things about it would already be in Android and WebOS.
I wish Android matures fast... 2009 is it's window of opportunity.
Yeah, 'cause Android was really making an impression at MWC this year.
/sarcasm
"I wish Android matures fast... 2009 is it's window of opportunity."
And your point is? I don't get what the point of dropping Android this and that in an article that doesn't even about Android.
So can Android do everything that Windows Mobile does? Does it do Exchange? Office Mobile? 24,000 applications? If you like Android for what it is, good for you. But Windows Mobile is good for it's own reasons too.
I think that Windows Mobile has a great presence in the smartphone OS market. I have used the iPhone 3G and the interface is great, but the way Apple restricts it makes it the least flexible mobile smartphone OS I know. I used a Palm 650 with the Palm OS and the OS was good, and I personally have a Nokia N95 with the Symbian OS and I really like the OS, but my work cell phone is a Samsung SCH-i760 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and it is extremely flexible and customizable, more so than any other mobile OS. Even though it is not for everyone, I think it still has a presence in the market for people who want a flexible OS.
I agree, WinMo is the most versatile of the mobile OSs. It's primarily designed for business. Same goes for Symbian and webOS to a lesser extent. iPhone and Android are primarily designed to look flash and appeal to the casual consumer market.
Link please. I find it rather implausible that there are 200 million actual copies of Windows Vista in use versus were sold with computers then downgraded to Win XP.
By the time it come out, Microsoft is filed for chapter 11. bankruptcy, because no one is buying vista.
Yeah right. Keep dreaming.
Wait, just wait, for Windows 7
people will buy it
As of this month, 22.5% of computers are running Vista. I'm not sure how many units that is, but I'd guess that's close to 200 million machines. What was that you said about no one buying Vista?
hahah, yes because Microsoft has been riding on the razors edge of bankruptcy for so many years now. One more year will surely get them.
"Wait, just wait, for Windows 7
people will buy"
... because they have no other choice due to OEM licensing, vendor lockin, market penetration, and blind ignorance?
@Andir 3.0: I think you're forgetting the fact that Dell and HP have a few Linux computers, and if you wanted to avoid Windows, buy/make a custom built computer...
That works fine and well for me, but his statement was that people will buy it. Conjecture of that would be: "normal" people will buy it. Mainly because they don't know any better, know that they have the choice to build their own, the knowledge to build their own (which you assume using alternative OSs require system build knowledge), or the knowledge that there even are alternatives besides Mac and PC.
as much as i love windows 7, i think windows mobile 7 will be a fail like 6.5 was
Last time I checked Windows Mobile 6.5 wasn't released yet. How do we know it's a fail?
Joshua Topolsky said so
kinda
ish
lol
all I care about is if it works. Take as long as you need, Microsoft, just make it work.
Have you considered the possibilility that you'll be dead and buried before they finally make it work?
I thought this was a picture of Mini Me at first. Wow.
Of course Ballmer will announce a new Windows Mobile next year. Now that they have had 2 years to study the iPhone. Miscreantsoft, the biggest "me too" company on the planet, will now have a primer to base their so called "new" Windows Mobile OS. Just like the rest of the industry, heavily copying the iPhone. Expect the new MS OS to copy heavily on the excellent, ground breaking and innovative iPhone OS. It is after all, MS DNA to be a "me too" company.
what is iPhone OS?
ive never heard of iPhone OS
Ive only heard of OS X Mobile
if your gonna be a apple fanboy, get the names right
btw, also they will have at least 6 months to study webOS, at least a year to study Android, and many years to study Blackberry OS, S60, and even Palm OS
quiet you
Troll detected.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
Pull that mighty mouse out your butt and go for a walk and take a deep breath. The spirit of Steve Jobs has no doubly been pleased so you can sleep well tonight.
Can Jubei write a post without using the phrase "the biggest me too company"?
It was pretty old the first time you wrote. It's really old now that I've read it about a million times.
How about you stop being the biggest "me too commenter" in bashing MS products. We already have Clak, Chappel, iEye and an assortment of other idiots doing that more successfully.
I like some of the HTC devices, but I just can't get into WinMo it doesn't seem as touch friendly as I would want with resistive screen support only. WinMo 7 could fix that, but a year away is too long to wait for my next device.
When my iPhone AT&T contract expires, it seems that the Pre is at the top of my list still after MWC and WinMo 6.5. I will also be watching what Android devices come by then and whether Apple releases an actual improvement over the 1st gen (no, the 3G wasn't a real improvement in my opinion).
Windows Mobile may make a great business OS but it is not a great "consumer" smartphone OS. I want full Internet browsing, good multimedia functionality, and some good games.
Nathan - have you ever used WinMo? Sounds like you get your information strictly from Engadget.
WinMo by default is very finger unfriendly. The beauty is that you can configure it to literally do just about anything you want. Aside from custom skins that most handset makers do, there are plenty of 3rd party apps and a huge development base to assist you. There is a huge diversity of custom screens all at your fingertips. WinMo is the most customized and the most customizable OS ever for a mobile phone.
Full browsing is accomplished on WinMo devices. Much better than Safari on the iPhone. You can put on Opera 9.5, Skyfire (which does Flash) as well as many more browsers on your device.
Media player is fine, not as good as the iPhone. However, 3rd party developers are constantly creating better and better applications that handle a host of different audio and video formats. These will continue to get integrated and sit on top of Media Player.
Finally, there are tons and tons of games already developed for WinMo. The selection is huge. While they are not generally as polished (at least graphically) as games in the App Store, the future is bright.
My point is, that if you form your opinions about WinMo based off the comments of jokers like Jubei or even some of the Engadget writers you will be missing out on the facts. Go find someone who is tech savy and has a WinMo phone. You'll see a completely different side to the story than what dominates on Engadget.
@bjsguess: I had to up-rank your comment, it is not often that I see engadget comments offering a difference of opinion that stay respectfull instead of resorting to fanboy-ism, thank you.
You are correct in assuming that I have not used a recent WinMo device, however not all of my information comes from engadget. TouchFLO3D does look very nice, but from the videos I have seen it seems jittery at times, not as smooth as I would like.
Customization is nice but it would be nice to have a decent device without having to customize it or flashing a cooked ROM on it.
Also from videos, it seems that many people, even presenters, sometimes have trouble activating some controls, such as the x button. I certainly not buy a touch screen only phone with a resistive screen, it would have to have a physical keyboard. On screen keyboard only with resistive screen seems very finger unfriendly.
I will certainly try out some Windows phones (happy, Ballmer, I didn't say windows mobile phone?) before I buy. They are just not on my shortlist at this time. I don't even think WinMo 6.5 will be out by the time my contract expires anyway.
@bjsguess
So, if I understand you correctly, Windows Mobile is bad "out of the box" but can be made good if you are prepared to spend the time finding other applications? It sounds like you are much more patient than I would be.
WinMob7 better bring the good stuff or its toast for the brand.......The competition is too serious right now...just my 2cents
its okay, if its turns out to be not totally amazing they'll just announce 7.1 before 7 is officially released and well all just start our cycle of hope once again.
Does Ballmer wear a light earpiece on his left ear during these talks?
windows mobile 7 should have came out 2 years ago
He looks like Daniel Craig in this shot, so he must know what he's talking about.
Well, I really wish I could also set up and running a "me too company" just like Microsoft, Making all these terrible products that everyone needs and could no more live without, and that have become integral part of most of the people of the world life, work, entertrainement , hobby and pop culture.
Yeah, I really would'nt mind a little "me too company" of my own...
Hear Hear, Microsoft has taken over the world, end of.
So what if they're supposedly "me too company"? It's often said that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" (Charles Caleb Colton), if it makes you billions and saves you time/money I'm all for it!
@ Mike ward 1701
You did'nt get the irony of my post, and that's because the post was intended as a reply to Jubei prvious entry, but because of Engadget sucking reply system it came out disconnected from the post it related too.
I'm actually more of a Windows 7 fanboy than anything else, and I love my WM 6 AT&T Fuze, but doesn't Mr Ballmer look like the devil? He really should try not to get so worked up in the future. It's more than a little disturbing. It doesn't really help MS's image much, (predatory and what not) either.
Most of this thread is full of it. You guys mostly have no experience and no knowledge of what you speak.
I have used Windows CE, Palm PC, Pocket PC and Windows Mobile on about five different mobile devices, I also have owned and used various Palm devices including Palm Pilot, the 3e, Sony Clie etc. and when Palm and Windows was all there was, it was "tolerable," period. Now there is competition, MS can't handle it plain and simple.
Microsoft had more than TEN YEARS to polish this turd and all they ever got for it was a tiny percentage of the mobile market. Apple and the iPhone walk in and with a 1.0 (some say beta quality even) OS on their very first device, blew WinMobile out of the water. Now Balmer is spreading FUD about how they are going to come back and destroy the iPhone???
It ain't going to happen Dudes. Get real. Even if you F*cking HATE Apple (and most of you here seem of that variety), even if just thinking about how the iPhone has wiped the floor with WinMobile makes you want to puke, only an idiot would think that the game isn't already over for MS's mobile efforts. Facing reality will get you a lot further than just wishing things were different and lying to yourselves about how "innovative" Microsoft is. On the battlefield, that kind of sh*t will just get you killed.
You're right--except that WinMo is the most powerful mobile OS available right now, as well as the most customizable and the most flexible.
It's "finger-UI" shortcomings are only highlighted now with the advent (and success) of the iPhone.
That said, Microsoft is a retaliation juggernaut. They're pissed at Apple for upstaging them; they'll come back swinging harder than ever to fight the iPhone.
Despite all of this, I think 6.5 looks promising, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.
> You're right--except that WinMo is the most powerful mobile OS available right now
No Justin, it's not. It is, however, the most powerful mobile OS that *you've* ever used, but that's not saying much.
@Darren
Yes, because the ability to run ONE APP AT A TIME is so innovative and revolutionary.
Face it, you can't really tell which OS is most powerful for the simple fact that apple has locked it down so that you can't really see what it's capable of, and android can't either. Until you can install 3rd party apps on all 3, we won't know. and also, with winmo being built to run on virtually any smartphone, unless it is optimized for just one set of hardware ( a la iphone) you can't really judge. Hopefully, next year we will see more performance with winmo with their cutting down of phones, meaning more optimization.
coming from the owner of an iPhone 3G.
@Brian
Done right, why should a SmartPhone need to be able to run more than 1 application at a time? The screen is too small for multi-tasking to be useful. It's not as though the iPhone isn't capable of running more than a single application at a time, it's just not a good idea. The iPhone has other issues...
All this said, I don't recall mention of the iPhone so I'm not sure why you brought it up. For all you know, Darren was talking about the BlackBerry OS.
OMG Windows Mobile 7....I so cant wait ....pfft ...please....
SPB Mobile Shell 2.1 is better then anything they are likely to dream up and 3.0 will only make it that much better. It is so much more responsive then the WinMo and the menu system is much more user friendly. If WinMo 6.5 is any indication of what 7.0 is going to be like then that is truly sad for Microsoft.
For anyone who is a WinMobile user I would highly suggest giving SPB Mobile Shell a try, they have a free trial on their site which is fully functional. It is even better then TouchFlo 3D overall, though you can run both of them at once if you choose. My memory usage went from roughly 45% down to 31-33% with SPB and shutting off TouchFlo 3D. The processor usage also went down about 12% on average.
I don't work for SPB, but I have truly been impressed by how well it interfaces with existing devices like my HTC Touch Pro and has even made my friends older Sprint Palm Windows phone considerably faster...Here is a link to give it a try:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/
I would love to see Windows Mobile become fun to use again, but with interfaces like SPB plus the iPhone and the new Palm Pre I don't see how they are going to make anything to compare....though I hope they do !
developers, developers, developers.....WOOOH!
steve ballmer is a beast
Fuck you Ballmer you pig
Ballmenr is as big a douchebag as that Woz guy. Both of their careers depend on the success of someone else... Neither will amount to anything outside Apple or MS.
...and the award for "Most Out Of Left-Field Comment" goes to....*fumbles with envelope*...Timm. Give him/her a big hand, folks!
you should do a little homework
Bring it on Ballmer. I'm ready.
Rock and hard place. Thats where im stuck. Im a long time WM user and I currently have a Touch HD. The Wife has an iphone. I adore the iPhones polish and app store and would love to jump ship but I simply CANNOT deal with its shortcomings, no matter how ugly WM is. I cannot deal with not having copy and paste or multitasking or sending multple email attachments, or editing word/excel files. I use these tools day to day on my mobile device. Furthermore I have a large media server at home that happily shares across all the devices in my home, and I am NOT PREPARED to surrender this media to itunes. If I want to add/download/beam a quick MP3 picture or video, why must I fire up itunes? I can do all this wirelessly in my home - adding media to my WM device via wifi while lying in bed with none of my PCs on!
Im not hating on apple, I love their UI, I too agree that MS need to redesign WM from the ground up and improve app development (cosmetically), but I cant deal with the iPhones shortcomings. For a 'smartphone' its unacceptable. I suspect my Touch HD will last me a loooong time.
Did I read that correctly? Did Balmer just state "do not use Windows Mobile 6.5". Sure sounds like it...
Does the media have something against posting a pic of a sane looking Ballmer? Or is Ballmer really this crazy looking all the time?
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