Windows Phone 8.1 Update Release

Windows Phone 8.1 Update Release 

Windows Phone was new, fresh, fluid, digitally authentic but still late with lots of catch up in term of hardware and app counts. Two years in the market, the operating system did not turn the market upside down as Microsoft was hoping. In a way, it seems the people at Microsoft understood that the release of Windows Phone 7.0, which was followed the next iteration of the operating system with the code name Mango, was a way to have something on the market instead of waiting to play in a market that has two competitors with significant leads. While there were good phone with the first version of Windows Phone 7.0 and 7.1, they were not great as what Apple had with the iPhone, and Samsung and HTC had with Android.

Fast forward two years since the release of Window Phone, Microsoft and Nokia announced a strategic partnership to alleviate the struggle that both company were facing on a market that they were leading years ago. Microsoft lost lots of market share with Windows Mobile and Nokia only dominated the market for features phone, which was shrinking at fast pace and replaced by smartphones. The problem for both company was that the smartphone was growing very fast with some substantial and guaranteed growth in term of financial profits. Apple and Samsung and HTC have an establish ecosystem of mobile app and good hardware. In fact the more app the companies have, the more appealing their ecosystem are. Window Phone, even after two years in the market did not have that. That the situation Microsoft and Nokia are facing was dire to say the least.

Critics are always quick to point the significantly less number of app that is available for Windows Phone, the lack of support for quad-core processors, the lack of support for 1080p screen resolution. For Microsoft and Nokia to have a chance to regain the old days of glory would need to have more mobile apps, support for the latest processors and screen resolution, and big screen phatblet-size ( i.e 5 – 6 inches) according to many bloggers.

Suddenly, More Is Bad

Today, Nokia announced the Lumia 1020, their next flagship of the Lumia story, the reaction on the web has been understandably and quite unexpectedly confusing. Commentators and would-be verge journalists were asking who actually need 41 megapixel when a camera with 10 megapixel is fine for most users. I am not going to quote anyone, but if you were following the live blog on The Verge or most tech website, the main reaction is that no one really need 41MP camera on a phone. Some even criticized that the Lumia 1020 does not support 1080p screen or the last quad-core processor. Suddenly more is bad when it comes to megapixel and more is better when it comes to processor speed, screen size and number of apps.

Obviously, it is clear that the bloggers are biased towards the products that they use and this is not objective journalism and I don’t expect anything else, these guy are not journalists. Nevertheless, I expect a certain level of unbiased coverage. As a Windows Phone, I recognize the plethora of apps that is available for iPhone and Android ecosystem, something I wish that Windows Phone has. Nevertheless, in term of hardware, there is nothing I envy that Apple and Android’s OEM are offering now. Windows Phone have some great hardware and the best camera ever on any smartphone. 41 megapixels is better than 10 megapixel, the same way 1080p is better than 720p, the same 700,000 apps is better than 130,00 apps. More is still better even with megapixel and Windows Phone is the only phone that has. // societyandreligion.com