(Grabbing box of popcorn)
This will be a good one.
Microsoft has, apparently, signed up with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to build its own handset next year, extending the Surface brand into mobile telephony. The rumour comes from Digitimes, and tells us that "upstream suppliers" claim to be supplying parts for a new phone from Amazon too, which should make 2013 an interesting …
"It would be remarkable for Microsoft to launch its own phone, given the job Nokia is doing as Redmond's hardware arm."
I think that's what will happen. Having pimped them for all they're worth, I would not be surprised if MS acquired Nokia in a 'hostile' takeover bid. MS has a great track record of acquiring things on the way down and I see Nokia as the quintessential opportunity for MS.
Am I the only one that wishes that they would bring Clippy back, in an update form that network administrators could push out to workstations after the tenth time they've had to argue with the same employee that "yes, I promise you, your email account has always had a password?"
What's that? You're not getting sound from you computer? Are your speakers turned up? You don't HAVE speakers? You get Clippy.
You can't figure out why you're not getting new emails in Outlook? Can you reach our web portal? Oh, your internet connection is down? You get Clippy.
You can't figure out why your email's not going out? Oh, you attached your high-rez vacation video? You get Clippy.
So, you could have a PC that runs Windows Windows, a tablet that runs tablet Windows that isn't Windows Windows, a phone that runs phone Windows that isn't Windows Windows, and now possibly a tablet that runs tablet Windows that isn't phone Windows or Windows Windows?
Ahh, I get it now!
Why not go the whole hog and introduce Kin Windows and Zune Windows devices too?
All options covered, can't fail. Cash or cheque is fine, Mr Ballmer.
The confusion's on Microsoft's part.
Just because an interface works well on one thing, doesn't mean it should be the default interface for *everything*!
According to their way of thinking, since the Dasboard, steering wheel, pedals interface works so well for cars, it ought to be the grand unifying interface used on stoves, washers, TVs and even the kitchen sink, too.
Phones, computers and tablets each have their own unique uses, and need a user interface that suits each one. Hell, even Apple understands that.
Now pardon me, my stove doesn't have cruise control, so I have to go keep my foot on the pedal if I'm going to cook dinner...
'An interesting year for hardware if not the platform on which it runs'
What platform does hardware run on?
Also re: the 40% correlation being worse than chance comment, that's true for 50/50 calls (eg. The flip of a coin), but not for more complex events. Accurately predicting 2 of the last 5 sets of lottery numbers, for instance, would be a touch better than random chance.
Whether this source is impressive or not therefore relates to how improbable the events they correctly predicted are.
I feel like hardware has always been the biggest weakness of Windows Phone. Last year, when my contract expired, I wanted to get a WP, but as much as I loved the OS, the truth is that the hardware specs of the best WP on the market just doesn't measure up to a decent (not even top of the line, but decent) Android phone. Typically featuring less ram, lower-grade processors and lower resolution, if WP has one weakness, I think it IS the hardware. If Microsoft invested in making a really high-end phone to compete with the Galaxy S3, The Razr Maxx & The Nexus 4, they would be a MUCH stronger competitor.
> the hardware specs of the best WP on the market just doesn't measure up
That is because of the MS culture that dictates how it operates. MS does very centralised development and dictates the hardware on which the systems run.
For example, for Netbooks to be sold with XP, MS dictated limits on RAM, screen resolution and size, CPU type and power. This was to ensure that real laptops, beyond the limits on Netbooks, had to buy the more expensive Vista or 7. The result was that netbooks became obsolete.
WP7 would only run on specific single core SoCs that were determined before it was released and were never updated and screen size (800x480) that seemed adequate at that time. So WP7 phones are now 3 years behind the leaders. The same will happen with WP8. The MS development cycle is too slow to keep up with modern hardware development rates.