Windows 10 Mobile Upgrade Comes To Mostly Just Microsoft's Devices

[Lucian Armasu]

Microsoft announced the rollout for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade. However, the upgrade will come mostly to Microsoft's Lumia devices and skip most of the Windows Phone 8.1 devices from other manufacturers.

Windows 10 Mobile Upgrade Comes To Mostly Just Microsoft's Devices : Read more

 

[Dyseman]

Hmm, I've been running Windows 10 Mobile beta in my T-Mobile Lumia 810 since the beta/preview became available. No issues and smooth. Wonder why it isn't getting the official version?

 

[alextheblue]

Microsoft has taken responsibility for upgrading all Windows devices.

This is news to me. I only recall them promising to deliver it to WP8 Lumia devices. Still, I hope they continue to work to bring it to more Lumia models, there may be a few stragglers they can't update (or that the carriers refuse to update). I hope HTC, despite struggling against Samsung and LG, can manage to release the update.

Significantly, fewer than half of all the Windows Phone 8.1 devices out there seem to have gotten on the list for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade. In fact, it’s mostly just Microsoft's own Lumia devices that got it.

Even if this is true and no other WP 8.1 devices are getting upgraded to W10 ever, that statement is still deceptive. The majority of Windows Phones sold were chosen from models in that list. Thus I could argue the majority of "devices out there" are getting official upgrades.

 

[falchard]

I think the issue has more to due with the handset manufacturer than Microsoft. For years they have ignored Android updates because it spurs the sales of new handsets. They are just doing the same with Microsoft.

 

[mrmez]

MS again leading the way in what not to do.
Fragment hardware and software as much as possibly, confuse the hell out of customers and alienate manufacturers.

At least people know on average they can run the current ios on 5 year old devices.

 

[ohim]

It`s been said that there will be 2 waves of updates, this is the first wave, anyway, for people on the insider program it`s the same version .. i`ve been using this for 2 weeks already on my Lumia 930.

MS again leading the way in what not to do.
Fragment hardware and software as much as possibly, confuse the hell out of customers and alienate manufacturers.

At least people know on average they can run the current ios on 5 year old devices.

You can run the insider on those other phones, it`s exactly the same release. And sometimes it`s not the best idea to have the latest OS on old hardware, there have been tests on YT with old iphones and latest iOS 9.3, though they can run it, they will run it with poor performance due to old slow CPUs. It`s like taking a 256 MB Pentium III computer and slap on it Windows 10 ... it will run like crap.

Phones are evolving a lot in 4 years... don`t expect that a phone from 4 years to have competent hardware to run everything now without issues, don`t compare to PC timeframe. 4 years ago in phones is like having a 486 PC and now we are at Pentium 3.

 

[dthx]

At least people know on average they can run the current ios on 5 year old devices.

Technicaly, you can do that, but it renders your device almost unuseable.
I can perfectly remember how the iOS7 update ruined my 2 and a half year old iPad2.

 

[coolkev99]

I'm still astounded how poorly MS has handled their phone platform. The software upgrades have been few and far between. I would have thought they'd take a serious effort to catching up with Android/Apple, but if anything they keep lagging further and further behind. To make matters worse, too many devices were left out of needed upgrades. You have to register yourself as a developer to get them on some phones! WHY!?

 

[lazymangaka]

Must be a gradual rollout, because my T-Mobile 640 isn't showing any available updates.

 

[RedJaron]

If this is the 164 build, my 925 and 950 also got it.

 

[milkod2001]

Way to go MS! Always on track!

 

[Stone Cold]

Must be a gradual rollout, because my T-Mobile 640 isn't showing any available updates.

I dont have a contract with any carrier, also no upgrade on 640. The upgrade advisor says:
"Good news! Your phone is eligible for an upgrade to W10. We are working with your mobile operator and phone manufacturer to make the upgrade available for your phone, and you'll see a notification when it's ready"

Some of my buddies on the same provider got the upgrade on 535...

 

[therealduckofdeath]

I wonder if the Windows Phone platform one day will be used as a business case study as to how not to run a billion dollar business? I mean, they just keep doing almost everything wrong and they just don't seem to care one bit about how much money they're wasting while doing that.

 

[technoholic]

my lumia 720 doesn't have enough ram to run win10 it seems, though i would hesitate to upgrade even if i could due to the rumor that here maps won't work on win10 mobile any more (i read it somewhere that it won't work after june)

 

[mrmez]

At least people know on average they can run the current ios on 5 year old devices.

Technicaly, you can do that, but it renders your device almost unuseable.
I can perfectly remember how the iOS7 update ruined my 2 and a half year old iPad2.

I can agree with that to a certain extent. My 2011 iPad 2 is on the current ios. It does FEEL a little slower. I'm sure part of that is true and part of it is because new devices keep getting faster, but at least I get the choice, and I don't have to wait for the nth round release to find out if I might, or might not get it.

In the end I chose to keep ios9 as the new features were worth the minor speed decrease.

Apple has plenty of it's own problems of course, but MS' track record is a bit rubbish, ESPECIALLY on portable devices (Zune, Windows Phone (why would you call an OS windows phone. I thought windows phone would be a phone)). They haven't addressed the fragmentation issues at all, which i think, is a big part of why WP failed, and why W10 mobile will never gain more than a foot in the door.

 

[ohim]

The phone industry evolves much faster than PC and people cry when their old phones are left out of the new updates, well.. let`s see.. first X86 32 CPU was launched in 1985 since then 31 years have passed with multiple variations of software. Now we have the modern smartphone that started with the iPhone that was launched in 2007, 9 years have passed and we are already at almost entry PC desktop performance levels, with quad core CPUs that can rival Core i3 (Snapdragon 820 does this if i`m not wrong) and 2-4 GB of RAM, the GPUs can also render games at 1080p, i remember my 2006 AMD X2 5000 with Nvidia 9600GT struggling to play at 1600x1080.

The hardware on older phones simply cannot keep up with modern software, and they will not keep the software behind just for the love of some cheap old phone. The industry is evolving fast in this market and sadly some phones will be left out.

PS: in my previous comment i`ve said there will be 2 waves of update, Gabe Aul said that there won`t be any and that some phones have older CPUS that simply can`t handle the new code, guess he`s talking about something similar to instructions sets found on modern CPUs, like when you couldn`t play a game if you didn`t have MMX instruction on your CPU.

Also many talk about app gap, the gap is getting smaller and smaller by the day, only few important social apps are missing but some are already in development while others have very good 3rd party alternatives, some of which are even Universal apps (UWA)

UWA is amazing, i can have the same app and same functionality on PC / Tablet (2 in 1) and phone, they are great and i now understand why MS is trying to force people to switch to Win 10, more users > better market, better market > more devs will be interested to come and develop apps.

The store, even though MS will get a cut (Google/Apple does the same), will be good for them since it`s harder to pirate stuff like this.

 

[jerdle]

I'm still astounded how poorly MS has handled their phone platform. The software upgrades have been few and far between. I would have thought they'd take a serious effort to catching up with Android/Apple, but if anything they keep lagging further and further behind. To make matters worse, too many devices were left out of needed upgrades. You have to register yourself as a developer to get them on some phones! WHY!?

well that's misleading. The 'old' Windows phone 8 OS is still significantly ahead of apple's and android's latest. you can complain about lack of frequent updates, but when it's already better in the first place the point is pretty moot.

 

[bytemaster]

my lumia 720 doesn't have enough ram to run win10 it seems, though i would hesitate to upgrade even if i could due to the rumor that here maps won't work on win10 mobile any more (i read it somewhere that it won't work after june)

HERE Maps will not work. The new Microsoft Maps app, based on HERE technology will.

 

[tntom]

I've been burned too many times with Windows phones. Windows Mobile > Danger > Zune > Windows Phone 7 > Windows Phone 8.1 > Windows Phone 10. Those first 4 were whole ecosystems abandoned. And I tried those new Microsoft phones and they are slower than a 2010 WP 7.8.

I will use a Win Launcher for Android for now on A vertical scrolling Tile based UI is still the best for phones. All my apps from 5 years ago still work on Android and my 5 yr old phones are updated to the latest Android.

 

[falchard]

Microsoft maps isn't nearly as useful as Here Maps and I am not too sure why. They combined the Here Maps and Driving directions. The driving directions can get me to my destination with precise accuracy. The Microsoft Maps doesn't properly calculate traffic.