What's behind Microsoft's fall from dominance?

[psxphill]

That has to do with your carrier and the particular model phone. Google keeps releasing updates, it's up to Verizon/Sprint/T-Mobil/etc. to push them out

I don't like the nexus hardware, no sdcard slot and worse cameras than my 2 year old phone. But each android version they push out is basically hard coded for their phones, which is why it's so hard for manufacturers to port them to last years hardware. Google change the os enough each time that you can't just use the old drivers etc.
 
The other manufacturers don't help as they use binary blobs for drivers that they don't update, plus they can also make changes to the os to get their drivers working. It's a major problem for someone trying to clean up the mess.
 
So with Android you get a choice you can either:
 
1. be forced to buy a nexus, which might be supported for three years (they have stopped supporting the first two already).
 
2. live with being stuck on the version of android the phone comes with.
 
3. upgrade to a cyanogenmod build for your phone that has been ported by a school kid and has drivers that crash or don't work.
 
 
I don't have the money to buy apple stuff & I don't have the money to buy a new phone when my old phone could actually run the latest software if google could get their act together.
 
Android has really left a bad taste in my mouth, something I've never experienced with Microsoft. Microsoft force the operators to accept updates (I think apple do too).
 
Androids Linux origins really show through and it's not something that works commercially.

[nicholas]

I don't like the nexus hardware, no sdcard slot and worse cameras than my 2 year old phone. But each android version they push out is basically hard coded for their phones, which is why it's so hard for manufacturers to port them to last years hardware. Google change the os enough each time that you can't just use the old drivers etc.
 
The other manufacturers don't help as they use binary blobs for drivers that they don't update, plus they can also make changes to the os to get their drivers working. It's a major problem for someone trying to clean up the mess.
 
So with Android you get a choice you can either:
 
1. be forced to buy a nexus, which might be supported for three years (they have stopped supporting the first two already).
 
2. live with being stuck on the version of android the phone comes with.
 
3. upgrade to a cyanogenmod build for your phone that has been ported by a school kid and has drivers that crash or don't work.
 
 
I don't have the money to buy apple stuff & I don't have the money to buy a new phone when my old phone could actually run the latest software if google could get their act together.
 
Android has really left a bad taste in my mouth, something I've never experienced with Microsoft. Microsoft force the operators to accept updates (I think apple do too).
 
Androids Linux origins really show through and it's not something that works commercially.

Good luck updating your Windows Phone 7 device to WP8.

[Fats]

Android has really left a bad taste in my mouth, something I've never experienced with Microsoft. Microsoft force the operators to accept updates (I think apple do too).

Me personally, I don't have problem with my cheap Samsung still being on Android 2.3 release. It runs the apps I need.

Androids Linux origins really show through and it's not something that works commercially.

Yeah, that's why Android is on 75% of new smart phones.

[psxphill]

Yeah, that's why Android is on 75% of new smart phones.

Current market share is irrelevant. The majority of people are sheep and will buy whatever you manipulate them into buying.
 
Android's USP is it's open, but that hasn't really delivered any benefits. It's lack of a controlling overlord has created a mess.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

The majority of people are sheep and will buy whatever you manipulate them into buying.

Such venom!  The majority of people don't really care all that much, they just want something that works (even if "works" defines a sub-optimal level of performance for us geeks), and is at a reasonable price.  The huge number of available models, many of which are given away for free ("with a two year contract", yadda yadda) is moreso the fuel behind Android's growth.

[nicholas]

My Galaxy S2 is currently running Android 4.3 quite nicely. It came with 2.3 IIRC and has upgraded to 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 in between with no issues.

My mate's Lumia came with Windows Phone 7 and will never be upgraded to WP8.

My next phone will hopefully be a Jolla device as I'm not tied to Android in a technical nor emotional way.

It's just a tool to get work done with. All this brand loyalty stuff is beyond me.

[Iggy]

Hi,
Just going to say to all you apple fanboys, government employees own more PC's than apple will ever think of using or selling, and that isn't counting the gamers or the casual user. The only ones who use apple products are the ones that know absolutely nothing about computers. They have to call apple to find out where the on switch is at.

Having used computers since the '70's and having previously worked for a company that built 68K computer AND owning more Apples than PCs, I find this opinion uninformed and rather stupid.
Yeah, Apple makes some curious decisions.
But as pointed out (repeatedly), those of us running MorphOS on older Apples aren't particularly interested in Apple's intent.

But I will agree with Smerf on one point, Microsoft isn't going away.

[ferrellsl]

You guys are more delusional than you think if you really believe that Microsoft has lost dominance or is "doomed".  You clowns are the same people who believe that the Amiga will rise from the ashes like some sort of Phoenix to storm the world of computing once again.  Keep drinking that Kool-Aid and hiding out under bridges with your Billy goats.

[nicholas]

Microsoft aren't going anywhere soon they will just become a different beast than they currently are due to changing markets.

However, it is a fact that they are currently irrelevant in the mobile sector, which is the fastest growing market currently.

Maybe they will come to dominate the mobile sector but I can't see it happening myself.

[psxphill]

My Galaxy S2 is currently running Android 4.3 quite nicely.

Is that official or are you just lucky that someone has managed to botch something together? Anything that has been upgraded to 4.3 without massive battery issues or crashes is very very lucky. I wonder what android phone will win the next lottery for reasonable upgrades.
 
We'll see how Microsoft handle upgrades moving forward, especially now they'll be controlling their own hardware as on pc's they've been very good. Having the latest OS isn't necessarily the important thing, it's that security updates will still be made. There are a huge number of android phones out there that will never get an update but have lots of security holes.

[nicholas]

I compiled it myself.

That's the best feature. I can do whatever the hell I want with it. Some people don't want that, some people do. Who cares really, use what you want, everyone is different and everyone has different requirements.

I have absolutely zero need for any product MS currently have on offer, maybe in future I will, who knows? What a great thing the free market is!

[Iggy]

You guys are more delusional than you think if you really believe that Microsoft has lost dominance or is "doomed".  You clowns are the same people who believe that the Amiga will rise from the ashes like some sort of Phoenix to storm the world of computing once again.  Keep drinking that Kool-Aid and hiding out under bridges with your Billy goats.

My God!
I really don't like this guy, but I wholly agree with him here.

Microsoft is here to stay and our OS' are relegated to hobbyist pursuits.

[psxphill]

I compiled it myself.

I guess you didn't port it yourself. You're lucky someone did the work unpaid, most phones don't get anything resembling a stable port.
 
I currently have the choice of 4.3 with no camera light, touch screen bugs & random battery drain because google keep trying to keep devices on all the time or 4.2.2 with random reboots due to a buggy wifi driver.
 
For both of those google maps doesn't work well for some reason the screen just jumps around. Neither one of them supports the FM radio either. There are other bugs and missing functionality, but those are the ones that really affect me.
 
I could compile it myself, but it wouldn't make it any better. If you're not changing it then building it yourself is pointless.
 
Or I could go with the official 4.0 build, which is slow and doesn't work with BBC iPlayer. I couldn't install it officially though as sony didn't release it for unlocked phones in the UK because O2 wouldn't give them the go ahead. I assumed when I bought an unlocked phone I'd not have to worry about the operators.

[nicholas]

Your personal experience is truly harrowing account and has now firmly caused me to go out and buy a Lumia tomorrow despite it not offering me a single thing I need.

[fatboy]

It's horses for courses! I use Windows 7 on my desktop PC for day-to-day-stuff (seems pretty good to me), Linux on my 'private' laptop and Android ICS (stable, no system crashes) on my JXD S5110 for a bit of hand-held retro gaming fun....sweet!

I get the point that Microsoft are not as dominate as they use to be, but terminal decline???

Is this much like the recent comments from one ATARI legend who believes Nintendo are heading towards being 'irrelevant'  in the console market - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23995569

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I currently have the choice of 4.3 with no camera light, touch screen bugs & random battery drain because google keep trying to keep devices on all the time or 4.2.2 with random reboots due to a buggy wifi driver.
 
For both of those google maps doesn't work well for some reason the screen just jumps around. Neither one of them supports the FM radio either. There are other bugs and missing functionality, but those are the ones that really affect me.

IMHO if you're having that many problems you need to hard reset the device and start over again from scratch with a fresh install of only the core apps you use.  That or buy an iPhone, because Android clearly isn't the operating system for you.