People always ask me this: “Why are you using a Windows Phone, nobody like Windows Phone.” Well, to be frank, I don’t have an answer. There are many factors revolve around why I made the switch from iOS. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I feel dry out with what Android and Apple have to offer. When Windows Phone 7 came out, the platform brought something new to the table, and more importantly, it is different. I appreciate that. But since the release of Windows Phone 8.1, everything started to change. To compete with Apple and Google, the company has turned its mobile OS in-line with the systems that are out there. And it seems like each and every update, Microsoft is taking out what makes Windows Phone attractive to me in the first place.
From the littlest thing
Now, to be clear, what Microsoft is doing with Windows is not necessary “bad.” I honestly like a lot of what it is doing with Windows 10. But instead of the fixing what is wrong, Microsoft is fixing what it is doing right. It is nit-picking out the little thing that itself, has made to provide users with a more enjoyable experiences.
Starting with the more controversial one: the setting button. I honestly don’t care what the button is. People seem to have the misconception about what is wrong about the setting buttons. It doesn’t matter what it is, hamburger or waffle I don’t care. “Where it is” is what matters. This is one of the little things I was talking about earlier. “Location, location, location.” Microsoft might not realize this, but phones are getting bigger. And it is Microsoft job’s to make sure that one-handed usage be as comfortable as possible, and it was doing that. One of the easiest things is to move things to the bottom, or within reach of the thumb.
Project Spartan is another thing I got a stick with. This might come as a surprise, but I enjoy surfing the web on Windows Phone more than on Android or iOS. And what causes me to like it is the smallest thing ever: the address bar. In IE 11, it actually stays in the bottoms, exactly where it belongs. You might not even notice it, but have everything within the reach of your thumb help to do ANYthing a lot easier, especially for one-handed use.
But…
There are some advantages to this “me too” strategy. For one thing, it makes it easier for anyone who want to move from Android or iOS to Windows. But the question here is: Is it worth it? I mean, Windows is losing its identity by chasing this blind game of conformity. From personal experience, if you are changing platform, changes are expected. Microsoft should be the OS that can alternate the standard of thing. A lot of people have shared with me, that they keep blindly keep pressing at the bottom of their screen for the setting menu.
Which again, this brings back to the original point, thing that make an operating system great is not how many apps it has, or how many phones out there that are running it (although these two things – among many other factors – play sizable role to determine). It is how the OS execute the little thing that ease the using experience.
But what do you think? What can Microsoft do to improve its Windows 10? Tell me bellow or @4onetime on Twitter.
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