Over the weekend, a number of sites started talking about the upcoming iPhone firmware release. I continue to be impressed by the speed with which Apple releases updates to its popular mobile phone. It did make me think again about what Microsoft (and others for that matter) can learn from Apple around mobility.
What I don't understand is why the Windows Mobile ecosystem is not able to do this same sort of thing. I understand that unlike the iPhone and AT&T, there are many more kinds of Windows Mobile devices offered across multiple carriers, but this should not prevent either carriers, device manufacturers or Microsoft from providing fixes or upgrades to the operating system.
Case in point, when I upgraded my device over six months ago from Windows Mobile 5 to 6, there were a couple of bugs that quickly popped up in the new OS. Since then, nothing has been done about them. These are some pretty annoying bugs that have been confirmed by users across the web. Mind you, I was able to confirm from other builds of Windows Mobile 6 that it was the way my carrier tweaked the build...but what's preventing THEM from sending an OTA update? I had to go through a rather convoluted process to unlock the operating system, to wipe the phone clean and install a new version of the OS that was NOT created by my carrier. Although it seems to have addressed some of my earliest problems with the OS, a few new annoyances have popped up, including the fact that the new build did not include Pocket Office.
Again, I understand that Microsoft should not be held responsible for the fact that my carrier did not implement the build properly. What does bug me though is that there are no updates being provided in terms of features, functionality or user interface improvements. As a (happy) Windows Mobile user, I have to wait for Microsoft to build the next gen of the operating system to get any great improvements...other than all the cool updates to the Mobile Search application. Apple is already working on its third update. Why can't anyone in the Wndows Mobile ecosystem do that?
