Windows Phones Rooms feature to disappear...
File this under sort of related to my prior post about people complaining about "regressions" in functionality in Windows 10 on Phones. This is a little different of course. It isn't a regression, it is a feature being killed. But it is probably safe to say that Windows 10 is the reason it is getting the axe.
I never used the Rooms feature. While my wife and father have Windows Phone devices, none of the rest of my immediate family or any of my friends do. And I suspect this is the case for others as well. And since getting the functionality that distinguished this from competition required that it didn't have a place in my lifestyle. And, I imagine this same story played out amongst most users. If it was a highly coveted, widely used feature you can bet your ass it would stay.
So what does this have to do with Windows 10? Well, Windows doesn't have this functionality. And that means putting in the effort to rewrite it as a universal app, and given the nature this might lead others to expect a desktop version. But this feature treads into areas already covered by other apps like Skype and Outlook. So, it is safe to wager that this is being axed due to popularity.
This goes a little deeper though. It isn't just that no such app will continue to exist in Windows 10, people who don't upgrade also won't be able to create new rooms going forwards. Not sure why they would do this. They aren't killing existing ones for people who stay on WP8/8.1. The overhead seems like it would have to be minimal. So, it is a bit confusing there. The best I can come up with is that it is a compromise between abandoning those who used the feature and sating those in other teams who don't want this feature competing with their offerings.
I never used the Rooms feature. While my wife and father have Windows Phone devices, none of the rest of my immediate family or any of my friends do. And I suspect this is the case for others as well. And since getting the functionality that distinguished this from competition required that it didn't have a place in my lifestyle. And, I imagine this same story played out amongst most users. If it was a highly coveted, widely used feature you can bet your ass it would stay.
So what does this have to do with Windows 10? Well, Windows doesn't have this functionality. And that means putting in the effort to rewrite it as a universal app, and given the nature this might lead others to expect a desktop version. But this feature treads into areas already covered by other apps like Skype and Outlook. So, it is safe to wager that this is being axed due to popularity.
This goes a little deeper though. It isn't just that no such app will continue to exist in Windows 10, people who don't upgrade also won't be able to create new rooms going forwards. Not sure why they would do this. They aren't killing existing ones for people who stay on WP8/8.1. The overhead seems like it would have to be minimal. So, it is a bit confusing there. The best I can come up with is that it is a compromise between abandoning those who used the feature and sating those in other teams who don't want this feature competing with their offerings.
Comments
Post a Comment