Latest Windows 10 Mobile
So, yesterday, MS dropped a new build of Windows 10 Mobile, which has prompted several, mostly negative comments. Some I agree with, some I disagree with.
Before I get into that though, I'll start by saying that I do believe that they should have an additional ring for external testers. The fast ring for both mobile and desktop has once again slowed down immensely. And, I would even be fine with needing to jump through hoops to get into that ring, like being forced to submit feedback and/or proven knowledge of how to restore a device.
Personally, the extra 1 business day delay (big whoop) was apparently caused by a bug that would have stopped phones from taking subsequent builds. If you know how to restore the phone these sorts of issues aren't the end of the world, though they would be a pain in the butt to deal with.
I'll admit, I'm a little confused how such a critical bug could be overlooked. I mean, you could argue that such a section of the code only gets tested when a new build is released to replace the current build. But, one would also think that they would have ironed out those parts of the process long ago. I also see no reason to believe they lied. It isn't like they were delaying an unannounced build in which case it could be a stall tactic. And it only resulted in it being delayed by one work day, showing that they were indeed serious about getting this build out.
So, that being said, how is the new build? About what you would expect. In day to day usage, I don't think anyone would notice any large differences. Some app changes, some minor tweaks, bug fixes and of course performance improvements. While you might notice some of these changes, for the most part they aren't things that you could take a picture of and show someone. The one hand mode would be an exception and things like changes to the photos app. But, unless you were dying for one handed mode or make heavy usage of the photos app, you might be forgiven for largely not even noticing that the update happened.
But, as mentioned before, that is about what you would expect. While we are an undisclosed amount of time away from a final release, Windows 10, which this is based upon, is shipped and while we don't have firm dates, we can probably expect it to be more or less the equivalent of GA within 2 months based on OEM and partner comments and Microsoft's own commitments. So, like Windows 10 before it, we're kind of in the final stretch and shouldn't expect to see too much in the way of new features or drastic changes.
At this point however, I think insiders are fine with fit and polish. The last build had a number of performance and stability issues on my Lumia 1020, and that build was already immensely better than the one that came before it. While buggy, the last build was the first one I was willing to leave on my phone. I only have the one phone after all. I'm hoping this build will prove even better to the point where I'm not just willing to leave it on, but also not tempted at all to revert back. I had a few days with the last build where I almost restored WP8.
Given the pace that things happened with Windows 10 I expect it will continue to be buggy and a tad slower than the final builds will be and that things will improve drastically in the final build. But time will tell.
Before I get into that though, I'll start by saying that I do believe that they should have an additional ring for external testers. The fast ring for both mobile and desktop has once again slowed down immensely. And, I would even be fine with needing to jump through hoops to get into that ring, like being forced to submit feedback and/or proven knowledge of how to restore a device.
Personally, the extra 1 business day delay (big whoop) was apparently caused by a bug that would have stopped phones from taking subsequent builds. If you know how to restore the phone these sorts of issues aren't the end of the world, though they would be a pain in the butt to deal with.
I'll admit, I'm a little confused how such a critical bug could be overlooked. I mean, you could argue that such a section of the code only gets tested when a new build is released to replace the current build. But, one would also think that they would have ironed out those parts of the process long ago. I also see no reason to believe they lied. It isn't like they were delaying an unannounced build in which case it could be a stall tactic. And it only resulted in it being delayed by one work day, showing that they were indeed serious about getting this build out.
So, that being said, how is the new build? About what you would expect. In day to day usage, I don't think anyone would notice any large differences. Some app changes, some minor tweaks, bug fixes and of course performance improvements. While you might notice some of these changes, for the most part they aren't things that you could take a picture of and show someone. The one hand mode would be an exception and things like changes to the photos app. But, unless you were dying for one handed mode or make heavy usage of the photos app, you might be forgiven for largely not even noticing that the update happened.
But, as mentioned before, that is about what you would expect. While we are an undisclosed amount of time away from a final release, Windows 10, which this is based upon, is shipped and while we don't have firm dates, we can probably expect it to be more or less the equivalent of GA within 2 months based on OEM and partner comments and Microsoft's own commitments. So, like Windows 10 before it, we're kind of in the final stretch and shouldn't expect to see too much in the way of new features or drastic changes.
At this point however, I think insiders are fine with fit and polish. The last build had a number of performance and stability issues on my Lumia 1020, and that build was already immensely better than the one that came before it. While buggy, the last build was the first one I was willing to leave on my phone. I only have the one phone after all. I'm hoping this build will prove even better to the point where I'm not just willing to leave it on, but also not tempted at all to revert back. I had a few days with the last build where I almost restored WP8.
Given the pace that things happened with Windows 10 I expect it will continue to be buggy and a tad slower than the final builds will be and that things will improve drastically in the final build. But time will tell.
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