Steve Ballmer (Photo credit: Wikipedia).
Windows Phone 8 is on the way. The handsets have been introduced, the networks are lining up the deals... yet Microsoft's new mobile operating system has still not stepped out of the shadows.
For the moment the mystery building up around Windows Phone 8 is mostly confined to the technology columns watching the lack of public developments. While some members of the public will have noted the announcements of the new phones running Windows Phone and are waiting for the smartphones to arrive on their chosen network, the majority of consumers will encounter Windows Phone 8 for the first time through the press and media coverage of Microsoft's launch.
That's why I'm wondering what Microsoft is building up to? Not only have they been very quiet about what Windows Phone 8 can do, they are actively discouraging any discussion over the topic.
Journalists have not been able to seriously test out the Nokia Lumia 9210, the HTC 8X, or the Samsung ATIV S, because if they do they'll also be trying out Windows Phone 8. Access to the pre-release SDK has been on a case by case basis, with developers having to apply to Microsoft for permission, and signing strict non-disclosure agreements.
Why would Microsoft build up this deafening road of silence? Surely it can't be because Windows Phone 8 is a step-change in smartphone technology and development?
The chances of 'a game-changer' are slim, precisely because there has been no effort put in to prepare the media. The preview in June would have been the time to hint at this, and nothing was offered. If it is something revolutionary and Microsoft wants complete silence before hand, they're running the risk that they will have pivoted so sharply into a new direction it's going to throw everybody off.
No, from the scraps we've seen from leaked SDK's and a handful of customized apps from Nokia and HTC, Windows Phone 8 looks to be more of the same. The live tiles have some options to resize them, there'll be more colors available for the themes, but fundamentally the user interface and experience is going to be broadly similar to Windows Phone 7.
Which leads to the interesting question, what if there's nothing new for the press to write about?
It's one reason Apple always pushes the idea of 'over 200 new features' with any updated piece of technology. That's a number that a story can be hung on, unlike 'the squares can be different sizes'.
There are significant changes under the hood with Windows Phone 8; native code support will allow for more advanced applications and the all important middleware that powers many Android and iOS titles to be ported to Windows Phone; the potential integration with Windows 8 and Surface tablets will be very slick; the ability to have smartphones running with multiple cores, different screen sizes, and SD card expansions; encryption and app deployment for enterprise deployments. These are all vital functions that are needed, but they're not sexy enough to sell the story of Windows Phone 8.
The Windows Phone 8 launch could be nothing more than "here we go, it works just like Windows Phone 7, but with shinier hardware from our partners and more complicated computery things for the geeks!" How's that going to play in Peoria?
There's a cold logic to relying on the hardware partners to sell the hardware, after all that's their area of expertise, but logic doesn't sell handsets. Emotion, desire, lust, a feeling of missing out... that sells handsets. Right now Microsoft are delivering none of those to the Windows Phone table, and it's very hard to see them doing something utterly out of character and amazing before the end of the month.
There's not a huge amount of love for Microsoft in the room, and they need a big win with Windows Phone to stay in the smartphone game. The bases are loaded with Samsung, HTC, and Nokia ready to run home and score. To do that Microsoft not only need to hit the ball with the launch of Windows Phone, but to have everyone believe they can hit the ball as Steve Ballmer steps up to the plate.
From the bleachers, it looks like not enough people are believers, and Microsoft are running out of time.
