Dear Microsoft, you did a good job at out-Appling Apple with the Windows Phone 7. At least on paper. But instead of trying to beat them completely, it seems that you want to screw it all with two stupid decisions.
The first one: Eliminate application multitasking. After making fun of Apple’s iPhone for not supporting multitasking, you are exactly following Apple’s task model… just when it seems that they are bringing multitasking with iPhone OS 4.0.
Let me get this straight: The biggest smartphone on the planet, the one you are trying desperately to beat, may implement multitasking in its next revision, and you decide not to do it? Even if multitasking doesn’t materialize in the iPhone OS 4.0, don’t you think it would be good to come up with a way to allow it, and introduce your smartphone as the better alternative? No? Yes? Maybe? Come on.
And then… then there is copy and paste.
You and your fans didn’t just make fun of the iPhone’s lack of copy and paste—which lasted until iPhone OS 3.0. You just couldn’t stop laughing and pointing your finger at it and doing faces and sticking your tongue out. But now, when it’s your turn, you are not including copy and paste. Please, allow me to try to put this to you as mildly as possible:
Are you out of your fucking mind? What kind of fuckassery is this, Microsoft?
Mind you, I didn’t think any of these things were dealbreakers with iPhone OS 1.0 and I don’t think they’re any more of a dealbreaker with Windows Mobile 7. I just find it hysterical that Windows fanbois are apt to ignore their criticisms of the iPhone (many of them said that without these two features, the iPhone wasn’t even a smartphone at all) and run screaming to the greatness that is Microsoft with the same shortcomings.
In reality, most of them have just proven what Apple people have said all along: that most criticisms levied against Apple were from people who are rabid Apple hating Microsoft coattail riders.
Now, that being said, I’m looking forward to Windows Mobile 7. Apple needs some competition to wake it up. Android, despite its large number of handset installs, doesn’t seem to be doing it, Palm is practically out of business, and a recent survey said 40% of RIM customers would switch to iPhones if they could.
Microsoft has a chance, as Diaz says, to be the better alternative for a lot of people. The question is will they pull it off, or will they end up looking like they’re trying to “out-Apple apple.”
Either way, Diaz’s rant left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Big time.