Ballmer on Windows Phone 7: 5,500 apps, updates coming, Verizon and Sprint in first half of 2011

By on Jan 5, 2011 at 10:22 PM
CES January 5, 2011

Speaking at his company’s CES keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer let go several pertinent facts about the Windows Phone 7 operating system. For starters, the much anticipated WP7 software update — the one that brings copy & paste along with a host of other improvements — is due in the next few months. Mr. Ballmer also noted that the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace now has 5,500 applications and is growing at the rate of 100 new applications every day; he also mentioned that 50% of the user base downloads a new application each day. Lastly, the highly anticipated Verizon and Sprint Windows Phone devices — like the HTC 7 Pro — are due “in the first half of 2011.” Not exactly the timeframe we were looking for… and no mention of official sales figures for the platform. Anyone else disappointed by the lack of specificity on the WP7, CDMA timeline?

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  • Colberre

    I think disappointed is an understatement.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve been a huge MSFT fan and loved Windows Mobile, but WP7 is dead to me. They couldn’t even copy AAPL competently. I ditched my Tilt 2 for an Android device and there’s no looking back.

    • serpentor

      It seems to me MS is copying Apple to a T. It didn’t seem to hurt iPhone any that it didn’t have copy+paste or background processes for 3 years.

      • Anonymous

        These would be very valid points if we were still living in 2008. On my calendar it’s 2011 already.

        Copy-paste was one of the first updates to iPhone OS, at the time they added it the only smartphone ‘competition’ the iPhone had was Windows Mobile with it’s Windows 3.11-style user interface. Multitasking has never been a big deal to me, in fact, I can’t even remember the last time using a multitasking application after iOS 4. Multitasking on a phone is extremely overrated if you have proper backgrounding or suspend-to-flash. From what I read about WP7, the backgrounding mechanism in it is pretty horrible which means many applications have to restart completely from scratch if you switch applications, which is really annoying for applications that take long to start. At least suspend-to-flash worked great on the iPhone from the start, and background processes works terrific on iOS 4, if they had the time to make WP7 work as well they’d done it already.

        Anyway, completely unrelated to your obvious rant against Apple, I think Microsoft is still doing a pretty good job with WP7, even if sales are disappointing. They made a very bold move with very big risks starting from scratch and changing the way they think about consumer smartphones, which is very refreshing to someone like me who has never ever been a big fan of anything coming from Redmond.

  • Booboolala2000

    Please, first half of 2011?! Lol. Iphone and Dual core Droids will be all over that place. Don’t even waste your time Microsoft. You either Blackberry. Sorry fangirls, but you better come correct in the first half of 2011!

  • Anonymous

    The 7 Pro on Sprint is the Last Gasp of breath that i stick with Windows for the long haul. The Death Grip i have on my TP2 is my daily reminder of that.

    • Anonymous

      I very much wanted many times to toss my TP2 out the window from sheer frustration with it. WP7 is well worth the wait. I dont know how I ever managed on that thing so long. I love the Surround.

  • mike

    all i have to say is i have a palm pre and i’ve been waiting for the htc 7 pro since the announcement. if no specific date is announced and palm comes out with something comparable in february, webos will be here to stay.

  • MMartin

    Another epic failure for Microsoft’s E&D division:

    Zune
    Xbox
    Kin
    Windows Phone 7

    Nothing but an endless stream of garbage products.

    • http://twitter.com/rdubmu Robert Mutton

      The Zune, Xbox are great products. Have you ever had a Zune, it superior to any Apple Product. How about the xbox. It is the best selling game console in the last 6 months and it is the oldest of this generation of gaming consoles. Kin is the only product that failed. That has to do as much with Verizon as with Microsoft. It was supposed to have a $15 dollar unlimited data plan, but Verizon backed out…it isn’t a smartphone, but uses more data than a blackberry. (Kin Studio).

      Windows Phone 7 software is very nice, as for hardware that is up to the manufacture (Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung) and lastly Windows 7 is the fastest selling windows to date! So Microsoft is doing just fine, just like Apple and Google. The xbox isn’t going anywhere, same with the Zune Desktop and Zune Players (either Zune itself or Zune Player inside of WP7)

      • Katy_h

        LOL!

        The RRoD plagued Xbox 360 is in last place in worldwide sales – despite being rushed out the door a year early in the US and Japan and a year and a half in Europe.

        Should shock anyone that the worst console hardware in the history of gaming, the Xbox 360, is in last place:

        * Laughably weak graphics hardware compared to the PS3

        * Most defect ridden hardware ever

        * Shit 60 dollar a year forced online fees for laggy P2P based online gaming

        * Nothing but PC ports and 3 first party studios for exclusive compared to Sony’s insane 20 first party studios and Nintendo’s 10

        Millions and millions of replacement consoles sold due to the RRoD and other Xbox 360 hardware failures, a extra year of sales, and 100-200 dollars cheaper than the PS3 and Microsoft still ends up in last place.

        Epic failure Microsoft.

      • Jussme55

        Reading your idiotic remarks make my eyes sting. I hope Sony is giving you a big check for the pr campaign.

      • guess

        if u think ps3 graphics is better, guest u need to c doctor, check ur eyes… lol :p
        in theory, xbox hardware is far behind from sony, in real game… it says the other way around..
        you can compare all the game tht exists on 2 consoles… thn watch it closely (after u met ur doctor), and game experience… ps… man… enough… is enough… ps only spoil the game experience so far…

      • Claudiu Jernea

        He was referring to the original Zune (not HD) and the original Xbox (not 360). I personally agree with what he is saying. I have a Samsung Focus and I love it but it is in desperate need for some bug fixes and added functionality. I am very very disappointed from Microsoft. I’m giving WP7 till September a try, if not I am selling my phone.

      • http://twitter.com/estooie estooie

        I like the Quantum that I have, but there’s so much missing. Copy & Paste, attaching videos to MMS & Email, Picture and video quality from the camera, keeping standard settings on the camera, Apps, and this one’s on LG… Missing better speakers for the earpiece and the back of the phone.

        I’m with you, I’m just waiting on that update to see what they fix. If it’s not enough, I’ll recoup whatever cash I can from this phone and go back to an iPhone. For the record, I’m not an Apple Fan Boy, so don’t bash. :)

      • http://twitter.com/estooie estooie

        I’ll agree with Xbox. It’s pretty successful. BUT Microsoft pretty much abandoned the Zune and Kin. I can also understand the story you have with the Kin, but when’s the last time you saw Microsoft wooing over developers for the Zune? Wasn’t it supposed to have apps, games, and awesome features? I owned one, loved the sound quality, but even Zune Desktop is another thing that they need to address.
        My question is, will they start, hype, then abandon WP7 just as they have with Kin and Zune?

  • http://twitter.com/estooie estooie

    WP7 owner, LG Quantum.

    Dude, what about the friggin’ CAMERA? It’s so horrendous and inexcusable for Microsoft to come out with a pretty decent mobile OS and totally neglect the quality of their software that’s running the CAMERA! Every time you open the app, you have to turn on “anti-shake”. Even so, the quality is grainy, poor under normal conditions, and the “HD” 720p video is laughable. Add to that, you can’t even email the videos. I can understand not attaching to MMS, but the neglect to let it attach to emails? Jeebus, the release version is beyond half-ass, and they need to push out updates ASAP.

  • Rowanova

    Wow, they now have 5500 apps. How impressive is that?! They have almost as many apps available as the number of phones they’ve sold…world-wide. (Sarcasm intended)

    • serpentor

      How many apps do they need for the number of phones they’ve sold and the time it’s been on the market? Compared to iPhone, they have more apps than Apple did in the same time frame.

      And as long as they have the apps that matter do you need 10k fart and flash light apps?

      • Anonymous

        You are absolutely right about the Apps aspect of it. Microsoft’s only got two problems with regard to Windows Phone 2007:

        1. They need at least as many phones on the market as Android, if not more.
        2. They need people to buy these phones without knowing it is a Metoosoft product, like the KIN(s).

  • http://twitter.com/MrUniq78 Christopher

    Ballmer is going to be ‘let go’. I think WP7 is great but Android and iOS….even WebOS has a year or two on these guys and Microsoft is plodding around at a snails pace. It’s not really about software updates but momentum and I think MS has certainly done what they can to kill it. Windows 7 tablets?? Noooo. Months long update cycles..Nooo…no handsets on the nations largest carrier before the end of winter? Noooooo.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BWROAM5FLX7YAR2RQPV5VUSAIU BC3Tech

    I’ve got $200+ in best buy gift cards from xmas that i’m itching to blow on a wp7 phone. however seeing this has me re-thinking and possibly scoring a dual-core Android before wp7 comes to VZW :(

  • Anonymous

    I am sure most people have seen the new Android phones from CES… Atrix, Bionic, Thunderbolt, etc… Does anyone really-REALLY want a WP7… Really?? How about a Ballmer sweaty armpit too?

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