Why Windows Phone failed. And why is he so bad? What to do if the Windows Phone Store doesn't work Why doesn't Microsoft
The digital application market is the main source from which the owner of a smartphone can install the necessary utilities and updates for them on the device. Malfunctions in its operation can cause significant inconvenience in the functioning of the device itself. However, if the App Store does not work on Windows Phone, this problem can be resolved fairly quickly.
Possible causes of the failure
Before you begin troubleshooting, you need to find out Why doesn't the store work on Windows Phone?. There may be several reasons for this:
- - system error;
- - reset;
- -Market cache memory is full.
The choice of tool to correct the malfunction depends on the factor that led to its occurrence.
What to do if a failure in the Store is caused by a system error
Often Windows Phone 10 store not working, and other versions of the operating system, due to a software failure. In this case, it is necessary to eliminate it.
If problems with the Market are caused by a system error, then a fault code should appear on the screen when you try to enter it. Thanks to him, you can find out what the problem means and how to solve it.
There are many error codes. Each of them talks about different types of malfunctions and has its own instructions for troubleshooting.
The store is not working due to a factory reset
Quite often, the user is unable to connect to the Digital App Market after performing a factory reset. The thing is that when performing this operation, the Microsoft account password and login may be reset.
To solve this kind of problem, you need to log in to your account from your smartphone. If this fails, you can use your computer to recover the password for your account.
Also, if you cannot log into your account via a PC, you need to create a new Microsoft account and log in from the device using its data. In this case, all information about previously installed applications on this device will be lost.
How to clear Market cache
A full Store memory can also make it impossible to access it. In order to clean it, you will also need to use a computer.
Using your account information, you need to open the Store from your PC. In the search bar, you need to type the word “Run”. Then, from the results obtained, select the one that has the appropriate name. A separate input field will appear. In it you need to enter the command “wsreset.exe”. After confirming the action, the cache memory will be cleared.
The above methods are effective methods for troubleshooting digital Store problems. But if they do not help, and the connection still cannot be established, you should wait a while (at least a day) and try again. It is likely that the failure of the Market in this case is caused by the server, and not by the device itself.
The other day, the last Windows smartphone disappeared from the Microsoft Store. Formally, the demise of this system dates back to last fall, but the decline was smooth and humiliating: the remaining phones were sold at discounts of up to 60%, but they were still bought extremely slowly and reluctantly - who needs devices with a dead OS?
For some reason, it is believed that Microsoft made a weak and unpromising platform. This legend was invented by those who had not even touched smartphones on WP and judged them only by meager sales statistics. Indeed, gadgets have completely failed on the market, but the main reason for the collapse is definitely not quality.
Everything is much more complicated.
Unique OS
Photo © AP Photo/Richard Drew
The death of Windows Phone is worth mourning, if only because its creators strived for simplicity and originality at the same time. Moreover, they were partially able to realize their ideas. The interface of all versions of WP was so convenient and understandable that even Apple is still inspired by it: for example, cards with large fonts in the new version of Music are a clear greeting from the world of Windows.
Another advantage of the defunct OS is optimization. Just four years ago, every communication store had a stand with WP gadgets - so, even for six or seven thousand you could buy a conventional Lumia 520, which would not slow down at all, hold a charge for a couple of days and take tolerable photographs. Is it worth reminding us what unbearable slag Android manufacturers were offering for the same money back then?
The third advantage of the sunken platform is the ecosystem. Microsoft has ensured that tablets, smartphones and Windows computers synchronize just as well as Apple's iOS and mac OS. Numerous Android vendors are still far from this goal - they are trying, but to no avail.
Another thing is that the above advantages did not help Microsoft - the system died anyway.
Why did Windows Phone crash?
When creating Windows Phone, Redmond initially relied on two factors: the power of the brand and primitive controls, obvious to both children and pensioners.
The first point was an immediate disaster - by the time WP was released, most users were already hooked on iOS and Android, so the phrase Windows Phone did not excite them one bit. Moreover, the terrible Windows Mobile, designed for styluses and very patient people (everything was slow there), has not yet faded from memory.
The calculation for primitiveness also did not come true. Yes, the phones didn’t glitch, but when the time came to somehow develop the system and take it beyond the usual “tiles,” it turned out that it wouldn’t be possible to do this gracefully. Either the Microsoft bosses themselves did not want to overload the interface, or the developers screwed up the task, but the fact remains: everything that was stated worked perfectly in WP, but the list of functions itself looked downright ridiculous compared to the same iOS and Android.
This is largely why Windows Phone smartphones were purchased either by Microsoft fans (those also exist), or as a gift to an undemanding user: a schoolchild, an old person, a person far from technology - that doesn’t matter.
Photo © AP Photo Ted S. Warren
What is the main tragedy of Microsoft?
It is now clear that this plan should have been immediately flushed down the drain and, from the very first versions of Windows Phone, we should have intensively searched for those who would produce programs and phones for it.
What's the result? With applications, everything was so dreary that even Instagram (!) at first did not appear for a long time, and then it did appear, but was updated once a year - for example, there was no video recording option.
In fact, due to laziness and greed, Microsoft deliberately cut off a gigantic audience that needs a full-fledged, and not castrated, Instagram. And the same darkness reigned with everything else: with games, with popular programs, with some important utilities. While the App Store and Play Market were bursting with content, the Microsoft store was gathering dust. And the company did nothing about it - attempts to stimulate developers were rare, modest and, as a rule, ineffective.
The release of phones is another great topic. Back in the day, Microsoft bought Nokia to make it great again. From a technical point of view, the Lumia models were hard to beat: they had excellent bodies, high-quality assembly, luxurious cameras and sane hardware. But no one understands why the word Nokia was removed from the names: as the current experience of the revived company shows, the brand is still strong and attracts customers. But Lumia is not: no one has heard of Lumia 3310, Lumia N-Gage or Lumia N70.
However, no one stopped Microsoft from reaching an agreement with other top manufacturers, in parallel with the presentations of the new Lumiyas, purely to distribute the OS around the world. But the list of partners is just laughable: HTC, HP, Alcatel - they are the only ones who fit into the adventure with WP.
The rest didn't need it, and Microsoft didn't insist - it's always easier to give up.
Photo © AP Photo/Santi Palacios
Why is the disappearance of an unpopular OS bad?
Microsoft still doesn't seem to realize how important a segment they missed when they gave up on smartphones and admitted defeat in the race to iOS and Android. Company boss Satya Nadella periodically promises to return to the market with some kind of enchanting device (it even has a code name - Surface Phone), but so far these ideas are far from being realized.
There are concepts, drawings and patents, but the gadget is not even in its infancy. The Surface Phone is rumored to be a foldable smartphone, but Apple, Samsung and other giants are already actively exploring the potential of this form factor. This means that Microsoft will have a hard time again: the chances of releasing a hit phone from scratch are already critically low, and even more so with powerful competitors.
For ordinary users, the death of Windows Phone is also quite sad. Microsoft is one of the few IT companies in the world that could pose a worthy challenge to iOS and Android. It’s a shame that Redmond capitulated so mediocrely: with the third system, especially if it had gained popularity, the market would have been much more cheerful and progressive.
Everyone knows for certain that today the mastodons of the smartphone market are Androids from the well-known company Google and iPhones from Apple. And Microsoft tried to squeeze into this harsh market, however, it turned out, frankly, not very well. The company never managed to break into a leading position, but did it have a chance? And if so, what went wrong, and why, even with such powerful patronage in the person of a huge and successful company in other endeavors, did the mobile platform remain on the margins of the market and only “sophisticated amateurs” use it? About everything point by point below.
Reasons for failure
The failure of the Windows Phone OS was clear to many many years ago, and the inability to climb into the top of the “best” did not cause such a huge surprise among people. Technical indicators and the potential strength of the platform and its advantages are far from being so important here; in this aspect, the smartphone could easily compete. The stumbling block turned out to be an enemy that no one expected, namely the corporate bureaucracy. And this is very, very sad. At one time, Windows CE was not only inferior to its competitors, it was even ahead of them in many ways. However, when Microsoft woke up and realized that the future lay in the mobile device market, there was already too much competition in this niche and two pillars of the industry: Apple and Android tightly occupied the niche and settled comfortably in it. And all sorts of advantages simply crashed head-on into a whole series of problems, which, most likely, hammered the last nail into the very box in which Windows Phone found itself:
- Firstly, the financial support and support for such a project is useless.
- Secondly, there is insufficient support for mobile software developers despite their efforts and efforts.
- The obvious weakness of the software in the system, convenient and new programs were not enough. Having worked on this point, developers could make the transition from PC to mobile device easier and smoother.
And that's not all, the problem is deeper. Remember the fable about the swan, crayfish and pike? A similar situation happened here. The fact is that various companies with very different focuses took part in the development. And Windows mobile needed to provide users with a universal smartphone that absorbed the best from a PDA and, in fact, a mobile phone. Plus, the smartphone was simply obliged to synchronize with email and other services from Microsoft. So it turned out that in the pursuit of everything, nothing good came of it at once.
But that's not all. Microsoft simply did not control the development and production of the device. And this is at a time when the companies participating in this process have never really had anything to do with the mobile device market. As a result, the responsibility to develop a smartphone for the Win OS fell to the then unknown and inexperienced company NTS.
Microsoft and its Windows Phone. Or why Android and iOS won
I understand that just everything said above is enough for failure, however, this did not seem enough to Microsoft. So they complicated their situation with another problem, namely: a completely wrong policy for choosing the target audience. Windows Mobile was just a small part of the entire corporation. And the focus of the platform developers shifted towards creating a semi-professional system. In the end, Windows Phone either competed with a brand for the mass user (Nokia), or with a company that is more focused on a more professional user (Blackberry). Although it would be correct to choose the first option, because Microsoft creates its products for a mass audience, it turned out the way it turned out and nothing can be done.
The developers entertained the hope that people would buy their device based on Microsoft’s OS because of the company’s recognition and trust in Microsoft, since people had been using their other products for quite a long time. But the users were first of all struck by the frankly poor design of the device, and then they assessed the scanty functionality of the device, turned around and retreated to the shelves with “apples” and “green robots”.
It would seem that a breakthrough idea is a smartphone, the ability to type with one hand. But users are accustomed to two-handed input and perceive this initiative as bad form. And needless to say, while chasing innovations with the keyboard, Microsoft forgot about the touch screen. Funny? No, it's sad.
The company's business plan and behavior in promoting the device would have worked if they were selling standard software rather than a smartphone. In the end, the company decided to impose its vision of the web on the user, while Google and Apple simply did everything the same as on a computer in order to simplify the user’s life.
So, in fact, all this together led to the fact that Windows background mercilessly failed and now it has infinitely little chance of being revived and breaking into the market. Only a total rebranding and, perhaps, prayers will help. You can’t do without prayer!
As you know, until recently, full-fledged smartphones came onto the market not only on Android and iOS, as is happening now, but also those based on BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone. However, not a single trace remains of the former greatness of these platforms, because now they are only part of history, and any mobile devices based on them are no longer produced. More than two years have passed since Microsoft stopped supporting the WP platform, during which it has not released a single update for them. Everything indicates that smartphones based on this have absolutely no future, and today, October 16, 2019, everyone was able to verify this for themselves.
So, in particular, the American corporation Microsoft publicly announced that as of December 16, 2019, its proprietary store application called Windows Phone Store will stop working in any way. Installing any applications through it is the only possible way to install software on mobile devices running WP. In practice, this means that users of outdated mobile devices will be deprived of the ability to install any programs and games. The Play Store will become unavailable on Windows Phone 8.1 at the end of this year, and then, after some period of time, it will also stop working on Windows 10 Mobile.
In this regard, Microsoft recommends that all users consider replacing their mobile device with a new one running Android or iOS. We are talking about products released to the market under the Nokia and Microsoft brands. With the cessation of support for the branded software store, literally everything will stop working, because without it, any smartphones will lose their full functionality, losing the ability to run and use third-party software. Support for Windows 10 Mobile in terms of updates will be provided until December 10, and the company's software store for it will work for some additional time.
The following mobile device models were affected: Lumia 430, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 639, Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 730, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, Lumia 929, Lumia Icon, Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520. All owners of these, without any doubt, are definitely out of luck, because you hardly need a modern smartphone without the ability to install any programs and games from third-party developers on it. However, users of the WP platform are no strangers to restrictions, because many applications have always been unavailable for it, including such popular and well-known ones as Google Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, and many others.
Yes, not a single person has yet proven to me that Apple creates innovations.
It's time for some awesome stories. I'm studying cybersecurity at university. Our group was asked a debate in English: “Android or iOS?” Our teacher is very smart, he wants us to study professional vocabulary in English with interest. Well, you understand that I chose the Google side, which is not surprising. Below is a translation of the debate from English into Russian. In fact, there was a confrontation between two people: one is an apple man, and the other is a bucket head (that’s me). The rest don’t know English or hardware.
Yabloko: “Apple was the first to invent a smartphone.”
Me: “What about Windows Mobile and Symbian?”
Yablochnik: “So these were push-button telephones.”
Me: “What about touch communicators?”
Yabloko: “Apple was the first to come up with a phone with a capacitive touch screen.”
Me: “What about LG Prada?”
Yabloko: “Prada is not a smartphone, unlike an iPhone.”
Me: “The first iPhone was not a smartphone, since it did not have multitasking and the ability to install applications. And smartphones on Symbian and Windows Mobile correspond to this term, because they had the appropriate capabilities.”
Yabloko: “And 3G was the first to appear in the iPhone.”
Me: “3G support appeared in the 2008 iPhone. I have a Nokia N73 2005 at home, which already has support for this standard.”
Yabloko: “Wow. Really? Only back then there were no 3G networks.”
Me: “3G was developed back in the 90s. The fact that it appeared in our country late does not mean that this technology does not exist.”
Yabloko: “Why do you always talk about Windows and Symbian? You’re for Android.”
Me: “Yes, I’m for Android. I’m just proving that your arguments are technical nonsense and there are no Apple innovations.”
Yabloko: “Okay. But here’s the 3D Touch system.”
Me: “Microsoft has long tested similar technology in the Lumia Hapanero smartphone. And this was even before the coveted iPhone 6s.”
Yablochnik: “So Apple turned this into mass application.”
Me: “Microsoft realized a long time ago that this technology is useless and inconvenient even before Apple. How to simultaneously control a smartphone with one hand and press on the screen using a 3D Touch? Can you tell me?”
Yabloko: “Apple came up with Face ID.”
Me: “What about Microsoft Lumia 950 XL with Windows Hello and Samsung with a retinal scanner?”
Yabloko: “But Apple, although she stole it, improved it.”
Me: “It’s worked out so well that a twin can unlock the same device. What can I say, an iPhone can’t even tell the difference between Chinese people. Read the news.”
Yabloko: “But iPhones are the safest, and Android has viruses.”
Me: “IOS is much more vulnerable than Android and Windows. Holes are constantly being found. Every week. The problem is in the crooked hands of users who themselves allow installation from unknown sources, ignore warnings from the built-in browser, and give administrator rights to various programs during installation, although The system warns of danger with pop-up banners. And the fact that Apple limited the system by not giving people a choice of download sources is not security, but castration."
Yabloko: “Apple was the first to come up with a smartphone with a 64-bit processor.”
Me: “She didn’t come up with anything. They took ready-made technologies from the British company ARM. Moreover, this is a “marketing ploy, since the potential of a device with a 64-bit processor can be revealed with more than 4 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 5s has only 1 GB.” . Quoting Qualcomm."
Yabloko: “A12 Bionic is the most powerful processor for phones.”
Me: “Snapdragon 855 is even more powerful. And this is a competition every year. First Apple boasts of power, then Qualcomm.”
Yabloko: “Has Qualcomm released a new processor?”
After that, the leader stopped us. The fight lasted the entire couple. But you can give a link to this comment to apple eaters and, of course, like it! It seems that I managed to see everything.
