Windows Phone: death to hardware as feature

Windows Phone

One thing that I have realized from this launch is that we now no longer talk about hardware, the conversation is now centering on software and experience. Perhaps having empathy for consumers, and their needs, and the death of the feature set can't be far behind.

Below are a couple of my thoughts of the announcement based on what I have read and seen to date.

It's been a few days since the launch of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series (try saying that name over and over) and my interest in their new phone OS has only slightly abated. Windows Phone 7 Series is a complete rebuild of their phone OS which features smooth services integration and a distinctive new interface.

My initial attraction is the interface aesthetic with it's reliance on typography and low information density; an approach I've always been a fan of. It's content first with little to no traditional UI and none of the clutter of the old Windows Mobile, now dubbed 'Windows Phone Classic' (will this be Microsofts "new Coke"?). It may prove to be fraught with usability problems in a device this size but at this point I find it very attractive.

Josh Topolsky shares his initial excitement:

The design and layout of 7 Series' UI (internally called Metro) is really quite original, utilizing what one of the designers (Albert Shum, formerly of Nike) calls an "authentically digital" and "chromeless" experience. What does that mean? Well we can tell you what it doesn't mean -- no shaded icons, no faux 3D or drop shadows, no busy backgrounds (no backgrounds at all), and very little visual flair besides clean typography and transition animations. The whole look is strangely reminiscent of a terminal display (maybe Microsoft is recalling its DOS roots here) -- almost Tron-like in its primary color simplicity. To us, it's rather exciting. This OS looks nothing like anything else on the market, and we think that's to its advantage.

And Luke Wroblewski compares the information density of the iPhone's photos experience with Microsoft's Window Phone 7 Series experience.

I do like what they call "the start experience" and Hubs were at first fairly interesting; everything I read touted it as an activities based organization scheme. A nice alternative from the laundry list of apps. you are given on the iPhone. While the iPhone's approach is due for some refinement, Hubs is nothing more than an additional abstraction layer which includes social media/web integration. Tighter integration with services is cool but what I have seen doesn't lead me to believe that they are truly delivering a "personalized way of navigating the things that you care about". It's about what they care about.

It's been a long time since I've been interested in any products coming from Microsoft. Now that they have our attention, I'm looking forward to see what they deliver.

See also: Switched On: Making it different versus making a difference and
Windows Phone Designer Seeks the Right Balance.