So, the lack of copy and paste has caused some controversy then. Todd Brix, Senior Director for Windows Phone Product Management, has stated that it’s all part of the plan. A “smart linking” system will let you click on a number and either call it or add it to your contacts. This system should be an intelligent link between what you might want to do with certain bits of information. Will it be in apps you download from the Marketplace too ? Let’s hope so – sometimes I want to copy bits of an email and send them as a Tweet. Sometimes I want to trim bits of a web-page and add them into the Mobile Office apps. Can I do that? Well, Todd admits that they try “to focus on what the core use cases were”, but there may be some who “won’t be happy with some of those decisions”. So, no. Perhaps not then.
I’m sorry Microsoft. We’ve got some pretty big issues here. Yes, the OS needed a reboot. It was well past it’s sell-by date. We’ve accepted the fact that previous apps won’t work, we’re gradually coming around to the fact that multi-tasking isn’t there and that you’re going to take more control over the experience. But, and this is a big “but”, the lack of copy and paste is something we all laughed at when the iPhone appeared in 2007.
“Ha! That iPhone hasn’t even got copy and paste!”, screamed the Windows Mobile owners.
Three years (and several months) later, is it wise to release a new OS that does everything we hate about the iPhone? You can’t side-load apps and games – they only come from one shop, the Marketplace. Oh, and that Marketplace can remotely revoke app licences. That means that MS can yank the plug on anything that could harm the OS.. or anything that isn’t “good” for the store.
On February 15th Microsoft revealed more than just a new OS. This is an entire change of direction. The “geeky” users, the “power” users and perhaps even the business users are, at least in my opinion, no longer the target audience. This is Microsoft following the iPhone “how to” guide. This will be an approachable OS, one which will do pretty much all the things that most people want in a nice, safe, constantly updated environment.
Links – Copy and Paste details (cnet.com) – App Kill Switch (engadget.com)