It has been 40 days since the first Windows 10 for Phone Technical Preview was released to Windows Insiders and unfortunately, there isn’t an update in sight.
Earlier this morning Microsoft’s Gabe Aul posted on Twitter about the updates now available for the Windows 10 Technical Preview for PCs and Tablets. In the thread of replies he was asked about an update for Windows 10 for Phone. Sadly the news was not good.
@mrmhk97 No news to share on phone build yet.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 24, 2015
Like the bemoaning that has happened on Windows 10 and the lack of updates, the natives are growing restless with Windows 10 for Phone at this point too. Microsoft has made it clear that this summer we will see Windows 10 across all devices. That means testing absolutely needs to get started in earnest across a wide range of Windows Phones. We know that there will be more phones eligible to run the next update and we also know that the Partition Zipping for higher end phones was needed for it to be loaded onto these devices. Regardless of this fact the need to get an update out on phones is becoming ever more critical to meet this summer launch date.
An argument could be made that on mobile devices the updates should be slower and more stable and I agree to an extent with that logic. After all, these are personal devices and you could even argue that lives could depend on them (you need that phone working to call 911 or 999). However, the lack of any update of any type is worrying for Windows 10 for Phone, particularly when you
Vertical Wide Tile in Windows 10 for Phones
consider so few devices could run the first preview. I appreciate the need for balance but like the desktop builds, there should be a faster Fast Ring which is more risky.
The other problem with the current build of Windows 10 for Phone is it feels very incomplete. I loaded it up on my Lumia 635 and did a few days of playing with it…. and it has been pretty much sitting in my desk drawer since. I’ve done some bug reporting and played with it here and there but frankly it looks and feels a lot like Windows Phone 8.1 so I’m not overwhelmed with the urge to Turn. Every. Knob. like I am on Windows 10 on my PC.
Am I alone?
The bottom line is the sooner an update to Windows 10 for Phone is out the better. For Microsoft and for the Windows Phone developer community and enthusiasts.
