Problems include an inaccurate low storage notification
Microsoft has pulled an update to Windows 10 after users reported a wide variety of issues with the upgrade process, according to a post on the company's Answers technical support forum.
The patch, which was the first cumulative update Microsoft made to its mobile operating system after launching it, has been pulled from public update channels, moderator Mike Mongeau said. Users were reporting that the update wasn't being offered, that it appeared to get stuck at 0 percent and that low storage notifications showed up after the update was installed.
According to Mongeau's post, Microsoft's engineering teams are working on fixing the update. People who are seeing "low storage" notifications can safely ignore them. It's not clear when a fix will be available, however.
Users who have pending updates, whether from applications or the system itself, should make sure that they leave their phone connected to power until the patching process finishes. Users who have already installed the update will still be able to upgrade to the next version of Windows 10 Mobile.
It's a black mark on the recent launch of Microsoft's latest mobile operating system. Windows 10 Mobile is supposed to help drive interest in Windows smartphones by allowing developers to build one application for the new Windows Universal App Platform and release it for smartphones, tablets, PCs and other devices running Windows 10.
If the OS is plagued by more problems like these, existing Windows smartphone owners may be reticent to upgrade, thereby blunting the appeal of releasing a smartphone app through the Windows Store. If that happens, it would be bad news for Microsoft's mobile operating system.
A retina scanner may also be in the works, as Samsung piles on the futuristic features in an effort to reverse disappointing sales.
Samsung wants to reclaim its throne as the king of Android hardware.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company will build in a pressure-sensitive display (much like the the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus’s display, which allows for a new range of gestures called 3D Touch) and a fast-charging USB Type-C port into its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
The engineering work will grant the phone a full recharge in 30 minutes, surpassing many of the other rapid recharge devices like the Nexus 6P and Moto X Pure Edition.
It’s unclear how the 3D touch-style integration would perform at this point, as it’s not a native feature of Android. Just like Huawei did with its Mate S, Samsung would need to build in these capabilities to the TouchWiz software.
The other major rumor is the inclusion of a retina scanner, which could add another layer of security on top of fingerprint authentication.
Samsung is expected to show off the phones in March 2016 to get a jump on the next year’s crop of competing devices. It’ll serve as an early test for new mobile chief D.J. Koh, who was brought on to reverse two straight years of underperforming sales.
The Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+ won a lot of praise for their hardware. But Samsung keeps getting squeezed by lower-cost manufacturers who can often produce a solid phone for nearly half the price. By comparison, the $400 Moto X Pure Edition and $500 Nexus 6P are both devices with good cameras. They lack wireless charging, but oftentimes buyers can live without some top-of-the-line features.
Why this matters: Samsung showed that it can build great hardware with its Galaxy S6 family, which ditched a legacy of plastic phones. Now the company needs to find a way to compete in a market that is saturated with low-cost devices. It appears Samsung’s plan is to try and convince buyers that it has the hardware and unique features worth paying for—this year’s sales will tell if that strategy actually works.
Being a mobile app developer is really hard. Desktop companies have leveraged mobile better than actual mobile-focused startups. This is counter to what many expected would happen. Most thought that each major vertical on the web would translate into a new mobile equivalent, that is, that a variety mobile-first businesses would be built. While we have seen some breakaway mobile successes (and certainly a lot of VC funding), it's clear that we have a long way to go on mobile and that building a mobile business is uniquely challenging when compared to the web. There are three main reasons for this:
App Discovery
App stores are getting bigger every day and discovery is a challenge for both users and developers. Because app stores are search-based and category-based, the interface is good if you already have a sense for what you are looking for. If not, then the interface falls short in terms of actual discovery and finding new, relevant apps. There are also tons of dubious or anonymous reviews which add noise, and paid installs skew app charts significantly. In fact, paid installs actually create a tide of organic installs, and all sorts of app store manipulation can happen using this concept. The list of app discovery issues is a long one and has been well documented.
In the web world, a user need not fret if they don't know what they are looking for or if they forget the name of a website. Google does a pretty good job of scouring the web for you and serving up relevant information. The infrastructure behind the digital advertising ecosystem is also extremely robust, so even if you can't find what you want, there is a good chance that a site will find you. The web is also far more fluid - any time you go to Reddit, YouTube, or Facebook, you will find yourself linking to other sites quite naturally. This doesn't happen in mobile since apps operate in silos and there is a lot of friction in switching between apps.
Developer Concentration
Adding to the app discovery problem is developer concentration. According to comScore, roughly 70% of U.S. unique visitors in the top 25 apps come from just four developers - Facebook, Google, Apple and Yahoo. There's a variety of way to cut this data, but it looks bad any way you slice it. Even in individual categories like gaming, getting into the top 100 apps is crucial for getting noticed. It's easier now more than ever for big, sophisticated companies to flex their marketing muscle and dominate the rankings. Sure, you do see a steady stream of breakout apps, especially if they get featured, but those are few and far between. There are hundreds of thousands of apps that never see the light of day. The fact is, the app store is not architected to work for small developers and so large developers have a significant advantage. Add that to the fact that most mobile users download ZERO new apps per month and it becomes easy to spot the supply/demand mismatch.
Mobile Retention
So you painstakingly develop a killer app, you somehow get featured by Apple and garner some positive momentum, what next? The next step is retention and monetization which happens to be far worse on mobile than on the web.
On the web, say for a site like Zillow, a unique visitor may not have visited Zillow.com in many months, but upon Googling something like "home prices near 94107", the user will get results from real estate sites such as Zillow, Trulia and Redfin. Sure, the user may opt for Redfin, but over time there is a good chance that the user will end up back at Zillow.com via Google. Additionally, due to the extremely robust adtech and cookie-ing system that exists on the web, a site can and will find users by utilizing a variety of digital marketing tactics. Most of this does not exist in mobile.
In the app economy, intent can get you a download but once that intent fades, particularly for apps with less frequent use cases, that user may never return. If an app is removed from the home screen, it is too easily forgotten. According to comScore, nearly 4 out of 5 smartphone app minutes are spent on an individual's top 3 apps.
I've seen so many compelling mobile startups with terrific ideas, compelling business metrics and brilliant execution. However, some fights are unwinnable, particularly those involving extremely poor retention. A startup may be able to raise money and power through for some time, but eventually they will fall victim to the treadmill effect caused by poor retention:
Poor mobile retention is brutal for a startup. It directly impacts LTV, unit economics and ultimate business viability. Further still, churned users from early cohorts may never come back. Once a user loses interest, it's an uphill battle to re-acquire them.
The three issues outlined above are just a few of the many issues that mobile app developers need to contend with. However, I believe these are some of the biggest issues and aspiring app developers would be wise to understand them.
