Why, for me, Windows Phone does not feel snappy anymore

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One thing fans used to love about Windows Phone is its snappiness. Even on a low end device the OS would run perfectly smoothly and quickly. With 8.1 and its new animations this mostly even has improved, but those of you who are following me on twitter know, I am really annoyed by one thing in Windows Phone 8.1, which has to do with Windows Phone’s speed.

I am of the opinion a core app (an app which is, or should be built into the OS, like the phone book for example) has to be there immediately when the user opens it. This is still true for most Windows Phone system apps like the people hub or the photo gallery, but for most of the newly overhauled system apps it is not.

The calendar, the music hub (and this one probably is the most annoying of all!), the video hub (which not even really is a video hub but still totally focused on Xbox Music), battery sense and the games hub all open up with a splash screen. Sure, on high end devices like the 1520 it is displayed not even for a second, but it is visible. Even weirder: These are the apps which will not close when the back button is pressed – they get frozen and can be launched from the multi tasking view. As long as they are still open, they open up without displaying any loading or splash screen, but when they become killed in the multi tasking view, the whole pain begins from new again.

This does not need to be the rule, as other apps prove.

The updated people hub, the new gallery or even the newly updated Bing apps (which can not even can be counted as core apps!) all are accessible directly without delay and without splash screen (and they close completely when the back button is pressed).

Yes, with 8.1 Microsoft wants to have core apps be updated trough the store, but this does not need to come with the lack of integrity and speed (see the Bing suit of apps again).

What I am basically saying is, that splash screens are something 3rd party apps can have. But the calendar and the music player (and also the games hub, battery sense and video) must not be or feel like 3rd party apps, they need to open immediately and integrate into the OS. The last, at least, is given, but in case of speed (and I am not meaning Microsoft should shorten the splash screen animation – it has to disappear completely!) the OS has to improve.

You could say now “hey still developer preview…” but no, even on the 630, which runs a finished version of the OS, this problem occurs.

Also you may think I am exaggerating, but for me this makes the OS not feel premium anymore. Core apps that feel like they are made by a 3rd party developer? Not cool, not cool at all!

Are you sharing my complaints or do you not mind at all? Let us know below!

More about the topics: editorial, header, windows phone 8.1

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