The Guardian's Windows 10 UWP app is dead

Real classy Jez

<3

The last comment in the article probably sums it up succinctly, "Oh well". Braindead Trumpzombie, really? Nice tolerant understanding and respectful person aren't you. Perhaps you should read newspapers and get a little more informed? Back on topic, why waste time on apps anyway, when the websites are far more usable on Windows 10 (and Win10Mobile)? It's easy to place a shortcut onto the start screen or desktop (well, it's easy on Win10Mobile but MS should make it as easy using Edge and Windows 10).

I'm not tolerant of braindead Trumpzombies no. Soz. And yes, desktop competes with the web, and this fact is always gonna prevent the store from getting meaningful traction with any sorta services that can be served via a website.

Because I get alerts via the Guardian app all the time by entering key words into the app. It has been very handy to keep up to date with topics of interest. I am a paying Guardian subscriber but I'll probably pull the pin now as this was my main reason.

Jez,  Brother...the correct term is TRUMPANZEE....you are welcome!  ha ha...trump supporters....dumb as a box of rocks.  They have a collective I.Q. of 12.

Oh look...two morans....and yes I know I spelled MORON wrong...part of the joke.  Go look it up!

People, and their stupid politics. Quit believing everything you see on TV.

That's besides the point... The fact is that just like with WP, the store needs every option it can get... MS is doing little to keep what they are lucky to even have.
.........
Granted, applications of this manner are hard to get, or keep, without a go with you everywhere device, and platform. I can't remember the last time I needed a "mobile" type application for my Surface, or laptop. I've installed "real" applications recently, and that's about it. MS has to do something more to get developers to switch to UWP apps. Even so, apps like "The Guardian" might not get very much use, especially if there is no mobile device...
Not sure if this is the case, but it appears that Microsoft just doesn't care. Looks like they care about MR, but not so much about the app store in general, and that's not a good thing.

We did tell MS. We kept telling them. Everyone shouted it at them. They knew, and they burned it all anyway. For reasons that are beyond me, Ol' Nads clearly wants Windows to fail so MS can leave for the cloud. He's going at it all guns blazing. Only Jez can save us now, so I'm waiting for him to put his under pants on over his trousers, tack a sheet to his back and go off to MS for a face-off.

Jez! Jez! Jez!

Satya, you continue to receive a certain feedback for your decisions to "cut the costs" and stay away from competition. If you stay away from competition then you're certified loser. You can make as much as you want statements about "culture of empathy for the hit refreshed Microsoft", but it apparently means one thing - you avoid any competition. It's the correct translation of your "culture of empathy" statement. And if you avoid competition then you're sorry loser. And you make Microsoft sorry losers too because your're too coward to compete with anyone.

Ok but what should he do with the Microsoft Store on PC?

Anyone knows that UWP platform on PC have much less interest in absence of mobile platform. It may became used by developers, but much later and only when developers of classic desktop apps consider UWP platform. Classic desktop software typically have much slower cycles for major updates. Move to UWP is a big thing, desktop app developers would do it much later. And then there is still huge Windows 7 installation base and desktop apps developers would seriously consider UWP only when Windows 7 installation base decline. If mobile platform is present (even in a role of struggling 3rd player after iOS and Android), UWP would be much more relevant here and now. Without own mobile platform, UWP would gain developers interest only when Windows 7 installation base would decline enough and when desktop app developers find resources for a major movement to the new platform. So, Windows 10 Mobile "zombie status" with confirmed absence of focus is a major factor that halts UWP platform usage here and now. Windows for PC is much more conservative and slow environment. In mobile world major OS versions are introduced every year and people change devices to have a new OS. In PC world Windows 7 is still relevant and does have a huge install base. After such many years passed from its release! You can compare velocity of changes on PC with velocity of changes on mobile platforms. Even if Microsoft try to enforce OS update to Windows 10 on PC, many people are complaining and rejecting to update. Even if Windows 10 is much better than Windows 7. So for UWP platform to live, Satya Nadella should consider mobile OS as a major factor to push UWP platform forward. UWP wouldn't die and eventually would be adopted on PC. But having such a slow pace of PC life, without WIndows 10 Mobile he may wait for UWP adoption for the next 5 years or longer.

“In mobile world major OS versions are introduced every year and people change devices to have a new OS.” Maybe in the Android world.   Apple supports phones and tablets for 5 years with iOS updates. ”Even if Windows 10 is much better than Windows 7.” Except that it isn’t.

In the current 'retrench' strategy the best thing they can do for the Store is to lease it to Amazon like they did Spotify + Groove. Amazon would sell something and make something of that and both sides would benefit.

Nadella is a person that invested in UWP, and cut phone investment at the exact same time. Many people, including Microsoft pundits, stated that would obviously never work because people use apps on their phone and browsers (now mostly Chrome) on their PC's. He then predicted a billion Windows 10 devices in 2 years. Yet, in spite of the obvious logical fallacies in his strategies, he still can't admit to a single mistake at Microsoft. Next time you listen to him talk, analyze it just a bit. Look for anything beyond the flowery speech, anything of true substance. You will notice there is nothing there. He never says anything of consequence or importance. It's just really nice sounding, feel good, gibberish. He has been extremely lucky. He had the soft, malleable, nonaggressive personality that cost cutting investor ValueAct really needed in a sock puppet CEO for Microsoft. He also walked in the door the moment big enterprises were finally ready to take the cloud seriously. The cloud revenue surge was over a decade in building, and was going to happen to whoever was standing there as CEO at the time, even Ballmer. And, the cloud revenue has been doubling almost every financial report since, but literally no one can point to an action of Nadella's that caused it. It was just "time". Also, does anyone honestly believe the doubling is going to continue forever? Like everything else, it will reach a saturation point and then dramatically slow to match pace with the economy. Only then, once the cloud surge is over (and ValueAct has already sold off and abandoned their board seat), will we get to see Nadella as he truly is.

Very well said and every bit of it is true. There's even more to say than that but it doesn't even matter, at this point it's too late. I almost wish MS would just come straight out and say this is the last update to Windows and they are completely exiting the consumer space. Sell Xbox to Valve and let them integrate Steem into it and just be done. Whether they want to say it or not, they are exiting the consumer space, their decisions and mistakes are ensuring that. Windows only matters to Enterprise and those that grew up with it. The next generation doesn't give a damn about Windows or MS products. They care about their Androids and their iPads. Those are the same people that will soon be running IT for businesses, they will be CEO's, managers, software developers and on and on. And all of them will be bringing Android/Chrome and to a lesser extent, IOS and Apple products to Enterprise. MS is already is on the verge of being irrelevant to consumers and will at some point in the future, loose a large portion of their relevance in Enterprise. I work for a large international bank and investment company and we are now completely using the Chrome Browser and they are actively looking for Outlook and Office alternatives. There is no plan to upgrade to WIndows 10. The plan is to stick with a virtual Windows 7 environment as long as they can until they decide which way to go in the future. Whatever it is, it won't be Windows.  I've been saying it for over a year now, in 5 years, MS will be a shell of it's formal self, WIndows will be irrelevant to the consumer, their presense in Enterprise will be greatly diminished while sharing a small portion of the Cloud pie. Leaving the Mobile space, and by Mobile I mean phones (regardless of how some on here wanto to try and convinve us that a 8" tablet with cellular capabilities counts as mobile) wasn't just the end of WIndows Phones, it was the end of Windows as a platform. There is no recovering from this. As far as Nadella, it's hard to believe he actually doesn't work Google or Apple. He is the best thing that ever happened to both of them. I have been a huge MS fan and supporter and I find this embarassing and pathetic. I literally feel like what he has done to this company is offensive it's that sad. I still use my Surface Pro, my Xbox and gaming PC but I do not believe in this company anymore. I do not believe in their vision and I will be supporting them as ittle as possible as I figure out what direction I will be moving in as well.

“Windows only matters to Enterprise and those that grew up with it. The next generation doesn't give a damn about Windows or MS products. They care about their Androids and their iPads.” Exactly.  Windows is perceived as “your father’s computer”.   It’s not cool, it’s not fun.  It’s an antique, as relevant today as rotary dial phones, video cassettes and CRT TVs.   Polaroid went down this very drain 15 years ago.  They were the king of instant photography.  Then digital came along, and Polaroid ignored it.   Now Polaroid is gone.  

Well, maybe this will be true for casual users and maybe enterprises to some extent but for example, good luck playing real games on an iPad or Android tablet. Especially shooters that need precision. Not going to happen. When it comes to Macs, the hardware just isn't enough even if the OS supported all of them. However, it doesn't. Linux also isn't there when it comes to games or even industry standard software. Even the ones that are supported on Linux natively (like CS:GO) had half the framerate compared to Windows 10 on the same computer. So at least gamers will be staying on Windows for a long time and the ones who are playing on PC now, will probably introduce PC gaming to their kids too. Most PC games are still made for Windows and Windows only.

Google NVIDIA's GeForce Now service. It will render the argument of "buy windows for games" completely null-and-void. All it requires is a powerful internet connection, which isn't feasible right now. But 3 years from now? The need to buy Windows for games will be moot. Article about GeForce Now: http://www.techradar.com/news/geforce-now-for-mac-may-convince-me-to-fin... Video demonstration of GeForce Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtC1BsoADPE  

Satya didn't hit refresh he hit reset..... right back to the DOS era. Mark my words, the next two things to disappear will be Xbox and Surface as they have nothing to do with Cloud or Enterprise. The sooner Nutella is booted out the better!!!!!

I actuallly agree with you there neo158! It sounds crazy but the very same cryptic discussion came out the very days the Xbox One X was released ... saying games are the profitmakers and perhaps more games that MS make or have a part in making should also be targetting other consoles. This rang alarm bells for me as the same 'ideas' were bantered about about the Windows Phone exclusive apps going to competitors devices. It may not be for a couple years yet but I'd say keep an eye on Xbox hardware. He is clearly not eager to compete in the hardware market, or moreso consumer market, which is crazy as consumers make up enterprise and that is where enterprise mostly get their inspiration from ... the consumer market.

I fear that Windows would be a thing to shut down eventually. It may occur in relatively a short time. Maybe in 5 years.

WOW...Neo,  quite the 180 from your thoughts about 3 - 4 months ago!  Finally seeing the world properly instead of fanboy vision!  good on ya!

Nadella will never be “booted”.   His job is to position the company to make money.  That is exactly what he is doing.  Dumping money-losing products is his job.  

Ouch 😔

oh noes!

I use this app, oh well

Do PC's need apps? I'm just saying...my fairly expensive PC can do much much more than run a couple of apps. It doesn't make sense. With the phones dead...why is there a need for apps? 

If you don't expect people to read Facebook, Twitter and news on PCs then it doesn't. If you expect them so then it does. Otherwise there is no explanation why mobile phones would need apps either.

When there are full featured websites for all above services you mentioned, you dont need apps on PC... Maybe for games, you do... But UWP won't survive without mobile
As for mobile apps, some services are app only... So there's that

Facebook Messenger is quite nice to have as an app, as I can quickly answer to people without opening the browser or the full site. However, the official app in the Store is flaky so I just use the "Facebook Messenger for Desktop" Win32 app.

The biggest competitor for Win10 apps is the browser

I'd say you're right there... TechAltar makes a very clear point about this in his vid. https://youtu.be/drXNPy23Xco  

And corporate / Government user profiles that block the download and installation of apps.  Same with schools. You know, where the majority of Windows 10 users are using the pcs nowadays.  

Web sites don't need to be converted into apps.  They makes no sense.  Useless case for making an app.  Just like banking apps.  It is not a big loss.  Not by a long shot.

I actually like twitter and Facebook as an app for notifications.

Exactly. The reason for having UWP apps on a PC is for the notifications that don't work from websites

Actually, you can get notifications from websites now (Firefox and Chrome, at least). CNET is one such site that can deliver notifications to the desktop.

Except they don't use Windows 10's native notification system and therefore they don't go into the Action Center, so they can be easily missed.

"Just like banking apps." Speak for yourself, my bank requires the installation of an app that loads at start up and runs in the background to presumably ensure the security of transactions in order to log in its website and do stuff there, so I'd rather they had an app in the Store than having to keep this **** installed.

I prefer apps to websites on my PC

Banking apps, seriously? I would kill to have a proper app rather than the handicapped site of Capital One US. Even the 360 site I cant deposit to it without a mobile app yet. Lame.

Actually too many news apps and also go to web directly. Most of all, as far as I remember, Guardian didn't update their apps since window 8.

Good thing about mobile news apps are the breaking news alerts or live sports updates. The Guardian app did offer these at least. All that will be left will be MSN ( and they'll likely throw in the towel soon)

By the time msft releases Andromeda or whatever they are planning for mobile there will be no apps left to run on it.

They should discontinue there app on ios. Since I know on iOS apple has there news app thing that can cover other sources of news. Not sure about android on the other hand.

I don’t even use that iOS app. I got tired of clicking on titles, only to be told I needed a subscription. Now, I just use news360.

I could care less, the Guardian is a piece of **** news organization with so much fake news it's mind boggling, still CNN is the King of fake news.

The sad part is that people like you actually believe the “fake news” thing. I don’t watch FOX NEWS, but don’t consider them fake. Most of it is just talk shows stroking Trump’s ego anyways. They should just call it... “The Trump Channel.” Anyways, as much as you think those guys are “fake news,” the guardian and papers like it are the ones breaking stories. The failing @NYT broke the Harvey Weinstein story. The Guardian were the ones behind all the Snowden leaks and the WAPO, well, you know they continue to break stories. That said, I’m not denying those guys are sensationalists. Either way, I’m sure they’re doing fine. Trump has been GREAT for RATINGS, which is all CNN and corporations like it care about.

The Guardian has to beg for money from readers.

I'm sure the store will be just fine without the Guardian. New apps are being added weekly, so i'm not worried. Microsoft just needs to come out with a Surface phone, then there will be more app development for it.

Apps are added weekly? Like what? Oh, you must mean games on PC.

Another one that I have installed, but never open. It sucks only because each one that shuts down only draws more attention and possibly speeds the death process on another app I actually use, which at this point is really only two that aren't Microsoft.

https://adtmag.com/articles/2017/10/19/tiobe-swift.aspx  just saw news that swift usage is low. developers don't like writing different versions of app, and dealing with appstores. . . 

Another one bites the dust.

I've never heard of it.

Just see this as another knife in the slow death of Windows itself. Have it installed on my SP4. Slowly but surely the live tiles are disappearing. It will be audible next. I have installed AMiDuOS on it now ( an old version of android emulator) to ease the pain. MS might as well shut down the store entirely!

Adeski...try MeMu emulator...it's the best smoothest one I have tried yet...I paid for amiduos, and used bluestacks...and MeMu is better than both of them...

UWP is really going down without any mobile device . UWP on Xbox is going nowhere and it will not missed

UWP and other technologies really need mobile. Once mobile has gone the need for it disappears too. Web wrappers and delivering Win32 via the store has its place to provide a central trusted software repository but without mobile UWP, as conceived, is dead. PWA may become the universal platform tho.

Yep, PWA is likely the future of the store, and that's fine.

Don't forget nothing occurs out of nothing. It's the transition (+implementation) that makes the difference

UWP sucks. Lets go back to win32. Not even Microsoft is putting effort into their UWP apps.

Good riddance, The Guardian. You and your fake news will not be missed. Though still, is it surprising that apps are being pulled out of the store? UWP makes no sense without mobile.

Downvote all you want.

ha ha...NOT FAKE NEWS.....TRUMP IS FAKE NEUS!   He's the biggest FRAUD in American political history....and the dumbasses that follow him are too stoopid to see it!   That orange shitgibbion has set your country back 75 years.

What an unhunged POS you are. LOL

Who me?   I speak the truth.   Btw.   What is unhunged?   Ha ha.  Typical trumpanzee,  can’t even spell correctly.    

The lesson here is that Microsoft's abandonment of mobile Windows is buying even the desktop in the ass. Sure, you're better off using the website if you're on a desktop or laptop, but what if you're on a tablet? The app would be a better choice, but that choice is now gone.

I agree. Mac users poisoned Windows. A sustained media attack, ' blue screen of death' yawn.. It just wasn't ' media ' enough, not seen as being ' cool' . Devs went over to Apple first then Android as a lot cheaper . MS still haven't recovered from that perception despite some really innovative software and hardware. Too late? Maybe. Hope not as I can't stand Mac users up their own behinds superiority !

You're missing a key part of this debacle: Windows RT and WP 8.  The first was a confusing train-wreck for consumers and developers made worse by the fact that it ran half-baked versions of the same software that Windows 8 ran.   The second was yet again a series of reboots in a fledgling OS, obsolescing the previous 'flagship' technology (and apps) and thereby forcing developers to abandon their projects and start over.  Developers never had confidence that the WMP program was ever going to support their work.  So they stopped developing.   Who wants to spend hundreds of hours developing code, beta-testing, to release only to find out that you need to start over because the OS kernel is changing ? The boys here at WC downplayed it, but that's what started the 'app-gap' decline into full speed.   And that's why we are here now - time is money, and no developer wants to waste time maintaining an app for a system that might not be there tomorrow. (Keep in mind, WOA is already saying that existing apps will be recoded to work.) So for the users who dont know any of this, all they see is their apps not getting updated, their IOS and Droid bretheren speeding ahead... And then there's the other issue: on most government and corporate computer systems, app installation is blocked. Users don't have access. So unless you get IT to install it, you're not going to install the app on your Windows 10 computer at work.  Result? No users on the app --> No development to improve app --> No app.

Well, Microsoft this won't be the last of major outlets dropping UWP support. Way to go to destroy a vision several decades in the making.

.

I stopped receiving notifications but live tile still works. Oh well, when that stops you can at least pin it to home in W10M and it looks the same. It actually looks the same in the browser as the app.

Windows is dead as from the moment they killed mobile. It's only for legacy applications, not one new application that sets trends has arrived on windows in many many years.

@crise....Like what apps?   

The problem with The Guardian and virtually all newspapers is that they don't differentiate from the browser version, the Microsoft Store apps I use the most are those that give value add over the browser equivalent. 

To be honest for a news site they would benefit from a simple progressive web app