From Joe's Twitter feed yesterday, in chronological order(!):
The reason some of the hubs/apps are different is that we used 3rd party platform to build them. This gets (1) update-ability (big win) and (2) makes the platform better so all apps improve. Right now these are only in dev preview and SMALL number of new devices...
The switch from hubs to individual applications seems like a backwards step in one way, but then if the end result is more functional and closer to how the rest of the world expects an app list and UI to behave....
On social network integration-- only worked for the small # of social nets we supported. but now any network can be added.
Ideally, of course, Microsoft would have added more networks to the People hub in the first place, but I suspect the sheer pace of development for each social network was too fast for integral support to be practical. With Windows Phone 8.1, each network is essentially separate, but can be shared to from any other app (in theory).
On wanting more app updates... Facebook + Skype are coming. Lock screen still coming! 512MB SS .. coming. And a couple new apps too.
The pace of development for all this does seem somewhat glacial, but at least things are still progressing.
For wanting 3rd parties to fix their apps- I know you know- you have to ask them! we partner with FB on that app, but the others are theirs
Yes, developers have had a couple of months now to integrate the new features of Windows Phone 8.1, so hopefully most will be ready by the time 8.1 hits as an update for the hundred million or so Windows Phone users out there.
WP8.1 sw is finished for the Lumia phones that started shipping a couple weeks ago.. and we're testing the update code now. Fixes ongoing.
Aha, so 8.1 for the Lumia 630 is finished and will roll out to devices over the air shortly. There, I told you all in my review that the OS wasn't finished in the shipping devices!
New lock screen app-- probably a couple weeks as beta for 1GB devices. A bunch of us are running it now, working on polish. dev-preview next. Why not 512MB? To make lock fast/stay in memory. 512mb for lock app will probably be awhile.
Which seems fair enough - a lockscreen application has to be available instantly, at all times. And the 512MB devices can already max out their memory at times.
Great to have WP 8.1 available from the horse's mouth, as it were. And no, that's not a reference to Joe's famous mane!