Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
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Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
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Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#2As a person who recently switched from Android to a Windows Phone, I believe they can. The platform itself is fantastic. Once people start using the OS they fall in love with it. The problem is that most people don't even know that the OS exists. Most people I talk to think that it's Windows Mobile and that's very difficult to get the past. Now that I have had this phone for over a month, I must admit that I am not sure I could go back to Android. Android seems to be missing a certain polish that WP7 and iOS have. It also doesn't help that from a design perspective Android doesn't seem to have an identity. Many Android phone interfaces look and act differently. As a programmer this can be a nightmare but more so as a consumer I can't just tell someone to buy an Android phone. I have to qualify it with a specific model since they are all so different. Windows Phone almost has the opposite problem since there is so little variance in design from one phone to the next, but I appreciate that. It's like the way I wish PCs were shipped - without all of that OEM garbage that can make a fast computer as slow as a netbook out of the box.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#3As a person who recently switched from Android to a Windows Phone, I believe they can. The platform itself is fantastic. Once people start using the OS they fall in love with it. The problem is that most people don't even know that the OS exists. Most people I talk to think that it's Windows Mobile and that's very difficult to get the past. Now that I have had this phone for over a month, I must admit that I am not s…
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Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#4As a person who recently switched from Android to a Windows Phone, I believe they can. The platform itself is fantastic. Once people start using the OS they fall in love with it. The problem is that most people don't even know that the OS exists. Most people I talk to think that it's Windows Mobile and that's very difficult to get the past. Now that I have had this phone for over a month, I must admit that I am not s…
I agree that the problem doesn't seem to be quality so much as mindshare. Seems like the same thing that happened with the Zune. The product was compelling enough, but was ultimately too little, too late.
Many Android phone interfaces look and act differently. As a programmer this can be a nightmare
I've had a few Android phones, and I wouldn't call the differences drastic. I don't see how visual tweaks to the interface would make a big difference to developers. Seems like hardware and OS version differences would be a much bigger issue.
but more so as a consumer I can't just tell someone to buy an Android phone.
What? I wouldn't even ever recommend someone to just get any old iPhone. When I recommend a phone, I recommend the specific model that I think would fit their needs. Would you recommend someone to get any old Windows computer? Any old Mac, even? Dishonest argument.
Even as a Google fanboy, I recognize that Android has plenty of drawbacks. You've named only imaginary ones.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#5Windows phone unfortunately has become the "Zune" of MP3 players. It was better than iPod, the software was killer. The Zune pass was more conveniet than clunky old itunes but nobody cared. The brand associated with it was not cool and hence a superior product died a premature death.
As the article says, Windows phone is in the same boat. The interface is innovative and functional. The app library has most of the essential apps. Performance is pretty good and the reviews are great but the users don't crave it.
Microsoft's marketing and partner efforts have clearly failed here.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#6Windows phone unfortunately has become the "Zune" of MP3 players. It was better than iPod, the software was killer. The Zune pass was more conveniet than clunky old itunes but nobody cared. The brand associated with it was not cool and hence a superior product died a premature death. As the article says, Windows phone is in the same boat. The interface is innovative and functional. The app library has most of the ess…
I agree - I'm a proud owner of a Windows phone, but it was hard to even find a store that sold one. I wonder if having the Metro UI in Windows 8 will help Microsoft out with a little cross-pollination.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#7the vertical scale of that graph does not make much sense
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#8the vertical scale of that graph does not make much sense
Specifically, stacking means that that blackberry's dip makes symbian's drop look far too drastic. Windows ~10% (eyeballing it) to ~0% seems significant and relevant to the article, but it gets washed out in the graph.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#9No. They have a fundamentally broken model. They're trying to sell a product that is being given away for free by their competitor who has the lion share of the market. Windows Mobile OS needs to be a step function better than its competitors to justify the premium, and it just simply isn't that good. We have to remember that smart phones these days are not only the user experience of the OS, but also the apps.
I actually do think there is a way to salvage the Windows OS. And Microsoft is not going to like it. It is to build the OS on top of Android and leverage Android apps. Then offer a premium experience for enterprise and high-end consumers. But Microsoft would never admit defeat in this way, and because of that, they will fail.
Re: Can Microsoft Salvage Windows Phone?
#10No. They have a fundamentally broken model. They're trying to sell a product that is being given away for free by their competitor who has the lion share of the market. Windows Mobile OS needs to be a step function better than its competitors to justify the premium, and it just simply isn't that good. We have to remember that smart phones these days are not only the user experience of the OS, but also the apps. I act…
Actually, that's not entirely accurate. Competitor's 'free' OS comes with 'patent fees' to MS. So if you are a HW manufacturer choosing between Android and WP7 you will pay either way.
[1] http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/05/27/htc-pays-5-per-andro...
[2] http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/09/samsung-takes-androi...