Windows Phone it's not the right choice for the people after all.

[Federico Turban]

A little story: A friend and I, almost 2 and a half years got our first Windows Phones, bot being Nokia fans for all our lives, the next natural step was to try out a Windows Phone and see if was good enough. And it was. I got a Lumia 520 and he a Lumia 720, and both of us (he even more, because his 720 got a lot of amazing features for a mid range phone) end up liking a lot our devices. I, in 2 and a half year, change from my Lumia 520 to a Lumia 625 in the first three months thanks to an accident with an amazing rain, and after more than 2 years, change my Lumia 625 to a Lumia 735 sadly because of a robery. My friend continue all this time with his Lumia 720 and he really loves his phone.

Well, this week on monday, this friend calls me and say to me what to do, because his Lumia 720 was dying (the touch was failing pretty bad), and that he needed to buy a new Smartphone ASAP. But he say what should I do, if stay in Windows or change to Android, one because of the easy nature, simply UI and all the thinks he likes about Windows Phone, and the other because of Pok?mon Go. I told him that if I needed to buy another phone, it would be a Windows Phone (I don't really like the actual devices on sale, like the Lumia 640 or 535), and that if he would buy another Windows Phone, I recommended him to look for the Lumia 735 or the 830 (Mexico have a terrible poor amount of devices to choice). Both he and I are big Pok?mon fans, and Pok?mon Go it's, let's just say, a mayor force coming up.
He endeed buying a Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (at $5,500 mexican pesos, with some really nice specs, and just $1,000 more what the Lumia 735 cost me).

And this is not the first time I saw a friend of mine with a Windows Phone and change it for an Android or iPhone because apps or the own OS, because all my friends with a WP7.5 they change it for an Android phone because they hated it (just one like it, change it for a Lumia 720 and now she have a Moto G because apps). My GF owned a Lumia 610 and I buy her a new 620, but when we saw phones at a Tech Store, she always says that the Sony ones are the pretiest in design (and she is right, Sony Xperia phones are some nice looking ones).

So, after all of this, I'm wondering, for what kind of people is Windows Phone aimed at? I mean, the basic apps, the apps that everyone use (WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) are not the best ones and are not even feature pared like the ones on iOS or Android. And then, there are other ones like YouTube, Snapchat and Tinder that are not even on Windows Phone, and most people are not informed that in the store are some Third-Party solutions (and amazing solutions by the way) and other ones don't like to use not-official apps. Other apps like Uber are really buggy and Waze are meaby never to get another update again. What I'm missing? What is wrong? Why? As mentioned back there, I'm a Pok?mon fan, big one, and knowing that meaby Pok?mon Go it's not gonna be in Windows Phone (and I'm a big fan of this too) hurts me, and knowing that many of my friends are going to play it hurts me more (and I'm still waiting for the companion app for Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain to be on Windows and a lot more of things), but it's still not a deal breaker for me, but yes for a lot of people.

What do you think folks? I would love to see these apps on Windows too and don't have to want sometimes to have an iPad (because I would love more to have a Windows Tablet with a Wacom Stylus) to fill the app gap.

What kind of people is Windows Phone (And next, Windows 10 Mobile) aimed at? Not the regular people.

 

[someone2639]

Certainly for people that like consistency. And developers who don't feel like developing for 2 devices lol.

 

[Skulls138]

Tl;dr

 

[Microsoftjunkie]

For me, wp is about smoothness, ease of operation, consistency, and ecosystem. Wp initially was the best in 3 out 4 categories. I was amazed by the different ui and how fast it was.

Cherry on top was MS office and Xbox integration, even tho I knew it needed lots of work and updating. Wp caters to every facet of my life and I love it!

 

[libra89]

Define regular people, first.
I read your post and I don't understand how it's not for regular people. Whatsapp is actually updated fairly often, Twitter will roll out their update with Windows 10 Mobile when it comes out. There are a lot of amazing YouTube apps on here, along with photography. Honestly, sometimes the third party apps are better than the regular ones. I really enjoy using Aeries for Twitter (just wish it had notifications but the dev is working on it).

To me, if the apps that serve my needs work decently, I don't have any issues. I like the way everything is. I watch youtube videos on my phone, browse, read ebooks, read blogs via FeedLab, get directions (when needed), use Cortana for various tasks. I just don't get what defines a regular person if we all don't use the same things. I guess it depends on what each person likes to do on their phones.

My dad, I don't even know what apps he uses but he seems to be very satisfied with his phone.

 

[Federico Turban]

By regular person I mean the standard, with the most popular apps (like social network apps), the regular user who use their phones just for the simplest of tasks (and that kind of user is in all platforms), and don't travel around Internet to find an answer or try other solutions like Third-Party Apps for the most popular services (like MyTube! for YouTube, Twittium for Twitter, 6tag for Instagram and we can go on with the list).

A cousin of mine ask me once if my phone can be used to check Facebook or chat it WhatsApp, because she believed a Windows Phone can't do that (she uses an iPhone).

By that I mean with a regular user, and we are not part of regular user base, first and most, we are in a forum talking about the OS in our phones and the succes and failures of the same and when we needed something, we search and find a couple of options that are the best solutions for us. Regular users don't want options, they want it like their friends have and want it working the same way (talking about apps and their features).

Yeah, I know there is a couple of apps that are updated very often and are feature pared like the ones in other platforms, but others like Twitter (and the Twitter app for W10 is lacking in features compared to the other platforms) are not.

I love my WP and I have everything I need and more, but I can say that it's not the best choice for the regular user that want the same or the more popular because of popularity.

 

[chmun77]

Define regular people, first.
I read your post and I don't understand how it's not for regular people. Whatsapp is actually updated fairly often, Twitter will roll out their update with Windows 10 Mobile when it comes out. There are a lot of amazing YouTube apps on here, along with photography. Honestly, sometimes the third party apps are better than the regular ones. I really enjoy using Aeries for Twitter (just wish it had notifications but the dev is working on it).

To me, if the apps that serve my needs work decently, I don't have any issues. I like the way everything is. I watch youtube videos on my phone, browse, read ebooks, read blogs via FeedLab, get directions (when needed), use Cortana for various tasks. I just don't get what defines a regular person if we all don't use the same things. I guess it depends on what each person likes to do on their phones.

My dad, I don't even know what apps he uses but he seems to be very satisfied with his phone.

Fairly often? Like how often? Have you seen how much updates already happened with the iOS / Android versions? You may claim "Hey, they are buggy hence more often with the updates." No. That's because devs care more about iOS / Android than Windows Phone.

Yes, there are better 3rd party apps. But no matter how you promote them, they are 3rd party ones. Regular people from iOS / Android search for OFFICIAL apps, not 3rd party ones. The OFFICIAL ones on iOS / Android are so much updated and better than the OFFICIAL ones on Windows Phone. Look at our official Flipboard aka Scrollboard. When was the last update for the app? Read all the negative comments with the app.

As a regular people myself, I hate the Facebook app on Windows Phone. Is sluggish and require so much reloading. Same applies to the Facebook messenger. All the crazy syncing and reloading nonsense with it. Maybe UX with Windows 10 will be a better one, but till then, I will not bet on it at all - especially it is far from being finished till now.

So, to OP - Yes, Windows Phone is just not for everyone, especially for those regular people who enjoy playing games and looking for different app choices. At the very least, Apple and Google has a more organized app store than the crappy one on Windows Phone.

 

[ven07]

Who is it aimed at? those that don't want iOS or Android. If it works for you, take it, if it doesn't move on You're not doing yourself any favors by sticking around with a platform you don't like or deem inferior to the others

 

[libra89]

Fairly often? Like how often? Have you seen how much updates already happened with the iOS / Android versions? You may claim "Hey, they are buggy hence more often with the updates." No. That's because devs care more about iOS / Android than Windows Phone.

Yes, there are better 3rd party apps. But no matter how you promote them, they are 3rd party ones. Regular people from iOS / Android search for OFFICIAL apps, not 3rd party ones. The OFFICIAL ones on iOS / Android are so much updated and better than the OFFICIAL ones on Windows Phone. Look at our official Flipboard aka Scrollboard. When was the last update for the app? Read all the negative comments with the app.

As a regular people myself, I hate the Facebook app on Windows Phone. Is sluggish and require so much reloading. Same applies to the Facebook messenger. All the crazy syncing and reloading nonsense with it. Maybe UX with Windows 10 will be a better one, but till then, I will not bet on it at all - especially it is far from being finished till now.

So, to OP - Yes, Windows Phone is just not for everyone, especially for those regular people who enjoy playing games and looking for different app choices. At the very least, Apple and Google has a more organized app store than the crappy one on Windows Phone.

You have fair points. I don't have anything to say against them, aside from a comment.

When I said that WhatsApp is updated fairly often, I wasn't putting it against iOS/Android for updates. I mean that for an official app, it is updated a lot more regularly over some other official apps on Windows Phone. For that, I give them props for remembering that they have users here.

 

[tangledW]

Regular people/adults, don't play pokemon.

 

[spazzmeister]

It's not for regular people.
Regular people use Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and WhatsApp. They also jump into the latest fads: Flappy Bird, Candy Crush, Tindr etc.

Facebook on Windows is very bad. If someone is on iPhone/Android and an average user of social media, they will be dismayed by what Microsoft has to offer them. So again the question has to be asked, what is the target audience for these devices?

 

[Federico Turban]

Regular people/adults, don't play pokemon.

Yeah, meaby, but I put that example like one of those many other examples in where the absence of some apps are some dealbreakers for some people, and that is something that hurts the choice for everyone, not only the regular people, or tech fans, or gamers, etc., if there is one app you really care about and it's not good on other platforms or is not there at all, it's really hard that those persons are going to buy the affected platform.

I believe Windows Phone it's aimed to everyone, but the lack of apps, again, it's something that really hurts the OS. Meaby Windows 10 Mobile can change that, but we still need to wait and see, and probably, even with all the added marketshare from Windows 10 for PC, and Windows 10 for Xbox, etc. etc., meaby some apps are never going to came to Windows even with all of the marketshare and active users using the core of Windows 10.

On the other hand, with future devices with Windows 10 Mobile on the horizon, I can see that those devices are aimed just for fans (Lumia 950/950 XL), fans that really want a flagship, and again, the lower end of the market (the rumored Lumia 550), but not Mid-End devices, the other OEMs says that they are going to launch more devices with Windows 10 Mobile, but we haven't see anything yet from them.

So, what are the target audience for these devices? People who are going to buy their first Smartphone and are going to buy a Low-End device, and fans. That's all.

I still recomend Windows Phone over Android or iPhone, but today is harder than ever to see those people I give the recomendation ended buying a Windows Phone (the last 3, counting my friend who buy a Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, ended buying an Android phone).

 

[tangledW]

It's not for regular people.
Regular people use Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and WhatsApp. They also jump into the latest fads: Flappy Bird, Candy Crush, Tindr etc.

Facebook on Windows is very bad. If someone is on iPhone/Android and an average user of social media, they will be dismayed by what Microsoft has to offer them. So again the question has to be asked, what is the target audience for these devices?

Funny. I've used all of those apps on my Windows phone, with exception of Snapchat (well I did actually for a short via 3rd pay before it was shutdown).

BTW, Facebook isn't that great on iOS or Android. Most people I know it's the browser.

I'm not saying apps are great on Windows, but you guys are coming up with some lame examples... Pokemon & Snapchat?

 

[Joshwin]

Sure it may not be the right choice for all people at the moment but it is the BEST choice for those who just need it. Apps crisis will be over sooner once W10M is released. Remember WP is the future. sure things wont be the same in few years. when other platforms running just mobile apps WP would run Pc apps(Universal apps, even win32 apps(project Centennial)).WP would sure be an effective replacement for PC and people can be far more productive on wp than on android or ios. and WP will be the only mobile platform that could run all other platform's app.windows apps will soon outnumber every other platforms apps. W10M would be like android,ios, WP and PC rolled into one.So WP is the right choice for all people. this is just the time for people to switch to wp.

 

[Paul1266]

It's not for regular people.
Regular people use Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and WhatsApp. They also jump into the latest fads: Flappy Bird, Candy Crush, Tindr etc.

Facebook on Windows is very bad. If someone is on iPhone/Android and an average user of social media, they will be dismayed by what Microsoft has to offer them. So again the question has to be asked, what is the target audience for these devices?

Define 'regular people' . I'm 48...Flappy bird and Snapchat are not things I use?! As far as I can tell none of my smartphone toting friends use em either... Be careful projecting your age/demographic and needs as the norm. That's sloppy...

 

[rockstarzzz]

Tl;dr

Twitter is where you want to be

 

[spazzmeister]

Funny. I've used all of those apps on my Windows phone, with exception of Snapchat (well I did actually for a short via 3rd pay before it was shutdown).

BTW, Facebook isn't that great on iOS or Android. Most people I know it's the browser.

I'm not saying apps are great on Windows, but you guys are coming up with some lame examples... Pokemon & Snapchat?

Call it funny if you will. The fact remains however that if you're into social media then its better to use Android or iOS. Saying that Windows Facebook is comparable to Androids is deceptive. If your using restricted data sure it might be good for you. If not then its a terrible app. No reply commenting is a big letdown. Messenger has no voice or video calls.
You may scoff at Snapchat, but the average consumer doesn't. I don't even use Snapchat and I know this. A cursory glance at common forum threads will tell you have this.
Personally Windows no longer offers me much. I use medical apps at my workplace and for 3 years I've held my breath waiting for Medscape,Epocrates, Harriet Lane, Lab Values to come.
When it comes to specialised apps its a horrible ecosystem.

Posted via the WC App for Galaxy S6

 

[spazzmeister]

Define 'regular people' . I'm 48...Flappy bird and Snapchat are not things I use?! As far as I can tell none of my smartphone toting friends use em either... Be careful projecting your age/demographic and needs as the norm. That's sloppy...

Do you consider yourself to be an average or regular smartphone user? Simply using a windows phone relegates you from being a regular person
Being a 3% demographic isn't regular

Posted via the WC App for Galaxy S6

 

[drtek]

I use it for the integration with our home system. I came straight from Symbian, bypassing IOS and Android. Would I like for WP to get more respect from vendors? Absolutely, but until that happens, I like the interface, and reliability.

 

[Ian Too]

Part of your problem here is that you've framed your question around this concept of 'regular people' as if such a thing exists and if it did, that there is significant overlap in their interests. You like to play Pok?mon, I play Fallout and will miss out on the Pipboy app when I play Fallout 4 on my Xbox. Is that enough to switch?

Another question is over whether people are always able to make the best decision for themselves even if the market wasn't skewed.

For instance, few people like to think about their personal security. They have the perfectly reasonable expectation that devices wouldn't be sold insecure. They also expect that the data they send through the internet is not being stored and collated for use by a third party for its own advantage and we both know that both these expectations were violated from day one with Android.

There are two reasons Android simply isn't adequate from a security point of view. Firstly, it is old technology adapted for a use model that was never imagined at the time and incorporating a technology - JavaScript - which is notorious for being a security disaster area. I was not surprised when the Stagefright bug was uncovered, because it is only the latest of several serious security flaws found in code not intended for purpose. I hope all your Android toting friends are using the Zimperium app to check their devices aren't open to malware. Android is no more secure than Windows was in the late noughties and it will take a similar titanic effort to straighten it out. In fairness, Google, Samsung and LG have committed themselves to the same monthly update schedule Microsoft took so much flack for, but it's much harder to get those updates on to phones generally.

The second reason Android will never be secure is Google itself is an advertising company, their whole business is based upon the assumption that you have no legitimate claim of ownership on information about you. It simply isn't in Google's interest to respect your privacy; at very best, Google's interests can be said to be indifferent to your own.

It is a simple historical fact the Google have often had to improve security on Android after public outcry. For instance, they only made device encryption the default after the BBC ran a story on the Tesco Hudl tablet leaving files readable after a hard reset. Similarly, Google are facing anti-trust proceedings after it was found that they were skewing search results to favour their own services. Are you sure you want this organisation to have your personal data and that of your friends? Are your sure you want to your Pok?mon app that much?

To my mind their are only two viable smartphone options: iOS and Windows Mobile, and that's because the day to day functionality (Windows phones do so much out of the box.) and security of my mobile computing life is too important to sacrifice for convenience or the sake of following the herd.