I think the concept of budget, Mid Tear and Halo devices does'nt really fit well when it comes to windows phone. Companies do that because it makes people comfortable with paying more or less for a product. Windows Phone from a hardware perspective is more like an iPhone, as in one device, not 50 different iterations. When you look at the Spec sheet Microsoft releases for windows phone, most of the specs fit what we would consider to be a mid tear device. I think Microsoft knows a spec war with Android is a waste of money for Manufactures because the volume sales arent there for high end phones. I think they looked at apple and said thats the model we want but we need to sell it like windows. Camera and Screen Tech are the only real differences between any windows phone device. That means the experience is going to basically be the same across all price points, which is pretty compelling for the cheap and tech elitist alike. Short of the camera, the 710, 800 and 900 are the same device. Yes one uses LCD and the other OLED with some tint applied but short of the shell they're the same device. We tech eletist dont like that thought :straight:. It means grandma has a device as good as yours even if she only knows how to text and make calls
. People are worried that the $99 price point
will cause people to think that the Lumia 900 isn't a premium device as if the price determines whats top shelf and whats not. It's all really just marketing brainwashing. I've used a Titan, Samsung Focus S and a Lumia 710. Regardless of what all these circus reviews say, the experience was 95% the same. Some had better EQ settings, some had better viewing in the sunlight and some had a better camera, but the day to day experience using the devices were all the same. This is what Microsoft wants. Instead of BMWs and Kias, they wanted to build a Honda Accord. Everyone is basically comfortable with a Honda Accord. Call it what you want, but based on the experience, they've succeded whether you pay $49 or $199 dolloars. Over time manufacturers will discover it's financially effective to sell Honda accords in 10 colors than to sell a Kia, Accord and a BMW in my oppinion. Or to just try and sell a Toyota Camry with a Lexus badge (iPhone). These are just my thoughts, but if you can transition your mind away from the "I'm unique because I have an "S" attached to the end of my phones name mentality," to the I just want to be able to do cool things and interact with my frineds in exiting ways without worrying about who cant recieve this picture without running out of memory or pentile fuzzy logic, you'll feel a strange liberation from the spec wars and view these devices in a very different light. You can get the 900, give the wife the 800 (magenta) and slide the kid the 710 and guess what; You could all trade phones and experience no real difference short of the network speeds. Manufacturers love this. They get the same quality across the board but get to slap shiny expensive/cheap stickers on them to make everyone happy.
Now who can tell me why what I've just written is just plain wrong? This I've got hear.