Hi all! Long time lurker. Infrequent poster. I've been watching Windows Phone since it was announced and have been paying careful attention to anything related to Windows Phone 8. I work for one of the big four in the US as my day job. (Not in any capacity which really matters -- i.e. I'm no Randy Stevenson, Marni Walden, or Dan Hesse... or anywhere close.) My part time job is helping non-profit religious groups with their communications. So when I say I pay careful attention to the wireless industry and mobile trends, I mean it. (With that said, my views are my own and not those of my employer, and I will not disseminate any confidential information. Ever.)
With the latest posts about Zombies Run and other developers leaving or threatening to leave, and with Wordament going iOS, I've felt like sharing my thoughts, as so many of you have in countless other posts. So I hope you will all indulge me.
I am a heavy Mac user. I utilize and push my Apple products to their limits and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I have one custom built PC that I made shortly after getting my A+ and MCDST. It was running Windows 7, it's now running Win 8 Pro w/ Media Center. I currently have three phones: an iPhone 5, a Droid DNA, and a Lumia 900. I have a 920 set to arrive on Wednesday.
From what I see, Windows Phone isn't in the dire straits some people see. When a carrier launches an exclusive device, that's generally a vote of confidence. When a carrier comes right out and says they're going to push a platform, that's a vote of confidence. When the CEO of the premiere manufacturer of your product says he's working with that second carrier on some interesting stuff, that's normally a huge boost. AT&T and Verizon, the two largest telcos in the US see something in Windows Phone. Verizon has said publically they are pushing Windows Phone as the third platform starting with WP8. If you've watched the Verizon ads lately, you'll know it's true. Not only that, but arguably, Verizon made Android... plucked it from obscurity on T-Mobile. And AT&T is no Sprint. Unlike Palm's exclusivity with the Pre, Nokia isn't going to be sunk with the 920 as an AT&T exclusive. And T-Mobile is even putting effort in -- Radar and 710 running 7.5 and 810 and 8x running 8. (We won't talk Sprint -- really ES400S running WM 6.5?!)
In my eyes, Windows Phone is second only to iOS. It's certainly a **** of a lot better than Android or Blackberry. I have seen many of my coworkers in the past month jump from Android to Windows Phone after asking me about mine and playing with it. My coworkers are never wrong about a mobile phone... remember, I'm surrounded by people who help the public make decisions about what phones to buy on a daily basis. They're jumping at a significant, not alarming, but significant, rate from Android.
But there have been mistakes in my eyes. First, Microsoft isn't promoting Windows Phone well enough. I've seen a million dancing-Surface ads that don't make me want to go buy one, but I've seen almost nothing from them on Windows Phone. I've only really seen carrier ads touting Windows Phone. Not even anything I can recall from Nokia. This is a very big missed opportunity. They need to create a splash and be memorable ASAP.
Second, Microsoft screwed the pooch a bit by not having WP 7.8 ready to roll out on launch day for WP 8. More people care about an upgrade path than most would think since Android is leading in sales. If I had a dime for every customer contact I've had or I know others have had wanting a free exchange -- or subsidized exchange -- to the latest Android phone that runs "the Ice Cream Sandwich," or "the Jelly Bean," I would be rich. Filthy, stinking, rich. There are many reasons Apple customers have higher satisfaction rates (as reported by the press) than Android. One of them is the OS upgrades, even though there isn't feature parity between a 5 and a 4s, 4, or 3GS, they still get some new features, bug fixes and security updates. The most controversial thing Apple's done in this space is drop the original iPad from iOS 6. But I digress. Since Microsoft couldn't update WP 7 to WP 8, having WP 7.8 available day one was important. The number one question I get from people thinking about switching is "But why should I trust them if they just obsoleted your phone?" Even if they're sold on everything else, that's number one. This isn't the same as not having the latest version of Android and a phone which may or may not upgrade to the latest version, where you have a vast app library to fall back on that pretty much supports everything. There is nowhere for WP 7 to go. People in the industry realize that and their attitudes and predispositions get passed down to the customers, even if they correctly prequalify someone. At least having 7.8 on day one would have shown Microsoft's continued support they just don't see.
Third, exclusives hurt. While AT&T is no Sprint, Nokia should have had the 920, 820, 620 everywhere. Market the 620 towards kids/preteens/youth (and free w/contract) -- dual shells and all, and then the 820 and 920 toward everyone else. Data Sense should not be a carrier exclusive. The 822 should not have been heavily redesigned. Non-Nokia branded apps should be open to all to grow the platform. WP is not in a place where exclusives make sense... it has too few users and adoption rates need to get moving. Things are starting to go in the right direction, but think about the potential sales quarter MS and Nokia could have had if Windows Phones... the same Windows Phones... were everywhere. The 920 is not an iPhone... but it isn't a Pre either. They should have remembered that.
Fourth, they need to fix bugs and add features pronto, and some features need to stay WP-only. When the iPhone first released, there were updates left and right. Windows Phone needs to emulate that over the next year. Portico is a step in the right direction. But there is still plenty to do. One thing that annoys me that I still see posts for with WP 8 and the 920 are live tiles that stop updating. Seeing as this is a key feature of the OS and one of the biggest differentiators, they need to move on it now. And the fix needs to be decisive. Xbox Music and Video need to be fixed in the new system and rolled out in 7.8. Office could stand to be improved, and it has to be better than Office for iOS. I'd love to see orientation lock and additional, separate volume controls. I'm hoping the Win 8 Windows Phone app starts working with 7.x (which it should have been from day 1) and I'm hoping they port more former-Zune features over to it. That's just naming a few. They have to make it happen this year or it's not going to happen. I don't worry so much about Wordament going to iOS because WP needs a few breakout hits to hit the other platforms to get attention... but I worry about Wordament getting achievements on iOS. That just shouldn't be. It's a WP feature and should remain a WP feature. Microsoft needs to get their act together internally, and they all need to remember they play on the same big team, or MS is doomed to fail as the years pass by.
Fifth, developers, developers, developers. Microsoft needs to pay high bounties to get developers to come over. They need to push hard and make sure its worthwhile. I'm not personally an Instagram fan, but when Instagram is talking BB10 and not WP8, there's a problem. I can tell Google is concerned about Microsoft and Windows Phone 8. Their latest moves make that clear. If Microsoft can secure premium developers, Google has a lot to be worried about. But that's just a pipedream if they can't get the developer support.
Finally, if you've made it this far, thanks for letting me vent and offer insight. I really do love Windows Phone. I wrote it off when it was just WP 7. But once Nokia unveiled the 900, I decided with the 7.5 updates and the design that it was perfect for my part-time job, and it has been wonderful. I want WP to succeed. I want 3 strong platforms to keep competition up. But there is still a long, long way to go. If the five issues I've addressed here are taken care of, I think Windows Phone will succeed beyond our wildest imaginations.
With the latest posts about Zombies Run and other developers leaving or threatening to leave, and with Wordament going iOS, I've felt like sharing my thoughts, as so many of you have in countless other posts. So I hope you will all indulge me.
I am a heavy Mac user. I utilize and push my Apple products to their limits and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I have one custom built PC that I made shortly after getting my A+ and MCDST. It was running Windows 7, it's now running Win 8 Pro w/ Media Center. I currently have three phones: an iPhone 5, a Droid DNA, and a Lumia 900. I have a 920 set to arrive on Wednesday.
From what I see, Windows Phone isn't in the dire straits some people see. When a carrier launches an exclusive device, that's generally a vote of confidence. When a carrier comes right out and says they're going to push a platform, that's a vote of confidence. When the CEO of the premiere manufacturer of your product says he's working with that second carrier on some interesting stuff, that's normally a huge boost. AT&T and Verizon, the two largest telcos in the US see something in Windows Phone. Verizon has said publically they are pushing Windows Phone as the third platform starting with WP8. If you've watched the Verizon ads lately, you'll know it's true. Not only that, but arguably, Verizon made Android... plucked it from obscurity on T-Mobile. And AT&T is no Sprint. Unlike Palm's exclusivity with the Pre, Nokia isn't going to be sunk with the 920 as an AT&T exclusive. And T-Mobile is even putting effort in -- Radar and 710 running 7.5 and 810 and 8x running 8. (We won't talk Sprint -- really ES400S running WM 6.5?!)
In my eyes, Windows Phone is second only to iOS. It's certainly a **** of a lot better than Android or Blackberry. I have seen many of my coworkers in the past month jump from Android to Windows Phone after asking me about mine and playing with it. My coworkers are never wrong about a mobile phone... remember, I'm surrounded by people who help the public make decisions about what phones to buy on a daily basis. They're jumping at a significant, not alarming, but significant, rate from Android.
But there have been mistakes in my eyes. First, Microsoft isn't promoting Windows Phone well enough. I've seen a million dancing-Surface ads that don't make me want to go buy one, but I've seen almost nothing from them on Windows Phone. I've only really seen carrier ads touting Windows Phone. Not even anything I can recall from Nokia. This is a very big missed opportunity. They need to create a splash and be memorable ASAP.
Second, Microsoft screwed the pooch a bit by not having WP 7.8 ready to roll out on launch day for WP 8. More people care about an upgrade path than most would think since Android is leading in sales. If I had a dime for every customer contact I've had or I know others have had wanting a free exchange -- or subsidized exchange -- to the latest Android phone that runs "the Ice Cream Sandwich," or "the Jelly Bean," I would be rich. Filthy, stinking, rich. There are many reasons Apple customers have higher satisfaction rates (as reported by the press) than Android. One of them is the OS upgrades, even though there isn't feature parity between a 5 and a 4s, 4, or 3GS, they still get some new features, bug fixes and security updates. The most controversial thing Apple's done in this space is drop the original iPad from iOS 6. But I digress. Since Microsoft couldn't update WP 7 to WP 8, having WP 7.8 available day one was important. The number one question I get from people thinking about switching is "But why should I trust them if they just obsoleted your phone?" Even if they're sold on everything else, that's number one. This isn't the same as not having the latest version of Android and a phone which may or may not upgrade to the latest version, where you have a vast app library to fall back on that pretty much supports everything. There is nowhere for WP 7 to go. People in the industry realize that and their attitudes and predispositions get passed down to the customers, even if they correctly prequalify someone. At least having 7.8 on day one would have shown Microsoft's continued support they just don't see.
Third, exclusives hurt. While AT&T is no Sprint, Nokia should have had the 920, 820, 620 everywhere. Market the 620 towards kids/preteens/youth (and free w/contract) -- dual shells and all, and then the 820 and 920 toward everyone else. Data Sense should not be a carrier exclusive. The 822 should not have been heavily redesigned. Non-Nokia branded apps should be open to all to grow the platform. WP is not in a place where exclusives make sense... it has too few users and adoption rates need to get moving. Things are starting to go in the right direction, but think about the potential sales quarter MS and Nokia could have had if Windows Phones... the same Windows Phones... were everywhere. The 920 is not an iPhone... but it isn't a Pre either. They should have remembered that.
Fourth, they need to fix bugs and add features pronto, and some features need to stay WP-only. When the iPhone first released, there were updates left and right. Windows Phone needs to emulate that over the next year. Portico is a step in the right direction. But there is still plenty to do. One thing that annoys me that I still see posts for with WP 8 and the 920 are live tiles that stop updating. Seeing as this is a key feature of the OS and one of the biggest differentiators, they need to move on it now. And the fix needs to be decisive. Xbox Music and Video need to be fixed in the new system and rolled out in 7.8. Office could stand to be improved, and it has to be better than Office for iOS. I'd love to see orientation lock and additional, separate volume controls. I'm hoping the Win 8 Windows Phone app starts working with 7.x (which it should have been from day 1) and I'm hoping they port more former-Zune features over to it. That's just naming a few. They have to make it happen this year or it's not going to happen. I don't worry so much about Wordament going to iOS because WP needs a few breakout hits to hit the other platforms to get attention... but I worry about Wordament getting achievements on iOS. That just shouldn't be. It's a WP feature and should remain a WP feature. Microsoft needs to get their act together internally, and they all need to remember they play on the same big team, or MS is doomed to fail as the years pass by.
Fifth, developers, developers, developers. Microsoft needs to pay high bounties to get developers to come over. They need to push hard and make sure its worthwhile. I'm not personally an Instagram fan, but when Instagram is talking BB10 and not WP8, there's a problem. I can tell Google is concerned about Microsoft and Windows Phone 8. Their latest moves make that clear. If Microsoft can secure premium developers, Google has a lot to be worried about. But that's just a pipedream if they can't get the developer support.
Finally, if you've made it this far, thanks for letting me vent and offer insight. I really do love Windows Phone. I wrote it off when it was just WP 7. But once Nokia unveiled the 900, I decided with the 7.5 updates and the design that it was perfect for my part-time job, and it has been wonderful. I want WP to succeed. I want 3 strong platforms to keep competition up. But there is still a long, long way to go. If the five issues I've addressed here are taken care of, I think Windows Phone will succeed beyond our wildest imaginations.