The unofficial 'Let me allay your concerns over the demise of WP" thread

[thekonger]

I have seen several threads which perpetuate these recurring themes: 'Will Windows Phone fail', 'Was this MS's last chance?', 'Did MS blow their WP8 launch', etc. and so on.

Well, rest easy, as I think I can alleviate most of these concerns.

Is WP better than iPhone or Android?

That depends upon your needs. It's a different type of OS and many people feel it's easier, faster, and smoother. The best response to this is, try them all and pick the one you like the best. To me it is much better than iPhone and Android. Judging from what I have seen and read, this belief is held by many.

Will Window's Phone fail?

No, it has already succeeded. Supply has been hampered possibly due to low expectations by manufacturers, but now the demand for WP8 has been realized and manufacturers are working hard to ramp up. In China the 920 sold out in two hours. Again, the supply may have been poorly managed, but large crowds waiting for the 920 confirms that demand for WP is big, and that is echoed globally. WP8 is a big success.

Was this a rushed launch?

Yes, I think it was. MS wanted to gain market share at a crucial holiday time and pushed WP8 a little before it was ready for prime time. But, with that said, I am glad they did. I was wringing my hands waiting for the 920, so I was happy to get one. Heck, I wished they had launched it a month earlier. Even in it's launch form it was better than the Evo Shift I was using. (By the way Samsung, if you had launched the Ativ earlier I may have debated between that and the 920).

Also, all phones have issues at launch. MS had their share, but so does Android and iPhone.

Is this MS's last chance at WP?

Quite simple, no. (the following is copy and pasted from another post I made) MS is the the company that floated Xbox for two years when people said it would die, and now they make billions off of it annually. MS will always have another chance; it's their option to not take it. And considering WP8 is part of their future platform strategy it's safe to say it's not going anywhere.


In short, MS has a winning phone OS in it's current state and they will only make it better. But if you prefer Android or iPhone then you should simply use that device. It's all about personal choice.

 

[George Ponder]

I think if we believed every "this is the last chance for Windows Phone" prediction we all would be carrying iPhones years ago...

You're last statement is fairly much spot on and I think Windows Phone is catching. More people are noticing our Windows Phone in public and asking about it. Will it beat out Android or Apple? Doubt it but I think it will have a healthy presence in the market.

 

[Old_Cus]

Thank you for your post. I think people want instant sucess and if that doesn't happen they are quick to lable something a failure. WP has had it problems and there are still important improvements that need to be made but if you look over the past two years it is clear that this platform is growing.

I wanted an iphone when I heard that Apple was coming out with a smartphone but I waited until they had a product that I felt gave me what I thought a smartphone should be. I never did get one, I got a Focus S instead. I'm now using a Nokia L900 and I think I will keep it for the time being. When I am ready for a new phone I'm confident that there will be a WP product that I will be happy to get.

No one platform will be everything for everybody. Interest in WP is growing and it will do just fine.

 

[tebugg]

a thread of light in a sea of dark threads.

 

[jhguth]

Microsoft has deep pockets and can stick it out, phone market share is a long game issue and they have already demonstrated that they can enter a market already saturated and take over (Xbox). The Xbox was not an immediate success but is now firmly in the lead.

Additionally, with the firing of Sinofsky Microsoft has made it clear that they want to move forward with a more unified ecosystem instead of multiple products that don't always work with each other. We are only seeing the beginning of it now, and there are certainly still some issues, but it will only get better. Microsoft knows that this is what you need to move forward, their actions show that they realize they can not just rely on their Office and Windows domination to stay alive, its why you are seeing so much innovation and design out of Microsoft. Microsoft is also opening more retail stores, this will also not happen overnight but there is no reason they can't eventually have a similar retail footprint to Apple.

There are still some things that I think Microsoft should change internally, stack ranking management style will probably kill some of the creativity and innovation from some of their teams and I think they should change that. Overall though, I think Microsoft has positioned themselves well and see no reason why they aren't going to have a lot of growth moving forward. I picked up as much MSFT stock as I could while it was low for my long-term portfolio, they are literally who I have my money behind right now.

 

[1101x10]

Windows phone is now in close partnership with Windows 8. I'm sure they will both have a nice future.

 

[thegoodfight]

Great thread idea original poster, that sadly has gone downwards. I think some of the negativity may not be from actual WP users. It could be from paid astrosurfers and shills, but I'm just totally guessing here.

Must not feed the trolls...

It amazes me how so disillusioned some people can be. If there is one thing that is true, it's that not only does everyone have an opinion, but on the internet everyone naively believes their opinion is correct. Some believe their opinion is correct so strongly that facts to the contrary do nothing to change their tune.

I'm also glad some of the threads here that go nowhere with downward arguments are getting locked. Good job by the mods.

 

[Dave Blake]

That's better now lets get this thread back on topic and stop the thread crapping in here.

 

[snowmutt]

It was nice to have an optimistic thread for a few posts.....

I still believe. I believe the surge in sales this holiday season is for real. I believe Nokia will have very promising sales with the trend upwards. I believe that the next upgrade in WP will be fantastic- and I am not referring to the "fix things" upgrade, I mean the rumored upgrade in the Spring/Summer range. I am betting that truly provides some more upgraded features and unification with Windows 8 in ways not yet accomplished. I am also betting on 2nd Generation WP8 devices that help push sales even higher.

I see no reason for us to think that Microsoft, Nokia, HTC, and tablet supporters (which I think Samsung is a bigger Tablet supporter of W8 then WP8 supporter) do not understand what is at stake. Forget the launch and supply problems. The future is great, the kernal has been set, the launch is accomplished, and the upside is real.

Why not believe it? I see a focused multi-billion dollar company. That is a nice starting point.