Which Phone has the capacity to make Windows Phone succeed?

[reckoner79]

I think Nokia has already screwed up with their horrible quality control. The At&t Lumia models are full of build problems and if someone was lured away from Android/iOS by Nokia they will have a bad experience and will avoid Nokia in the future (unfortunately Nokia seems to be the face of WP 8 right now).

I think Samsung can save WP 8 if they create a Galaxy Windows 8 phone and release the same model on all four carriers like the Galaxy S3. The Galaxy name is iconic now and if Samsung really got behind WP 8 it would have a good chance of suceeding.

 

[a5cent]

As an aside, I have noticed that as of yesterday, there is a concerted push, on these forums and others, to try and equate WP8 with Vista, specifically mentioning "under the hood" changes by seemingly unconnected people. It's almost like "talking points" sent out by political parties prior to an election.

Astroturfing much?

Really? And I'm doing this for free? Stupid me! :wink:

Seriously though. It would surprise me too if many people came up with the exact same analogy on the exact same day. Any links?

It sounds like you aren't happy with my analogy. Just don't forget, I have a much more positive view of Vista than the general public. A few posts in my WPC history demonstrate that. Vista was a very good OS with terrible 3rd party driver support and some missteps in Microsoft's marketing department. Vista, the OS that everyone hated, was in fact the single most important step towards making Windows 7 great. I think/hope WP8 is that same stepping stone.

It wouldn't surprise me if many other people made the same analogy (edit1: just not all on the same day). I don't think I'm so smart as to be the only person able to see those similarities.

edit2: just out of personal interest, who do you think I would be astroturfing for?

 

[a5cent]

And as with Vista, MS needs to get back under the hood and give us a SP1 to make it usable.

No. MS made very few "under the hood" changes going from Vista to Vista SP1 (nothing of importance really). Even Windows 7 and Vista are very similar, almost identical, under the hood.

I think WP8 needs more under the hood changes than Vista did, but what it needs most is additions/tweeks to user facing features.

 

[aubreyq]

right now, none of them. Os needs to be complete before you even worry about hardware.

+100000000000

 

[jlp34876]

Budget phone like lumia 620 is the key for WP, I cant recommend 8S because of its 4gb memory. Some of the people living in third world countries dont want to spend too much money too try new things. Imagine you can buy 2 Lumia 620 in a price of one high end phone, the more OEM sells midrange phone the more poeple will notice WP8. Android sucks at mid/low range phone, Apple doesnt have it, so its an opportunity for WP8 to target this type of market. WP8 high end phone is just on the right track.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

But, if Nokia goes Android, which they will sooner or later.

NO. AT THAT POINT, I WILL ABANDON NOKIA AND GO ALL OUT FOR HTC. #rant #WP

 

[a5cent]

But, if Nokia goes Android, which they will sooner or later.

This rumour surfaced right after Nokia signed their agreement with Microsoft in 2011. Financial analysts were the main group peddling this FUD back then, primarily because they didn't understand any of Nokia's reasons for choosing WP. Since then, almost every one of those analysts has reversed their position. This rumour still persists though.

I won't say this is an impossibility, but windows phone must fail first for this scenario to become reality. As long as Nokia believes windows phone has a shot, we won't see them release an Android based smartphone.

 

[wescoerg]

No one phone has the capacity to do that, the platform just needs to be a little more familiar to the mainstream. There are so many factors that will help WP succeed: mainstream app count, Surface sales, advertising, etc. Really, there needs to be a reason to buy a WP for your average cell phone user (non-tech-site reader). Right now, most people want an Android or IPhone because they know what they are, and they have friends that have both. As WP picks up steam, more people will recognize it, and therefore adopt it. Success breeds success.

WP really needs to get apps like Instagram - and while I personally don't see the appeal in it, it's ridiculously popular and the lack of the app could be the reason some users don't get the phone. Creating an advertisement that shows Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, ESPN, etc. being used on a WP would possibly make people realize that they are on a level playing field. Right now, in the app department (which is the only one that matters to most cell phone users), they are lacking on a few key apps that mainstream sees as essential.

I'd like to see the individual phone manufacturers market their phones. I never see Nokia or HTC advertisements. It's always the same Microsoft ones with various celebrities doing mundane things and not really showing the high points of the phone.