Some ideas for Microsoft (Mobile)

[Giorgio Tacchini]

Hi guys!

I've been thinking on some ideas for Microsoft Mobile (oy) on new devices:

? End with the Nokia number names. I think that putting all your phones a name with numbers is just dumb, it just doesn't works, they are too hard to remember for people and difficult to advertise. "THE NOKIA LUMIA 930 WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8.1"
I think nearly every OEM on Windows has to understand that names matter! One of the reasons why Samsung and Apple are respected brands is because people KNOW what the iphone means and what the S(x) means, the flagships must have recognized names.

? Scrap the Nokia brand on phones and use just ?Lumia?, maybe add a Microsoft logo a la Apple. I think that if WP keeps growing under the nokia brand, when it disappears (about 18 months)Chris Weber on the future of device branding at Microsoft | Windows Phone Central people will just not realize that all the new phones were made by Microsoft and not Nokia. Although Nokia is very popular in Argentina (where I live) for example, Microsoft could use that chance to push the Nokia devices department merger into Microsoft as a marketing push and get the ?Lumia? name into consumers? minds. Everyone has to know that Nokia phones were bought by Microsoft in developing countries.

That said I have some suggestions for successor names and characteristics:

 Nokia Lumia 520: LOW END Successor should be named after its codename like ?Lumia Rock? or Lumia ?people?, a smartphone for the masses. I think the main problem of the 520 is it has no flash and just 512mb if RAM, the Rock should have flash and at least 1GB of RAM, and touch buttons. This should be a very important smartphone for Microsoft, and make the user base in developing markets. It should be pushed as the best budget smartphone.

 Nokia Lumia 630: LOW END An improvement from the Lumia Rock, they should add LTE support and some screen improvements. Touch buttons. (Just like the 638 just announced in China) Microsoft announces new 4G enabled Lumia 636, Lumia 638 in China | Windows Phone Central . Change name to something without numbers maybe ?Lumia Rock +? or ?Lumia people pro? (or lumia pro people hahaha!)

 Nokia Lumia 720: MID RANGE Should add Nokia good camera capabilities, have at least LTE, 1GB of RAM, a Dual core processor, good screen. Change name to ?Lumia something? Name could have something to do with windows phone personal/social futures.

 Nokia Lumia 820: MID RANGE A better version of the previous Lumia.

 Nokia Lumia 930: FLAGSHIP The successor should be a great phone, just like the Lumia 930, but with a more attractive design (that looks more like the Lumia 935), slimmer, it should sport a full aluminum body and SD card capabilities. Should also be able to run Glance Screen and 3D touch. Name changed to just ?Lumia Icon 2? or ?Lumia N? (for Nokia). This should be the one that says: ?look here it is, a smartphone with no compromises, here is the best of Nokia, Microsoft and WP altogether?

 Nokia Lumia 1020: FLAGSHIP change name to ?Lumia Shot? or ?Lumia Zoom?. This phone should expose the best camera that can fit into an attractive smartphone and add modern specs. Should also have 3D touch capabilities. (Maybe the rummored McLaren is this phone)

 Nokia Lumia 1320: LOW END PHABLET Should be like a big Lumia Rock, with better screen. Change name.

 Nokia Lumia 1520: HIGH END PHABLET (FLAGSHIP) Add pen input support (maybe a surface pro3-like pen) and 3D touch. Keep design but make an aluminum variant too. Should be named after its big screen and input support, could be ?Lumia Note? or ?Lumia Image?. It should be focused on artists, creative people, professionals, etc.

? All the previous should keep its actual screen sizes, colors variants. Flagships should ship with 16GB or more, add SD support. Design should be a little less square and look more modern.

? MICROSOFT STOP CARRIER EXCLUSIVES, market share is made with availability not exclusivity, and Microsoft has literally billions in the bank, STOP DEPENDING ON CARRIERS (LIKE NOKIA DID) FOR ADVERTISING AND DO IT BY YOURSELF.

? Focus less in the USA and more in the rest of the world! (we like WP much more than Americans!).

? Stop naming phones differently under specific carriers. I really think that nokia made a big mistake by not keeping Icon as the Lumia 930's name, how can you expect people to know that two phones with different names are exactly the same!

? Keep surface as the main brand for tablets/convertibles.

? Scrap the Lumia 2520 and replace it by some kind of surface "play" tablet, focused on entertainment and not productivity. A direct ipad competitor/killer. That device would need long battery file, lumia like color variations a decent pricepoint, maybe the surface 3 could be that device.

Well, those are a few of my Ideas, they are not finaal, and names are just ideas (I'm no marketing expert) tell me what you, WPcentral-ers think?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Those are some interesting ideas.

I agree with you that the numbering does make it confusing to tell which device is which to someone who is new to Nokia Lumia devices.

 

[jpal12]

The numbering is less confusing than random names. They should keep the numbers, but not make variants. A 530, 630, 730, 830, 930, 1030, 1330, and 1530 would be much easier than what they currently have, 5 phones with just the 63x and 93x announced.

 

[poddie]

The numbering is less confusing than random names. They should keep the numbers, but not make variants. A 530, 630, 730, 830, 930, 1030, 1330, and 1530 would be much easier than what they currently have, 5 phones with just the 63x and 93x announced.

I think they just need both. Use the word name in advertising, but include the number in and more detailed mention. The number gives you a much better idea of where it fits in the lineup to those of us who are familiar, but the name is what should primarily be marketed.

 

[jailman]

The term "WINDOWS" should be present definitely on the phones ppl know what the hell windows is but may not know Microsoft its too nerdy for average people as a name just windows lumia 930 or something like that

 

[Guytronic]

Good thoughts Giorgio!

I like and agree with:

MICROSOFT STOP CARRIER EXCLUSIVES, market share is made with availability not exclusivity, and Microsoft has literally billions in the bank, STOP DEPENDING ON CARRIERS (LIKE NOKIA DID) FOR ADVERTISING AND DO IT BY YOURSELF.

Focus less in the USA and more in the rest of the world! (we like WP much more than Americans!).

Two very important points IMO...

(However I'm in the US and really enjoy the WP-Nokia-Microsoft line of mobile products)

 

[Giorgio Tacchini]

When you understand the numbering, Its true that is less confusing, but general consumers are not looking at the numbering. I ve found that many of my friends call WP "the lumia" and that makes me think that they dont know any of the phones names. Putting names gives you more contact with the products, and c'mon its just ridiculous that Nokia increased the phone number eqch time they released a new one. Imagine the Lumia 998 that would be ridiculous, an infinitely scaling numbers brand. Lol.
I do agree with you on variants.

 

[Laura Knotek]

The term "WINDOWS" should be present definitely on the phones ppl know what the hell windows is but may not know Microsoft its too nerdy for average people as a name just windows lumia 930 or something like that

I'm fairly certain that most people know about Microsoft. My mother does not have a computer, but she knows who both Microsoft and Bill Gates are. Granted, she doesn't know who Satya Nadella is.

 

[Giorgio Tacchini]

i think most people associate windows with viruses, the word Microsoft does'nt have to show up, I would just push the LUMIA brand, and just insinuate that microsoft made the product by putting their logo somewhere. Everything is about squares in microsoft, their square logo would look nice in the phone...

 

[Guytronic]

I have wondered and asked in the past here on WPC.
Would it be possible for Microsoft to sell devices unlocked for the US market?

Always thought if Microsoft could move away from carriers in the US and allow users to travel on any network this might place more WP's in more hands.

 

[Giorgio Tacchini]

I have wondered and asked in the past here on WPC.
Would it be possible for Microsoft to sell devices unlocked for the US market?

Always thought if Microsoft could move away from carriers in the US and allow users to travel on any network this might place more WP's in more hands.

All lumias are sold unlocked through Amazon, I do think that MS stores should offer an unlocked variant of every Lumia. Microsoft distribution chain is so poor that even MS online does'nt offer all the Lumias available, in my opinion WP will never increase share without improving availability and marketing efforts.

 

[12Danny123]

I agree. With the branding. Put the Microsoft Logo and the Brand name Lumia at the back would be pretty nice.

 

[Jas00555]

Hi guys!

I've been thinking on some ideas for Microsoft Mobile (oy) on new devices:

• End with the Nokia number names. I think that putting all your phones a name with numbers is just dumb, it just doesn't works, they are too hard to remember for people and difficult to advertise. "THE NOKIA LUMIA 930 WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8.1"
I think nearly every OEM on Windows has to understand that names matter! One of the reasons why Samsung and Apple are respected brands is because people KNOW what the iphone means and what the S(x) means, the flagships must have recognized names.

• Scrap the Nokia brand on phones and use just “Lumia”, maybe add a Microsoft logo a la Apple. I think that if WP keeps growing under the nokia brand, when it disappears (about 18 months)Chris Weber on the future of device branding at Microsoft | Windows Phone Central people will just not realize that all the new phones were made by Microsoft and not Nokia. Although Nokia is very popular in Argentina (where I live) for example, Microsoft could use that chance to push the Nokia devices department merger into Microsoft as a marketing push and get the “Lumia” name into consumers’ minds. Everyone has to know that Nokia phones were bought by Microsoft in developing countries.

That said I have some suggestions for successor names and characteristics:

 Nokia Lumia 520: LOW END Successor should be named after its codename like “Lumia Rock” or Lumia “people”, a smartphone for the masses. I think the main problem of the 520 is it has no flash and just 512mb if RAM, the Rock should have flash and at least 1GB of RAM, and touch buttons. This should be a very important smartphone for Microsoft, and make the user base in developing markets. It should be pushed as the best budget smartphone.

 Nokia Lumia 630: LOW END An improvement from the Lumia Rock, they should add LTE support and some screen improvements. Touch buttons. (Just like the 638 just announced in China) Microsoft announces new 4G enabled Lumia 636, Lumia 638 in China | Windows Phone Central . Change name to something without numbers maybe “Lumia Rock +” or “Lumia people pro” (or lumia pro people hahaha!)

 Nokia Lumia 720: MID RANGE Should add Nokia good camera capabilities, have at least LTE, 1GB of RAM, a Dual core processor, good screen. Change name to “Lumia something” Name could have something to do with windows phone personal/social futures.

 Nokia Lumia 820: MID RANGE A better version of the previous Lumia.

 Nokia Lumia 930: FLAGSHIP The successor should be a great phone, just like the Lumia 930, but with a more attractive design (that looks more like the Lumia 935), slimmer, it should sport a full aluminum body and SD card capabilities. Should also be able to run Glance Screen and 3D touch. Name changed to just “Lumia Icon 2” or “Lumia N” (for Nokia). This should be the one that says: “look here it is, a smartphone with no compromises, here is the best of Nokia, Microsoft and WP altogether”

 Nokia Lumia 1020: FLAGSHIP change name to “Lumia Shot” or “Lumia Zoom”. This phone should expose the best camera that can fit into an attractive smartphone and add modern specs. Should also have 3D touch capabilities. (Maybe the rummored McLaren is this phone)

 Nokia Lumia 1320: LOW END PHABLET Should be like a big Lumia Rock, with better screen. Change name.

 Nokia Lumia 1520: HIGH END PHABLET (FLAGSHIP) Add pen input support (maybe a surface pro3-like pen) and 3D touch. Keep design but make an aluminum variant too. Should be named after its big screen and input support, could be “Lumia Note” or “Lumia Image”. It should be focused on artists, creative people, professionals, etc.

• All the previous should keep its actual screen sizes, colors variants. Flagships should ship with 16GB or more, add SD support. Design should be a little less square and look more modern.

• MICROSOFT STOP CARRIER EXCLUSIVES, market share is made with availability not exclusivity, and Microsoft has literally billions in the bank, STOP DEPENDING ON CARRIERS (LIKE NOKIA DID) FOR ADVERTISING AND DO IT BY YOURSELF.

• Focus less in the USA and more in the rest of the world! (we like WP much more than Americans!).

• Stop naming phones differently under specific carriers. I really think that nokia made a big mistake by not keeping Icon as the Lumia 930's name, how can you expect people to know that two phones with different names are exactly the same!

• Keep surface as the main brand for tablets/convertibles.

• Scrap the Lumia 2520 and replace it by some kind of surface "play" tablet, focused on entertainment and not productivity. A direct ipad competitor/killer. That device would need long battery file, lumia like color variations a decent pricepoint, maybe the surface 3 could be that device.

Well, those are a few of my Ideas, they are not finaal, and names are just ideas (I'm no marketing expert) tell me what you, WPcentral-ers think?

I like that you put so much thought into this, but after discussing this topic and researching, well.... I have to strongly disagree with this plan.

1) I honestly don't know a single person in Microsoft, Nokia, or any carrier besides Steve Ballmer who has ever or will ever refer to a phone as a "THE NOKIA LUMIA 930 WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8.1". I just honestly don't think that it'll ever happen. No one says "the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running Android 4.4.3 Kitkat". It just never happens. Every single person I know who has described these phones will say "Nokia Lumia 1520", which isn't really that much longer than "Samsung Galaxy Note 3".

2) I can buy a Lumia 520 from AT&T for $60. I really don't think that adding flash and doubling the RAM will be able to keep it at that price. The idea is to lower the cost for your devices, not raise them. I mean, unless you plan on Microsoft getting a 4XX line, but then that'll basically just be a 530. Nokia's profit margins on these phones was VERY tiny. Adding anything else will put the profit margins in the negatives (something I don't think Microsoft will do).

3) On the topic of the names that you suggested..... No. Just.... no. Please no. If each phone that you just listed has it's own name, that's NINE DIFFERENT NAMES. Now, I'm on this site 20 times a day and even I would get confused by all of these crazy brand names. At least with numbers, you have a sense of which phone is which e.g. "What's a Lumia Rock? what's a Pro? What's the Icon? Is the Pro the best? No? It's one of the lower end ones??? screw it, I'm getting a Galaxy. This is stupid" as opposed to "alright, well, I don't know which one is better, but 930 is bigger than 530, so the 930 must be the better one. Oh, it's $600. Maybe they have something like a 630.. oh, they do! I'm not really sure what the difference is, but it looks nicer than the 530. Having different names is just an awful, awful idea IMHO.

4) Do any of the flagships ship with less than 16GB? I've never seen one. Only the lower end ones have 8GB.

5) Microsoft is a SOFTWARE company. They want you to use Onedrive to store everything, so they'll be pushing that, not SD cards.

6) The US spends way more money on phones (a lot of people buy a $700 every two years), compared to Europe where the cost is a lot lower. The US is also the tech media center of the world. Focusing less on the US than they do now would be a terrible idea. They should keep focusing on the US and focus more on Europe.

The rest sounds like what they're already doing.

 

[coolrocky44]

I really don't mind the naming. It is a very well categorize naming system. You really know what level of the phone you are buying.

And as Microsoft is a US company, their main focus will be US. But they should also focus on Europe and Asia. And the ideas posted are really good.

 

[Giorgio Tacchini]

I like that you put so much thought into this, but after discussing this topic and researching, well.... I have to strongly disagree with this plan.

1) I honestly don't know a single person in Microsoft, Nokia, or any carrier besides Steve Ballmer who has ever or will ever refer to a phone as a "THE NOKIA LUMIA 930 WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8.1". I just honestly don't think that it'll ever happen. No one says "the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running Android 4.4.3 Kitkat". It just never happens. Every single person I know who has described these phones will say "Nokia Lumia 1520", which isn't really that much longer than "Samsung Galaxy Note 3".

2) I can buy a Lumia 520 from AT&T for $60. I really don't think that adding flash and doubling the RAM will be able to keep it at that price. The idea is to lower the cost for your devices, not raise them. I mean, unless you plan on Microsoft getting a 4XX line, but then that'll basically just be a 530. Nokia's profit margins on these phones was VERY tiny. Adding anything else will put the profit margins in the negatives (something I don't think Microsoft will do).

3) On the topic of the names that you suggested..... No. Just.... no. Please no. If each phone that you just listed has it's own name, that's NINE DIFFERENT NAMES. Now, I'm on this site 20 times a day and even I would get confused by all of these crazy brand names. At least with numbers, you have a sense of which phone is which e.g. "What's a Lumia Rock? what's a Pro? What's the Icon? Is the Pro the best? No? It's one of the lower end ones??? screw it, I'm getting a Galaxy. This is stupid" as opposed to "alright, well, I don't know which one is better, but 930 is bigger than 530, so the 930 must be the better one. Oh, it's $600. Maybe they have something like a 630.. oh, they do! I'm not really sure what the difference is, but it looks nicer than the 530. Having different names is just an awful, awful idea IMHO.

4) Do any of the flagships ship with less than 16GB? I've never seen one. Only the lower end ones have 8GB.

5) Microsoft is a SOFTWARE company. They want you to use Onedrive to store everything, so they'll be pushing that, not SD cards.

6) The US spends way more money on phones (a lot of people buy a $700 every two years), compared to Europe where the cost is a lot lower. The US is also the tech media center of the world. Focusing less on the US than they do now would be a terrible idea. They should keep focusing on the US and focus more on Europe.

The rest sounds like what they're already doing.

1)That's true although saying those numbers is actually quiet longer than pronouncing a simple name.
2) I'm talking about future devices, while it's true that costs would definetly go up, you can still produce the 520 for the very low end. And adding 512 RAM and a simple flash is a very small price increase. People buy most phones on plans, and that would still be $0 on contract. Also, profit margins will NEVER go up if WP doesn?t become popular. Look at Xbox, Microsoft lost a lot of money on that, but it at the end it has become their most known hardware product and it's well recognized around the world. I'm not saying that Microsoft should loose money on WP, I just think that a lumia 520 upgrade would be good for the platform, and they could keep the 520 or launch a 430 (without that name), lower end lumia.
3)Please, consumers don't look at the scale!!! They don't have an idea of why one is 520 and the other is 620, THE BEST INDICATOR IS PRICE, they look at price! Believe me car companies have way more than 9 products and they all have different names. Flagships NEED names without the numbering, names inspire something, numbers do not. Everyone knows the iphone, and knows what iphone means in their mind. I thought that lumia Icon was a great name because it tells you that's an iconic phone and the best in WP. Nowadays image around a product IS important, and if you want to have a recognized product, you need it to have a real name. An example: Surface. Surface makes you think instantaneously in the kickstand tablet, that magnesium, well-desingned tablet. Lumia 2520 doesn?t tells you anything! THE NAMES I SAID WHERE SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS AND I'M NO MARKETING EXPERT (LUMIA ROCK IS JUST A CONCEPT))
4) You are right on that one.
5) Thats true also!
6) You misunderstood what I'm saying. I'm not saying that Microsoft should focus less in the USA, but focus MORE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD. Look at marketshare! We, the ones who live outside the US, are sick of Microsoft launching everything as a US exclusive: bing improvements, Cortana, Surface and Xbox one (just lunched in a few countries), and almost every WP update and phone takes about double the time it takes in the US to reach Latin America for example.
Just have a look at Europe, why is Microsoft lunching Cortana in Chinese where WP doesn't exists BEFORE they launch it in Italy and France?! Where Marketshare is surpassing 10%. Buddy there is something called MOMENTUM, if you don't use Momentum, you will never make a big gain in any market, releases should be fast and agressive, thats the only way to make a dent on android or iOS before 2999!

 

[Jam8240]

Ok, I think the whole Lumia line should be changed to Microsoft Lumia ####.
They should keep the numbering scheme going, but get rid of the 7##, 8##, and 13## phones. It should be the 5##, 6##, 9##, 10##, and 15##.
They could also make a separate surface phone, which could also replace the 9## line, which is essentially the flagship.
This surface phone would be the ultimate companion to the surface mini, surface pro, Xbox one, and windows desktop computer. And they should market it as such.
As for momentum, they should introduce one new device in the number series every 3 months, along with the surface phone every year, which coincides with a major OS update.
The yearly releases could follow apples tick tock scheme, making one year a smaller upgrade, which goes along with a smaller OS update, like a #.1 or #.5

 

[Chregu]

I don't think giving names to phones helps. Quite the opposite.

Does anybody know what Samsung phone is in what price range or which features it offers? Here, just looking at what's being sold by Samsung at the moment in Switzerland:

I know the Note is big, the Galaxy S is high-end. But the Galaxy S Mini is mid-range. The Galaxy S Duos has probably two SIM cards? The Galaxy Grand, no idea. Galaxy Xcover? Changeable covers maybe? Galaxy Ace... I think that's a parallel line to the Galaxy S but cheaper, I'm not sure. The Galaxy Star... I don't know, looks cheap on the picture. The Galaxy Mega, no idea. The Galaxy Y Duos, different letter, two SIM cards? They also have the Galaxy Young Duos. Maybe a cheap phone that... I don't know. But, the Galaxy K Zoom I think has a optical zoom. Did I already mention the Galaxy Fame? I already don't remember.

Yeah, I'm definitely preferring the Lumia numbers ;-)

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Rather than give names to phones, going the old Nokia route (which is to assign a phone to a line, and give it a number denoting how high-end it is, like the N8-00 or the E7-00) makes more sense to me.

It's just a thought as people still have those old NSeries or XSeries Nokia phones around, so they may be able to recognize them.