Has Nokia / MS gone INSANE!!! by targetting low end devices!!!

[KhawarNadeem]

That's what I mentioned earlier, that Lumia 930 is a great device, but it didn't meet our expectation. It was supposed to be a true successor of 920. They removed glance screen, that is just a minor setback.

But its camera should have been better, where it should have taken pictures as crisp and sharp as IP6 but at 20MP, without oversampling. Its low light images should have been as good as 920 (if not better). I would not call 930 a true successor of 920. Although I love the design of 930, it is the best I've seen in any Lumia smartphone

I like how the 920/925 had huge sensors with the lower 8-ish MP cameras at the time when 13-20MPs were becoming more common. The picture quality was very much ahead of the curve. The 930 has a very large sensor but instead of making it 20MP, they could have kept it around 13 and that would have improved low light performance by A LOT. They were joining the specs war with the 930, and in that they made some glaring errors like some Android phones. Sad.

930 is gorgeous. But the heating, battery life, lack of glance, and bad low light camera are small things that add up. WE NEED A 935!

 

[maverick786us]

I like how the 920/925 had huge sensors with the lower 8-ish MP cameras at the time when 13-20MPs were becoming more common. The picture quality was very much ahead of the curve. The 930 has a very large sensor but instead of making it 20MP, they could have kept it around 13 and that would have improved low light performance by A LOT. They were joining the specs war with the 930, and in that they made some glaring errors like some Android phones. Sad.

930 is gorgeous. But the heating, battery life, lack of glance, and bad low light camera are small things that add up. WE NEED A 935!

In 935 I don't think they should face much of a challenge if they increase the sensor, keeping 20 MP intact, so that it remains ahead of other android flagships. If a bigger sensor will increase the thickness, take a look at Xperia Z3, which has bigger sensor than 930 and still its so thin.

 

[KhawarNadeem]

In 935 I don't think they should face much of a challenge if they increase the sensor, keeping 20 MP intact, so that it remains ahead of other android flagships. If a bigger sensor will increase the thickness, take a look at Xperia Z3, which has bigger sensor than 930 and still its so thin.

Z3 is actually a brilliant effort by Sony.
They don't even need to change the design of 930!
One really has to wonder what the hell MS hardware divisions are doing these days. Even the rumor mill is dry. :/

 

[maverick786us]

Z3 is actually a brilliant effort by Sony.
They don't even need to change the design of 930!
One really has to wonder what the hell MS hardware divisions are doing these days. Even the rumor mill is dry. :/

Yes I love the design of Lumia 930, it is the best design that Nokia / MS has ever produced for its flagship device (In my opinion at-least).

I hope they continue this design for 935, make it slightly thin like 830 (hope they don't SCREW it, the way they did with 830 by placing micro USB on top) and implement stereo speakers.

 

[JackDiesel14]

I had my Nexus 5 die on me a few weeks ago and I've been looking to make the switch over to Windows but their lack of new high end devices is holding me back. I was really hoping the McLaren would become a reality but that is dead and the 930 isn't all that impressive for a flagship. Even though 6" phones aren't really my thing I'm hoping the 1525 comes out next month.

If Microsoft wants to get people excited about their phones, especially the kind of people that can afford to spend money on apps which would attract developers, then they need to be targeting the high end range more aggressively. Sure low and mid range phones might get people on your OS but they don't spend much on apps, if you want to compete with Android and Apple, they need to build up their app store.

With winter coming, and a supposedly bitter cold one at that, McLaren's touch free capability would have been a big marketing opportunity. An ad with 2 people standing next to each other, the Windows phone user navigating the OS with their gloves on while the other person has to take off their gloves to check their phone and then warm their hands back up when they are done.

 

[maverick786us]

I had my Nexus 5 die on me a few weeks ago and I've been looking to make the switch over to Windows but their lack of new high end devices is holding me back. I was really hoping the McLaren would become a reality but that is dead and the 930 isn't all that impressive for a flagship. Even though 6" phones aren't really my thing I'm hoping the 1525 comes out next month.

If Microsoft wants to get people excited about their phones, especially the kind of people that can afford to spend money on apps which would attract developers, then they need to be targeting the high end range more aggressively. Sure low and mid range phones might get people on your OS but they don't spend much on apps, if you want to compete with Android and Apple, they need to build up their app store.

With winter coming, and a supposedly bitter cold one at that, McLaren's touch free capability would have been a big marketing opportunity. An ad with 2 people standing next to each other, the Windows phone user navigating the OS with their gloves on while the other person has to take off their gloves to check their phone and then warm their hands back up when they are done.

I agree. I know that MS / Nokia has gone through a transition phase, and in order to survive in market, they are running a cautious approach by launch low/mid end devices, so those devices are sold in maximum quantity.

But in order to get customer's attention, you need to focus on high end devices. 920 laid the initial foundation for Nokia, which helped them in having good sales of their low end 520 device. If they wouldn't have launched 920 that time, no one would have come to know about 520.

Similarly no one would have bought Samsung smartphones, if they wouldn't have got customer's attention by Galaxy S and note series smartphones. I am damm sure, 630 and 530 wouldn't be successfully sold as 520 did.

 

[LumiaIcon]

If you target low end, you get the low end, and you become low end... Even if your not. It may be financially prudent, however, Apple proves that targeting the high end makes you high end... Even when your not.

 

[fatclue_98]

The iPhone is not the best analogy for this thread. Think about what was around in 2007 when the 2G was launched. Apple was a radical departure from the status quo and immediately cemented its place in the marketplace. All they've had to do is update rather than innovate. Kudos to them, they didn't have to work as hard as the rest of the industry. I don't care for their mobile products but I tip my hat to them for what they accomplished with smoke and mirrors.

 

[Andrea988]

Sorry OP, but I think your comments are nuts. The 930 is in my opinion a better phone than the iPhone 6 so how high end do you want it? What does the iPhone 6 have that the 930 doesn't? I can name a good few features that the 930 has that the Apple phone doesn't have, and you can buy two for the same money.

Besides, it's not as if any other manufacturers produce more than one flagship phone a year and even the newly introduced 735 has the same screen resolution and size as the iPhone 6 and make a terrific alternative at a third of the price for those who aren't daft enough to pay ?600+ for a mobile phone. But as many people have said, there are many more buyers for low end phones than there are for flagship phones and I think it's a very sensible policy to target the masses, which is the only thing that is going to make them more popular in the long run.

I think, as others have said, MS will now wait for Windows 10, and feature phones will be Nokia branded while Lumia phones will be Microsoft branded, but there might be one coming out soon according to Cnet:

""We are looking forward to unveiling a Microsoft Lumia device soon", says Microsoft's Senior Vice President of Marketing for Phones, Tuula Rytil?, in a blog post on the Nokia / Microsoft website"

 

[desitunez]

Let them get over with windows (phone) 10 and you'll see the high ends, hopefully we get the rumored mc laren by next year

Didnt we said that for Mango , Tango , appolo , Wp8 , WP8.1 ( next version will change everything ) lol

 

[maverick786us]

I think, as others have said, MS will now wait for Windows 10, and feature phones will be Nokia branded while Lumia phones will be Microsoft branded, but there might be one coming out soon according to Cnet:

""We are looking forward to unveiling a Microsoft Lumia device soon", says Microsoft's Senior Vice President of Marketing for Phones, Tuula Rytil?, in a blog post on the Nokia / Microsoft website"

Not sure if it is a high end device or some medium/low end device

 

[tgp]

Didnt we said that for Mango , Tango , appolo , Wp8 , WP8.1 ( next version will change everything ) lol

Yup. That's why I now sit back and wait for WP to actually take off. When it becomes a reality is when I'll get excited!

 

[T Moore]

They said a long time ago they were targeting first smartphone users.

 

[iamtim]

I didn't read all the posts in this thread, so apologies if this has already been mentioned:

The only people who want high-end Windows Phones are already Windows Phone users. There's no growth there; the only growth available to Microsoft is in the mid/low-end range.

 

[Andrea988]

I didn't read all the posts in this thread, so apologies if this has already been mentioned:

The only people who want high-end Windows Phones are already Windows Phone users. There's no growth there; the only growth available to Microsoft is in the mid/low-end range.

How do you know? My L930 is my first Windows phone but I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. But there are bound to be more and more people over time who buy their first WP and decide it's exactly what they have been looking for, as I did.

In fact a friend of mine is also considering buying a 930 and he's had just about every top-end android phone you can name. A lot of people are becoming disillusioned with android's constant updates and lack of support for older models, and Lollipop hasn't been perceived well by a few people I know who have seen the video.

 

[iamtim]

How do you know?

How do I know? Look around at the market, it's not rocket science. In the US, the high-end market is completely dominated by iOS and Android devices. Windows Phone does not offer anyone happily entrenched in iOS or Android a reason to switch. Sure, you might get a handful of converts here and there - the 3.something% Windows Phone market share shows that - but there's no way that Windows Phone is going to get iOS or Android level market share in the US.

Outside of the US - especially in the emerging markets... India, China, etc. - devices aren't carrier subsidized. Users there don't tend to buy high-end devices because of the up-front investment. Again, look around at the market, that's a known thing.

Microsoft's only hope is to tackle the low- and mid-range market and own it.

 

[Laura Knotek]

How do I know? Look around at the market, it's not rocket science. In the US, the high-end market is completely dominated by iOS and Android devices. Windows Phone does not offer anyone happily entrenched in iOS or Android a reason to switch. Sure, you might get a handful of converts here and there - the 3.something% Windows Phone market share shows that - but there's no way that Windows Phone is going to get iOS or Android level market share in the US.

Outside of the US - especially in the emerging markets... India, China, etc. - devices aren't carrier subsidized. Users there don't tend to buy high-end devices because of the up-front investment. Again, look around at the market, that's a known thing.

Microsoft's only hope is to tackle the low- and mid-range market and own it.

What about the possibility of getting former BlackBerry users in the US? I never owned Androids or iPhones, but I had high-end BlackBerry devices prior to Windows Phones.

 

[The Bill Payer]

Be more concerned about MS supporting devices that carriers like Verizon won't. As an Icon user and long time Verizon wireless customer I'm disgusted with support for a flagship device like the Icon is getting.

If Microsoft /Nokia cannot find a away around releasing newer firmware updates for their phone without the need of the carrier then they might want to think about getting out of the phone business.

The fact that my less than a year old Icon is now an un-upgradable brick is a slap in the face to me as a consumer and makes me wonder if I should get a WP ever again.

 

[fdruid]

I disagree. You're missing the point. Not everyone can apply Apple's strategy and make it work. Nokia is selling a LOT of low end phones and it's only wise for them to multiply the options in the lower end of the spectrum. And some of those are pretty solid and do offer a lot of bang for the buck.
Android thrives thanks to the low-mid end phones that have saturated the market, not because of the expensive flagships. Not everyone buys a flagship phone. And in terms of performance, a low-end WP works a lot better than a low-end Android phone.

All of this is pretty basic. Do know that more flagship-quality Lumias ar forthcoming.

 

[iamtim]

What about the possibility of getting former BlackBerry users in the US?

With no offense intended to you, Laura, former BlackBerry users have been marginalized. They either stuck with BlackBerry and titter with glee over the Passport, or they've already landed on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone. There might be a few users out there still looking for a home, but not enough to make a significant change in market share for any manufacturer.