What is holding back Windows Phone Adoption?

[matt john2]

What's holding back Windows Phone adoption?
1.Momentum, its the biggest thing I see what Microsoft always fails at.
2. Not keeping up with the rivals, in terms of os features, Android is miles ahead of WP , plus there are some many other things that are hard to explain.

 

[JerseySal]

More fart apps are needed.

 

[sinime]

Now what were have MS-DOS mobile, I think more people will be ready to make the switch to WP.

In all honesty though, maintaining 3-4% (US) still means growth as more smart phones are sold each year than previous years... And while the US has taken a few blows with banking apps leaving the platform, more and more banks are supporting WP outside of the US. We'll have to wait and see if the universal app model helps, but considering the number of windows (PC) users, they're is a big potential.

 

[fatclue_98]

Now what were have MS-DOS mobile, I think more people will be ready to make the switch to WP.

In all honesty though, maintaining 3-4% (US) still means growth as more smart phones are sold each year than previous years... And while the US has taken a few blows with banking apps leaving the platform, more and more banks are supporting WP outside of the US. We'll have to wait and see if the universal app model helps, but considering the number of windows (PC) users, they're is a big potential.

Should work perfectly with tablets and computers running Windows ME 10.

 

[jleebiker]

The reason for this thread is to have some data from you guys, the reader of this thread. I am planning to make a review and comparison video of Windows 10 for Phones and Windows Phone 8.1 in terms of the UI design and I need prove the point of Windows Phone UI is good enough and don't fix what is not broken.

Not sure your problem statement matches how the survey is worded. If you're looking for support of the UI, your question needs to be more directly worded to ask that question. As it stands, you have responses that have nothing to do with the UI.

 

[crossalchemist]

<rant>
None of these. It's lack of carrier and Microsoft support, and I don't mean updates. Carriers don't even advertise that Windows Phones are available. Go into any WalMart with a carrier outlet/kiosk and they won't have a single Windows Phone on display. Most AT&T and Verizon shops do not carry Windows Phones in store.

As for lack of Microsoft support, if we don't get "first and best on Windows" anymore, we should still get "equal and at the same time". Instead it's lesser versions of the products (I'm looking at you Office team), half a year AFTER it comes to iOS and Android. People who do use Microsoft products are better off on iOS or Android because right now it's the better Microsoft experience.

If near zero carrier support is going to continue, then Microsoft needs to stop advertising capabilities that are only available on one or two handsets. During the "Verizon is blocking the updates" fiasco, it was aggravating to see adds for Windows Phone that displayed abilities that 95% of the Windows Phones in people's hands didn't have. Most of the phones can't do "Hey Cortana", so stop putting it in ads, that way people won't be disappointed when they buy a phone that can't do it. They are use to iPhone ads that show off the things that ALL IPHONES (of that version) CAN DO.

A lot of people won't realize that a 830 won't be able to do everything that a 930 can (or that it can, but only after an update that the carrier will never make available), because the ad was for WINDOWS PHONE, not just for the 930. When they do discover this, AFTER they've bought the device, they will rant to their friends and family for till their next upgrade about how crappy and deceptive Windows Phone is.
</rant>

 

[jeffchapik]

^^^ This

Go into to any AT&T or Verizon store and ask to see a Windows phone. If you aren't outright ridiculed, you will at the very least be firmly steered towards a iPhone or the latest android offering. I've done it several times in different locations, sometimes legitimately looking to buy, and other times just to see what happens. It's always the same.

 

[StevoPhilo]

^^^ This

Go into to any AT&T or Verizon store and ask to see a Windows phone. If you aren't outright ridiculed, you will at the very least be firmly steered towards a iPhone or the latest android offering. I've done it several times in different locations, sometimes legitimately looking to buy, and other times just to see what happens. It's always the same.

I honestly think that this is what needs to change. Don't they have Windows reps that go to those stores? What about my mystery shoppers that catch this stuff? I know I get it all the time in retail environment and if I don't show a non-biased attitude my manager hears it.

 

[muvig]

One thing about Windows phone I hate most is the 'US only' tag. We are still waiting for Cortana without the need to change regions (I am using English of cause)

 

[muvig]

And the most resilient OS in the world is Windows, every hacker, virus/malware is targeted at windows!

 

[rahul rustagi1]

The quality of apps is indeed the biggest reason why many non tech savvy experimenters move to Android

 

[anon(5725119)]

For the majority of people, it will always be apps. As much as Microsoft or even Microsoft fans would like to claim that the app gap has closed, it really hasn't. There's still so much missing. And the official apps that are available are pretty poor. Instagram, Vine, Twitter; prime examples. Incredibly popular on iOS and Android.

 

[mordand]

Yes the app gab is as I see it the biggest problem. And the support of other tech. For example support for fitness gadgets from polar, Garmin ect. You always have to check if the new item you purchase is supported by the platform.
I am not a developer, but I cant help wondering if the development kit and API's are more troublesome to use than the ones for android and ios.

 

[DuoWing]

I really wish people would stop talking about the future of Windows Phone as if it has saved the platform. I'm really excited for the future and I hope it does save the platform, but most people don't know anything about the future with Windows 10. They don't go on sites and forums like these. They see what is currently out. iPhone 6/6+, Note 4, and they know the Galaxy S6 is coming. They buy these phones on contract because most people do not know about buying a phone outright, nor do they want to spend $300+. So now there goes another customer for 2 years. There is essentially no flagship. In the US you have to be on Verizon to get the icon or the absolutely gigantic 1520 on AT&T. The 1520 is too large for what many people want so it's out and there's nothing else comparable. Verizon users can't have the 1520 they might want. A friend on T-Mobile wanted to switch back to Windows Phone now that his two years are up. His option is the 635? Get a crappier processor, no front facing camera, a worse screen, etc, etc? He's not going to downgrade to a Windows Phone. Another friend on T-Mobile has a 925. He has no upgrade path. His wife has an 8x. She likes to use snapchat and instagram. Well she might not understand what 6tag is, and there's no snapchat so her upgrade will be back to Android. Developing multi-platform apps may not be a lot more work, but to be able to develop something that is pretty similar between iOS and Android then have to make a bunch of new assets and designs to layout to fit the Windows Phone ecosystem is something that may turn a developer away especially when the userbase is undetermined.

I've mentioned in other threads that I've experienced the ridicule of owning a Windows Phone. I really like the 1520, but again it's gigantic and really my only option as far as a flagship currently goes. Microsoft needs to start with a flagship that improves upon the 1020s camera. That's the one thing people do favorably talk about when it comes with WP. Then they need to take that flagship and make sure it can come out for all carriers, so everyone can get it. That alone would be a good start in getting more users. People willing to try the platform are more likely to if they are getting awesome cameras and hardware and know that they're getting a phone that will be better than what they're currently using.

 

[jlzimmerman]

While apps is the biggest reason, you should have added Tech Journalist / Carrier Salespeople pushing people away from WP. This is a huge problem also.

 

[worldspy99]

While apps is the biggest reason, you should have added Tech Journalist / Carrier Salespeople pushing people away from WP. This is a huge problem also.

Sometimes you get a contrary opinion also:
An iPhone user's (surprisingly positive) experience with Windows Phone | Macworld

Apps, apps, apps
Marketshare, marketshare, marketshare

We are caught in a chicken and egg scenario on this platform...

 

[DoctorSaline]

In app UI; the one with typographic centric headers and ellipsis app bar menu need not changing per se. But one area where new users don't warm up to is the start screen. Most users just don't understand that grid of live tiles. So, what MS needs is an option for traditional style start screen UIs which are more in line with iOS and android.
Other than that, it is the limitations for app development(OS lacking in features that are part of all major smartphone OSes) that didn't let developers warm up to the platform which led to the lack of apps that didn't win any awards from the end users.
Lastly it was the crippled IE for phones that in absence of native apps, couldn't deal with the modern mobile web properly rendering the whole point of smartphones mute.

 

[MikeX74]

In my view, the app gap is an issue, but so is the lack of advertising(or more specifically the lack of effective advertising). I wish there had been an option to make two selections.

 

[crossalchemist]

While apps is the biggest reason, you should have added Tech Journalist / Carrier Salespeople pushing people away from WP. This is a huge problem also.

When I bought my HTC 8X on Verizon (two years ago), which I had to special order, the salesman said, "Why do you want this? Verizon is gonna drop Windows Phone next year. Windows Phone will be dead a year after that."

 

[TechAbstract]

Lacks of marketing for sure. Samsung and Apple are top two at marketing.