Don't understand why Windows phones aren't more popular

[trivor]

I just hope they are not too late in the game to catch up. I'm hoping with the release of Windows 10 desktop will catch on. Windows 8 for desktop didn't catch on at all. It was too much of a change in the wrong direction. Windows 10 seemed to fix that. I notice that it is every other version of Windows that becomes popular, so Windows 10 desktop may bring out the spotlight on WP10. The app gap is a little bit of an issue for me, but that big. How many apps do you need. Allot of the apps out there for Android and IOS are useless, but it would be nice to get some of the more popular ones for WP10 like banking apps and such.

WP8 was solid and now that I moved over to WP10, it is so much more refined than 8, it's hard to believe they could improve like they did and WP10 is still new. Wait till they get some updates sent out to it. It will really feel polished although it works really good now.

Actually (in the US at least) they are too late. While I'm sure it's great to get a little extra revenue by giving WP exclusives to ATT it does very little for marketshare. And even though they were selling a lot of budget WP it is the flagship that attracts interest of the techies who tend to be the "Go To" people in their group when someone needs a little help in buying a new computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. It's not just the app gap that is an issue for getting people to switch - there is the ecosystem investment that an Android or iOS makes. Whether it's apps, books, movies, games the Android system is currently buy once and use forever no matter how many different devices you have. I have $100's invested in the Android platform there is also the issue of interoperability. While I know Google is a dirty word for WP users the reality of the situation for me and a lot of other Android or iOS users it the fact that you can Microsoft services on Android (in many ways the apps are usually better on Android or iOS than they are on WP). There is no reciprocity - so if I decide to switch to WP it would mean I would have to abandon a large number of Android services that are not accessible on WP - GMail (the app - I know you can set up Outlook to receive GMail), WPS Office (better than Office Mobile), Google Drive (which gives me much space than MS and stores unlimited photos that are 16 MP or less (or they will be converted to get to the lower resolution), Google Photos, Google Maps, Google Sky, Google Play Music,Google Chrome (syncs to all my computers, phones and tablets), and probably a few more. For those of you thinking I know nothing about WP I actually have 3 Windows phones (Lumia 520 x 2 (ATT/TMo) and a Lumia 635. All three have been used extensively (although not over a long period) and currently make very, very nice MP3 Players (better than most dedicated players that are not iPods). The last big one that MS squandered by not standing up to the carriers to get its handsets on the Big 4 simultaneously is the limited choice. I have been on Verizon for more than 10 years (have a grandfathered plan with unlimited data for my phone - wife couldn't care less so she keeps her feature phone) and the WP offerings on Verizon are all pretty much unappealing - LG Lancet ($120), Lumia 735 ($192 - nice budget phone), and the HTC One M8 (really mediocre camera and poor battery life). Everyone else in the world has managed to get their unlocked phones (Moto Pure Edition, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P) and yet MS cannot. In the world MS/Nokia market share peaked at 3.4% in 2012 Q2 and is currently at 2.6%. Even with universal apps it's hard to see WP gaining much traction when it's been stuck in the 2 - 3.5% share since launch. I always thought it needed to be at least 10% to be a player and it just never got there.

 

[Sedp23]

its because of the app gap honestly and the lack of communication and solid release dates on apps/updates. Everything is always "coming soon" or in the coming weeks. We had to wait over a year for flagships from Microsoft and when we finally get them they are getting lots of complaints and basically disappointment. They don't have many options available on the carriers and the phones that are/have been available have been either pulled or barely in stock. Tmobile has a lot of users and they've only had some of the lowest end phones available (435, 530) that nobody is really interested in. The 640 was a great phone but they shelved it after 2 months. They seemingly dropped all promotion for the phone I haven't seen a ad for in it a while

they do have a few things on their side tho

phone pricing and a range of mid to low end phones that aren't expensive
the ui and os is still a lot more user friendly than android and ios (somewhat)
smoother update process


if they want the phones to succeed they need to offer more mid/higher end phones available on all carriers available for more people to purchase and visible to strike up interest in stores. Honestly nobody is going to be attracted to a low end 530 or 435 that much unless their phone broke and they really need a budget phone asap.

The app gap has to be addressed in order for it to pick up steam if they can get the top 10-20 apps that are on par with the other platforms that's a great start.

Sent from mTalk

 

[preich78]

Nothing to do with image. I am a Windows fan, have a Lumia 930 running the latest W10 insider preview and an iPhone 6s Plus as my daily driver. I do not feel interested in ditching my iPhone for the Windows Phone because:

1 - The iPhone has more day-to-day usable features that make my life easier: Apple Pay (I use it for EVERY payment day-to-day incl. my public transportation for commutting), Wallet (when I travel I keep all my boarding passes, train tickets, hotel confirmations, etc on it).
2 - Microsoft apps on iOS work better than Windows Phone: have you tried Outlook for iOS? It is the best mobile email and calendar client bar none. The W10 version doesn't even come close. OneDrive for iOS? Way better with offline files support, faster, more stable.
3 - Google applications are not available for Windows. My company uses Google for Work and I can use my email, calendar, Hangouts, Docs, Google Drive, etc, right on my iPhone.
3 - Mature OS with great usability and polish. W10 is not there yet.

All in all, iOS is a better platform and the iPhone 6s/6s Plus when paired with the Microsoft apps (Office, Outlook, Skype, OneDrive) is the most complete daily companion other than integrating beautifuly with my Windows 10 devices (Surface Pro 4, Surface 3, desktop, etc.). I often start documents on Word or OneDrive on my iPhone and then continue them on my SP4 seamlessly without ever having to perform any manual actions.

That's why Windows phones are not more popular. No matter whether you want to use Apple, Google or Microsoft services, iOS offers a great experience across all of them. Android also offers a solid experience with the best Google integration and great integration with Microsoft services.

 

[preich78]

In addition to the above, Microsoft has seriously dented my confidence in their ability to release solid products. With the Surface Pro 4 I was promised the most productive 2-1 on the planet. I bought the top of range model available in the UK (i7, 16GB, 512GB) and with all the bugs still outstanding I can't sleep it because of power consumption issues, my battery lasts on average 4 hours, it freezes sporadically forcing me to force reset it and the display driver crashes every once in a while.

I hope they will fix these issues sooner rather than later (even though we are already in Jan and the device was announced nearly 4 months earlier) but even though I trust they will do it, I'm not willing to double-down and get rid of a device that is stable and reliable (iPhone) for another buggy Microsoft product.

 

[fredriks]

I think windows would benefit if it had google apps. Just bought my first WP, a 830. I really like it. I also have a Iphone 6S and a Samsung S6. Ios supports google apps but not windows. That will make it hard for people that's used to these things. I started with android many years ago and therefore im deep in the google ecosystem. It was easy to start using iphone/ios because they support google apps. Windows don't and then its hard for people to adapt and let go of everything the build up. For example, I use Hangouts in my Android and have been doing so for a long time, no problem when I bought a iphone, just downloaded hangouts from apple store. On windows phone I can't use it.



I think if windows could implement more google/ios apps it would be easier for people to convert, today its hard to be a windows user when you are so deep I another ecosystem



I really like my 830 and I will hang on to it for I while to see how it works on daly basis

 

[sinime]

I think windows would benefit if it had google apps. Just bought my first WP, a 830. I really like it. I also have a Iphone 6S and a Samsung S6. Ios supports google apps but not windows. That will make it hard for people that's used to these things. I started with android many years ago and therefore im deep in the google ecosystem. It was easy to start using iphone/ios because they support google apps. Windows don't and then its hard for people to adapt and let go of everything the build up. For example, I use Hangouts in my Android and have been doing so for a long time, no problem when I bought a iphone, just downloaded hangouts from apple store. On windows phone I can't use it.



I think if windows could implement more google/ios apps it would be easier for people to convert, today its hard to be a windows user when you are so deep I another ecosystem



I really like my 830 and I will hang on to it for I while to see how it works on daly basis

Unfortunately, unless Google reaches an agreement with MS, Google apps won't be coming to Windows Phone... Google is the one actively blocking it... MS would love to have those apps available on their phones.

 

[fredriks]

Unfortunately, unless Google reaches an agreement with MS, Google apps won't be coming to Windows Phone... Google is the one actively blocking it... MS would love to have those apps available on their phones.

Yes, maby so but I really hope the make an agreement and work together.

 

[ricardocr]

So far at WM10 the weakest link is Edge, awful browser, slow and full of glitches, then skype is not to be trusted, slow, fail to show notifications, and sadly, performs better at android

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Microsoft and Google don't need an agreement, Microsoft needs enough market share on mobile to make it economically viable for Google to develop it. Microsoft has never had enough users for their modern mobile platforms for it to make economic sense for Google. That said: Google apps would greatly benefit the platform and Microsoft should pay Google to make it happen.

 

[sinime]

I thought google actively blocked MS from having an "official" YouTube app... Which is why the "App" does nothing more than open up YouTube's web page.

 

[cracgor]

Correct! But isn't it a little about branding? Like you can't have someone else taking over the YouTube brand anymore than Microsoft would want Google to make an app called Skype on Android.

Others like Snapchat may be more loosely based around not wanting areas for data breach... Like 3rd party apps that record what happens in the chat.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[VermaEklavya]

iOS is running circle around wm at least for me it is. Wm has a cooler interface but screen resuming ' app resuming, horrible web page rendering , I just couldn't take it anymore . 1520 camera is still a bit better hands down. No maybe no perfect os . When wm is just as good if not better than iOS than it will explode but not until then and they still need a ways to go.

I agree with you. It reminds me of a little something my ex-boss once told me - "Spraying copious amounts of cologne may work for a little while, but one must take a proper bath to truly get rid of body odour."

Let me explain. From where I see it, MS needs to keep the focus on getting W10M optimized for the variety of handsets and chipsets out there, old and new alike. Releasing features to the general public like Continuum and Cortana, without proper app and developer support, and/or without wider availability, seems like a short sighted game. They obviously rushed themselves into releasing the 950/XL, and tried to justify the existence of those handsets by generously ladling out a side of half-cooked Continuum. They were on the right track with Insider Previews for W10M on older devices, and should have stuck to those guns and perfected the OS and ecosystem before releasing a new device to the general public for sale.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the camera on the 950/XL isn't great, or that the processing power isn't adequate, or that Continuum does not have potential. I'm saying it does not all seem to come together in a cohesive, user friendly, non-buggy experience, that people have come to expect from their mobile phones, specially one they are expected to pay top dollar for.

I would disagree with the OP here. Windows Phones were definitely popular. I myself had a WP7, then a WP8 device as my daily drivers at one point, for a total of three consecutive years. Those days all mobile platforms were maturing (BB being at its peak), and WP had no disadvantage as such over either Android or iOS. MS however failed to keep the pressure on, and hence lost whatever popularity it had during the Nokia days to the aggressive push of Android OEMs and Apple.

 

[skstrials]

Not to beat on a dead horse, but it has to be about apps.

With Windows Phone, I would not be able to cash in my cheques through an app like an I can on my BlackBerry 10 device.

I also would not be able to use a Pebble watch which I rely on everyday.

So I have considered Windows Phone; and I did look and search on their app store; and it is just not going to work. Sorry.

Posted via the Windows Central App for BlackBerry 10

 

[anon(6078578)]

When users describe the 'App Gap', it is often in terms of just software ie Banking Apps, Starbucks etc. but what is easy to forget are the apps that are needed to pair with Hardware whether it's the latest Smartwatch, Fitness device etc. or even when you go to a Photo Kiosk in Walmart etc. to get a print made of a photo. That's when you find you even need an app for that now, and of course they don't offer a Windows Phone one.

Sure there are some such as Fitbit, but as has been discussed ad infinitum before, they are often behind their competitor's phone apps, or just abandoned. For example there is a Windows Phone app for MisFit, but it doesn't even work!

 

[mariusmuntean]

I had too much enthusiasm. Returned my 950 after a month. Sorry MS but your new OS is a bad joke. too bad, as the phone was nice but win10 mobile is disaster!