[htc M8] Opinions

[Bruce Milliken]

I currently have a 1520 and the size, over time, has become a little much and I have the option under NEXT to change phones. I'm just wondering if I should pull the trigger on the M8 or wait and see what else comes along. Anyone switch from the 1520?

 

[Bowlegz]

You will not regret the M8, but if you want to wait until after the new year there's supposed to be a new HTC windows device coming out. I believe it's the M9 or Hima? everything points toward it having a much better camera (20MP), and a faster processor.

 

[Br1t]

The M8 windows replacement is summer 2015 at the earliest so waiting doesn't answer the question.

Weigh up what you will lose and gain. Both are great devices but the size, camera, charging and Lumia apps are the differentiating features. Only you can decide what's best for you.

 

[waazzupppp]

I can't say enough good things about the M8 for Windows. I have a Lumia 920, 925, 1520 and the M8... Overall, the 8 is an awesome device.

I don't really have a negative to say about any of the Lumia hardware - thought the lack of an external memory card killed any chance of the 925 continuing on down the path as a daily driver.

When HTC finally announced the Titan 3 - I mean M8 for Windows - I threw a party! Everything I loved about my M7, but with Windows Phone and a few upgrades! It's just about the perfect Windows Phone. In fact, if they had made the APN's editable, it would be a PERFECT device. Well, almost perfect. The hardware is second to none - but they do not have the depth in the software arena like you experience with your 1520. Big things that are missing...

- Call/SMS Blocking
- Mix Radio
- Nokia Camera (especially manual mode)
- Video Uploader

Yea, you get the idea - if it had Nokia or Lumia in the name of it, it's gone on the M8... It still throws me for a loop that I can't upload easily to YouTube or block a caller from calling me, but I'm willing to trade that off for the feel of the M8.

If you are on AT&T and due for an upgrade, you can pretty much walk out the door with one for no charge at Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU2905268

 

[Br1t]

That's what I did. 0.01$ from amazon on a 2 year extension, that's a bargain with my grandfathered unlimited data plan. Zero regrets.

 

[bmetelsky]

I moved from an Icon to the M8 with no regrets.

 

[Alexander McCain]

I wouldn't if I were you. I'd rather choose M8 Android not Windows. Lumia has the biggest users.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I currently have a 1520 and the size, over time, has become a little much and I have the option under NEXT to change phones. I'm just wondering if I should pull the trigger on the M8 or wait and see what else comes along. Anyone switch from the 1520?

You know I don't get this.....

If you are using a Lumia 920/925/928 or one of the 1st gen Windows Phone 8 devices, I can understand switching to the M8(I don't agree with that but to each their own).

but people switching from Icon/930/1520 to a M8 seems a bit odd......Only because it is not even really a sidegrade. It's literally upgrading to the same device in a different package with inferior features in some areas(the camera and the lack of lumia apps/updates) and improvements in other areas(the speakers for example).

I wouldn't waste an upgrade on moving to virtually the same hardware.

That's not me speaking as a Lumia biased person(though I am). That's me speaking as someone that just doesn't see that rationale.

More importantly, coming from a 1520 you'll be downgrading in several key areas.

1. The battery
2. The Screen size
3. Camera.......Especially the camera
4. Lumia Apps
5. Microsoft updates
6. I wasn't aware but the Video camera capabilities are apparently lesser as well in the M8...it can't do 4k video. I was told that by a friend.

Signature features like Hey cortana are also coming to your Lumia 1520 which is presently unannounced to coming to the M8 windows(if Microsoft is smart, they'll keep it Lumia exclusive).

I'd personally never trade my 1520 ....Unlike the Icon to M8, you are actually stepping down in a whole lot of ways to an M8.

 

[Br1t]

Why would MS be smart to exclude OEM partners from an OS feature update? Like WP isn't struggling enough without losing customers to another platform for their non lumia choice. And that's what the other manufacturers offer, choice like Android customers expect.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Why would MS be smart to exclude OEM partners from an OS feature update? Like WP isn't struggling enough without losing customers to another platform for their non lumia choice. And that's what the other manufacturers offer, choice like Android customers expect.

If we lose HTC we really don't miss much tbh. HTC was pretty much nonexistent all of 2013 and most of 2014 and Lumia alone held the platform up. The reason we are struggling now is because of a lack of Lumia flagships as well as the staggered release of these random low end.
It is smart to leave a key feature in the phones that sale. Make sure Lumia keeps the exclusives they always have which is a reason we keep buying the phones. Lumia exclusive apps and features.
DOnt cannibalize your best sellers to appease lessers. I'd probably leave Lumia and windows phone entirely if that happened and move over to IOS as they provide the best hardware for their os and it is one model. Something I wish Microsoft would adopt.

 

[Adrynalyne]

If we lose HTC we really don't miss much tbh. HTC was pretty much nonexistent all of 2013 and most of 2014 and Lumia alone held the platform up. The reason we are struggling now is because of a lack of Lumia flagships as well as the staggered release of these random low end.
It is smart to leave a key feature in the phones that sale. Make sure Lumia keeps the exclusives they always have which is a reason we keep buying the phones. Lumia exclusive apps and features.
DOnt cannibalize your best sellers to appease lessers. I'd probably leave Lumia and windows phone entirely if that happened and move over to IOS as they provide the best hardware for their os and it is one model. Something I wish Microsoft would adopt.

Good thing Microsoft doesn't listen to such silliness.

It wouldn't just affect HTC. It would be all WP OEMs. That's the perfect way to take your dwindling market share and destroy what little is left of it.

 

[dorelse]

Good thing Microsoft doesn't listen to such silliness.

It wouldn't just affect HTC. It would be all WP OEMs. That's the perfect way to take your dwindling market share and destroy what little is left of it.

No kidding...hey, come build WP devices, NO License Fees...so they come! (Oh, btw...you don't get a key feature...) Think they stay? Hell no, then its Lumia by themselves..

The second they hold back core OS features...they all leave....it is exactly that...silliness.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Good thing Microsoft doesn't listen to such silliness.

It wouldn't just affect HTC. It would be all WP OEMs. That's the perfect way to take your dwindling market share and destroy what little is left of it.

Something is flawed with that perception of yours. You say it will affect all OEMs. Nope just HTC. They are the only ones releasing high end presently therefore the other OEMs likely wouldn't care since their phones don't even support the feature

And you make it seem as if presently lumias are not the only one with the feature already anyway. Despite the m8 having windows phone 8.1.1 out the box. Oh wait

I wish people would stop hyping the other OEMs up. They still don't even sell that many windows phone where they would drastically affect the market share. Aren't like 97% windows phone Lumia anyway. Or 95%?

 

[Adrynalyne]

Something is flawed with that perception of yours. You say it will affect all OEMs. Nope just HTC. They are the only ones releasing high end presently therefore the other OEMs likely wouldn't care since their phones don't even support the feature

And you make it seem as if presently lumias are not the only one with the feature already anyway. Despite the m8 having windows phone 8.1.1 out the box. Oh wait

I wish people would stop hyping the other OEMs up. They still don't even sell that many windows phone where they would drastically affect the market share. Aren't like 97% windows phone Lumia anyway. Or 95%?

Dude... go read some books on business. No OEM makes phones without chance for profit and Microsoft keeping all the good stuff for themselves?

You don't spit in the face of business partners and keep them. You really don't understand business, do you?

Microsoft bought into the business and the fact that other OEMs haven't taken it serious is part of the problem with the market share. MS doesn't have the market share or ecosystem to screw over OEMs.

Apple only got away with it by starting with massive market share and ecosystem.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Dude... go read some books on business. No OEM makes phones without chance for profit and Microsoft keeping all the good stuff for themselves?

You don't spit in the face of business partners and keep them. You really don't understand business, do you?

Microsoft bought into the business and the fact that other OEMs haven't taken it serious is part of the problem with the market share. MS doesn't have the market share or ecosystem to screw over OEMs.

Apple only got away with it by starting with massive market share and ecosystem.

Again who are they spitting into the face of? It's be understandable if there was more split between market share between OEMs. Microsoft is presently the sole reason that the Microsoft has the market share it does have and if they went the apple route which they really would, it would make very minimal difference.

Again when the fact that HTC had been irrelevant for over a year and Samsung barely existent...and before these random OEMs joined this year, the fact that the sole windows phone to get us the markershare we had is a low end should tell you something. The fact that sales appeared higher then vs slowed down this year(so it seems) due to lack of Lumia hardware should tell you something.

The fact that most people who are on first Gen 2012 windows phone devices and refuse to upgrade to the m8....or are okay using an 'old" device such as Lumia 1520 or the icon/930 instead of a 'new' device like the m8 for the next year should tell you something.

People want Lumia and Microsoft should start paying attention to what their users are calling for. It was HTC who had to learn this lesson the hard way. Before the m7, they made quite a few poor choices in design and software and it cost them dearly. Thankfully on the android aide they learned their lesson and on windows they are getting there. Slowly.

But Microsoft needs to pay attention to what their users are calling for and they could turn Lumia onto the windows phone experience.

Newsflash....in case you aren't aware....none of these many OEMs we have are still doing that much for the market share. Being Lumia only wouldn't really do much harm imo. After all we pretty much got it 2013-August 2014

 

[sixseven]

My point still s yet stands that losing HTC won't make much of a difference really.

From a sales perspective this is true.

From a platform perspective, this would likely be the nail in the coffin. Imagine how The Verge and Engadget would cover HTC leaving WP? They would slaughter WP. They would declare it dead. And the masses would listen to them.

 

[link68759]

From a sales perspective this is true.

From a platform perspective, this would likely be the nail in the coffin. Imagine how The Verge and Engadget would cover HTC leaving WP? They would slaughter WP. They would declare it dead. And the masses would listen to them.

Eh, they and others have called WP dead before. It certainly doesn't help WP grow, but those types of articles don't actually drive away current customers. The more technically minded can think for themselves and those who can't think for themselves would never give up their Iphone anyway.

 

[Adrynalyne]

Eh, they and others have called WP dead before. It certainly doesn't help WP grow, but those types of articles don't actually drive away current customers. The more technically minded can think for themselves and those who can't think for themselves would never give up their Iphone anyway.

Lack of choice drives away customers. The iPhone has a large enough ecosystem and following to buck that trend, but only just. In the US, Apple is way down on marketshare.

 

[sixseven]

Eh, they and others have called WP dead before. It certainly doesn't help WP grow, but those types of articles don't actually drive away current customers. The more technically minded can think for themselves and those who can't think for themselves would never give up their Iphone anyway.

They consistently perpetuate the so-called 'app gap'. And whenever an official app comes they report on it as "FINALLY" happening...

I've never seen them declare WP dead. They came close with the transition from WP7 to WP8. But losing a major partner that has participated in every launch would send an entirely different message. The vultures over there would be salivating.

I don't really wish to debate a what-if scenario. My point was if HTC went away, it would be bad for everyone.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Lack of choice drives away customers. The iPhone has a large enough ecosystem and following to buck that trend, but only just. In the US, Apple is way down on marketshare.

Except we have plenty of choice. Problem is distribution. Basing off the majority of the users...they want Lumia. Unfortunately the US....the last high end lumia was last summer with the 925 on T-Mobile and Last year with the 1520.

Thank Goodness the Lumia 1520 is still a Titan and more than adequate to be sold still today a year later. But it is now discontinued...on att I believe.

Which leaves users with HTC One M8 as their sole choice.....which most people do not want at all as it seems like most of the M8 owners are in fact Verizon and T-Mobile customers not att customers. It's just a guess based off of the posts I read in the forums. It's also a hypothesis since att tends to get the best Lumias most owners are quite content or waiting successors(i.e. 1020 and 1520).

Verizon fares a little better...it lacks of a flagship Lumia now(Unless you buy through 3rd party) but it does still offer the Samsung Ativ SE which is adequate and I recommend over the M8 as it beats it in most specs except the processor and speaker plus it has the M8.

The choice are there for the majority in theory. The problem is these stupid exclusives.

HTC isn't much better. It was reported that HTC was supposed to be bringing the M8 globally/internationally. So far it's on 3 carriers within 4 months in the US. So those minority who do want the M8 can't get it right now.

So it is not just a Microsoft/Lumia thing. It's an overall windows phone thing.

If Microsoft was smart they'd work to release the 930/Icon to Att and T-Mobile to give those users who want it that choice since a lot of people are settling for what they can get. The m8....and I've seen more than a few reports in articles and the forums of people who went M8 and came back to their Lumias. Because they don't like the phone or it just wasn't good enough for them.

The only thing flawed is your skewed logic. If Microsoft didn't care about OEMs, they would not have provided NATIVE dot view support in WP. That wasn't an HTC addition, but it most certainly IS an HTC only tech.

The situations are different, yes, but you missed the vital point: You do not screw over business partners. Microsoft is first and foremost a software company, which it excels at. Just like Apple is first and foremost a hardware company, which it excels at. If Apple had the ecosystem and market share WP has, it could NOT survive as a single entity. They would need OEMs to make up for the shortcomings. That is how Android is beating Apple. Limitless OEMs, hits all price ranges, and now has the ecosystem. MS has only one of those which is not enough.



It won't take much of a difference to sink WP anymore. Especially since it appears MS is more interested in low-mid range devices, which limits another market segment. Someone has to pick up the extra markets and its only a win-win for WP if someone does.

I never said they didn't care about their OEMs. I simply said the OEMs don't matter because they don't.

Android benefited from having a strong OEM support from its inception and it has the market share it has. Apple succeeded in being first. People seem to think this OS NEEEDS all these OEMS and in reality it does not.

It needs apps. Snapchat, A full fledged first party app for Vine, Instagram, and all those stupid pointless games that I never heard of before on IOS and android. If we had better app equality for all 3 OS then we'd have a fighting chance.

it does not matter if 100 more OEMs join into the WP team, if they are barely selling devices and market share is still sitting at 3-5 percent globally(or lower), we're not going to get anywhere.

Microsoft needs to stop trying to adopt the android way with all these low end phones because they are alienating their primary supporters and they need to focus on their OS and optimize and better it.

They have the loyalty of the users based on the hardware(Lumia).....the other 3 percent are just...there.

They need to start adapting an APPLE mindset and bringing out innovative things within the OS and marketing better to get people to buy their products.

Keeping Hey Cortana in Lumia will highlighting the superb camera quality of Lumia. Work some partnership out with Instagram and Vine to sponsor those who get a Lumia to come up with some cool photoshoot or super cool vine clip made WITH a lumia and they earn cash prize or something,. A Campaign of some sort.

Microsoft does not need this other OEMs because the Other Oems bring nothing to table and I stand by that. Thankfully, with my job, I am able to voice my opinion more about this and ideas I have as I am very passionate about Windows Phone and Lumia products.