I don't know about that... When you look at AT&T right now, the only premium Lumia WP they have in house is the 1520. The 920 and 1020 are both gone. That leaves the beast of a device or the 635 as their current offerings. I'd be inclined to stick with the M8 there. I'd consider the non-contract 635 as the next best option..
Pretty sure there is also the Lumia 830 which launched alongside the m8 for windows....which is what a lot of users(at least in our area) are choosing over the M8 based on my research for work and what not.
Devalue? I loved my icon and 928, but it was Verizon who devalued the Lumia's for the consumers. I wanted something current and went with the M8 because there is not much of a choice through my carrier. Had I been on AT&T I would have surely gotten a Nokia.
Except they didn't. Granted the Cyan debacle was a mess and retiring for whatever reason...At work rumor has it, that it was because of the HTC One M8 possibly. As there was no reason to retire it and not a phone like the Ativ SE or the 928 at the time.
More importantly, with Denim now coming to the 822, 928 and soon the Icon...a lot of my friends who did switch to the M8 more or less "settled" because they thought the Icon was forever on Black and are annoyed to know they could've waited a little longer and gotten Cyan and Denim features. I just tease them about it all the time...Only one of my coworkers/friends actually got the M8 because they actually liked it(they had an 8x and like HTC products). Most people simply settled(the ones I know) and it makes me wonder is that true for a lot of M8 owners. I see many M8 owners here are happy and that is great...but I've seen plenty as well here and other places, who miss their lumia or flat out hated the M8....or those who simply avoid the m8 altogether.
Given my job, I am given the opportunity to actually see the OS in action on many different phones(I actually saw the Dell Windows Phone 7 device recently, my first time) and most people simply avoid the HTC or Samsung hardware because they believe the Lumia line is the premium or the best.
But yes with everyone clamoring that it is not fair that Nokia had the exclusives it had in 2012 and 2013....or that now that Microsoft owns Nokia D&S they should make all their apps available for all windows phone...or release Lumia Camera for WIndows phone, yes that does devalue the Lumia Brand because those are the very reason that many of us begin supporting Windows Phone in the first place. Was because of the Lumia experience and I sincerely hope Microsoft keeps rewarding those who support them and their phones. I don't want to be using the same apps as an HTC person or Samsung person. I want my Lumia experience as I am a Lumia enthusiasts.
I can concur with this. My daughter and some of her friends switched back to Apple because after roughly a year they were very displeased with the lack of app support that teens seem to need to function for everyday communication and life? For me it works great for business and some basic social and gaming apps.
Microsoft will always have a hard time selling to the youth with the lack of their favorite apps, for adults and business, doesn't seem to be too much of an app gap IMO...
I'm 19 and I don't necessarily need the latest and greatest apps.
However my brother is 12 and my other younger brother is 10....For them, they need the latest Game, The Best Snapchat experience, etc etc
However, I have been working with them and their little group of friends to get them on Lumias and they've actually really adapted to it well. I was worried...the 12 year old hates Xbox Music but he loves his Lumia and the apps and what not. The younger one loves the fact that the OS matches his tablet.
I had to do a survey for work and my boss was asking me what do I think could help reach a younger audience/demographic...They need something really cool. Xbox Gaming is something they really need to build upon and push upon.
Use the Lumia Brand and build an amazing Pureview selfie camera along with some amazing Xbox Integration and type of games.
Gaming may be a weakness for windows phone but Microsoft is not fully using that Xbox weapon the best way they can to counter. You may lack Clash of Clans...So Create a great game and actually make it a game that people talk about. Make commercials for it like the stupid Clash of Clans or Beach Boom commercials.
Use the HTC One M8 as a prime example of Xbox Music...Showcasing the phone's speakers against the iPhone and sell Xbox Music pass at a loss to get people in the service and ecosystem as well.