Microsoft's Mobile Comeback Is Not Happening

[Mark Rozanski]

I give Apple credit for one thing, they offer only ONE model of phone. Imagine if Google and MS did the same thing. Walk into a phone store, your selections are iPhone, Google Phone, and Windows Phone. Keep your phones cheap, so when you upgrade your OS, you just about have to buy a new phone. Give people one extra year to upgrade, then pull the old OS. They key is cost of ownership in buying a phone whenever a new OS is released. I think MS is making a mistake by having exlusive apps and models. Much easier to support/debug/market a single model. Windows Phone is exactly like Windows ... IT HAS TO WORK on numerous models from different vendors. Google fell into the "Windows Trap" as well. Whereas iPhone is just like Apple OS, all controlled by a single vendor.

Bottom line ... MS will do well in the long run. Perhaps it should be Flagship, "Nice to Have" and entry level as the models it supports. Only difference would be the body of the phone or just the logo. The it would be just like Apple for AT&T or Verizon or Sprint, same phone, just defferent logo but all offering the same three phones. Then let the accessory vendors fight it out for differentiating skins, cases, colors. After all, isn't that how many stores upsell whne you buy a phone?? Just my two cents .... thanks for reading.

 

[invertme]

Actually, fast and steady wins the race.

Not according to my girlfriend.

 

[Flagz]

Not according to my girlfriend.

that's the truth, and how the girly wants it is always the truth. MS is doing it right by that standard, slow, steady, and the unpredictable launches wins the race good sir.

 

[Slai]

Not according to my girlfriend.

Then she has no idea how a race works.

 

[omniusovermind]

It's still early days. It's a new and yet to mature platform and the jury's out. As you say, more big name apps, more flagship phones and importantly, expedient and value adding OS updates. Who knows where M$'s mobile position might be then?

People are expecting wp8 to rule over night, Its only been 5 months and its been a strong start. Trust me MS are in it for the long run even if they only cater for 3rd or 4th place.

Everytime I read posts like these either here or on the blackberry forums I feel obliged to point out that neither these companies are new to the mobile phone OS game. When you're competing in the market strongly dominated by Android and iOS you don't have the luxury of not bringing your A game right out of the gate

sent from the slow as hell connection hanging Tapatalk app

 

[tqlla3k]

People are expecting wp8 to rule over night, Its only been 5 months and its been a strong start. Trust me MS are in it for the long run even if they only cater for 3rd or 4th place.

If Microsoft didnt have a bad reputation for abandoning their users, they might be doing a little better.

 

[farukdgn]

Lol. The graph is US only. Read below it...

 

[farukdgn]

I give Apple credit for one thing, they offer only ONE model of phone. Imagine if Google and MS did the same thing. Walk into a phone store, your selections are iPhone, Google Phone, and Windows Phone. Keep your phones cheap, so when you upgrade your OS, you just about have to buy a new phone. Give people one extra year to upgrade, then pull the old OS. They key is cost of ownership in buying a phone whenever a new OS is released. I think MS is making a mistake by having exlusive apps and models. Much easier to support/debug/market a single model. Windows Phone is exactly like Windows ... IT HAS TO WORK on numerous models from different vendors. Google fell into the "Windows Trap" as well. Whereas iPhone is just like Apple OS, all controlled by a single vendor.

Bottom line ... MS will do well in the long run. Perhaps it should be Flagship, "Nice to Have" and entry level as the models it supports. Only difference would be the body of the phone or just the logo. The it would be just like Apple for AT&T or Verizon or Sprint, same phone, just defferent logo but all offering the same three phones. Then let the accessory vendors fight it out for differentiating skins, cases, colors. After all, isn't that how many stores upsell whne you buy a phone?? Just my two cents .... thanks for reading.

If this would happen, no one would be using google phone. People bought first Android phones for their low price.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Everytime I read posts like these either here or on the blackberry forums I feel obliged to point out that neither these companies are new to the mobile phone OS game. When you're competing in the market strongly dominated by Android and iOS you don't have the luxury of not bringing your A game right out of the gate

sent from the slow as hell connection hanging Tapatalk app

So...every time a company does something to break tradition or modernize itself, they shouldn't go through an adjustment period because they've been in that industry for a long period of time so they should have had EVERYTHING figured out from Day One? That $#%! Cray.

While I get where you're coming from, that makes not much business sense. Ask Hostess whose been around forever that almost went out of business recently what tradition is worth in the modern business place. People forget MSFT is in the business to make $$$. You think they care how many versions of WP they need to get it "right"? As along as it makes $$$ based on their plans they will be around.

Many fans forget how these companies make $$$. Google gives away Android for free because they make the cash back on ads and having data to sell to their partners that they've mined from consumers. Apple makes $$$ because the iPhone and iPad are the "it-vehicles" to consume content such as movies, music, casual games and podcasts. MSFT is trying to make cash off better integration between devices. That last one is MUCH harder to do, and thus takes time.

 

[ttsoldier]

Then she has no idea how a race works.

I like to finish second in our races

 

[JimMLINY]

Saw this and came here to verify, any insight?

Microsoft Will Stop Supporting Windows Phone After 18 Months (MSFT)

 

[MacDaMachine]

Saw this and came here to verify, any insight?

Microsoft Will Stop Supporting Windows Phone After 18 Months (MSFT)

This again? There is nothing to talk about.

 

[Cleavitt76]

Saw this and came here to verify, any insight?

Microsoft Will Stop Supporting Windows Phone After 18 Months (MSFT)

The headline is [probably intentionally] misleadng. The TL;DR version is...

Microsoft announced that it will continue to support Windows Phone 8 (6 months old) with updates for at least another 18 months even though the vast majority of customers will have upgraded to Windows Phone 9+ by that time.

A two year support cycle for mobile products is as long if not much longer than the competition.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

The headline is [probably intentionally] misleadng. The TL;DR version is...

Microsoft announced that it will continue to support Windows Phone 8 (6 months old) with updates for at least another 18 months even though the vast majority of customers will have upgraded to Windows Phone 9+ by that time.

A two year support cycle for mobile products is as long if not much longer than the competition.

^ This. Android's about 18 months on average, non rooting, based on the OEM alliance.

 

[JamesDax]

Yes it is.

 

[dba415]

Google will never be overtaken, its everywhere. People use google search, YouTube, and mail and they will usually stick. That's how Google keeps its customers in their ecosystem.

Apple keeps its users in the ecosystem through purchased apps.

 

[spaulagain]

People are expecting wp8 to rule over night, Its only been 5 months and its been a strong start. Trust me MS are in it for the long run even if they only cater for 3rd or 4th place.

WP has been out for 2.5 years though.

In regards to the OP, why did you even post this "article"? To be quite blunt, my *** produces more valuable and accurate information every day.

WP will be fine, especially as MS continues to unify their entire ecosystem.

 

[spaulagain]

Actually, fast and steady wins the race.

But burns out in the tournament. I think Android will struggle in the long run. Its such a clusterfvck.

 

[ohgood]

But burns out in the tournament. I think Android will struggle in the long run. Its such a clusterfvck.

got me wondering. wikipedia says:

The first Android-powered phone was sold in October 2008.

vs

November 8, 2010 for windows phone.



how long is the run till android struggles,
or wp wins the tourney ?

they might be overlapping, or the finish line is moving. confuzzled.

 

[iHuGi]

Google will never be overtaken, its everywhere. People use google search, YouTube, and mail and they will usually stick. That's how Google keeps its customers in their ecosystem.

Apple keeps its users in the ecosystem through purchased apps.

People also use Hotmail or Outlook as far as im concerned its still bigger than Gmail.

Microsoft is bigger at some things (Games - Xbox, Mail, Pcs OS, Enterprise, Office, better profits than Google, bigger company) and Google is bigger at others (Videos - Youtube, Google Search, Mobile OS) And Apple bigger at others (Tablet OS, Profit Margins, Best Selling Phone out there).

Competition is good, you cant be 1st at everything.