1. So far. Note they are 3 years behind and already have products that are in front of the competition.
That's a subjective opinion, and also not the point. This thread is about how Microsoft could gain market share. I am presenting one opinion about how they could do that.
2. Windows is not a bad experience for me. My work PC is slow on startup due to restrictions placed on it by the IT department - after the initial 5 minutes my whole day is a joy of flawless computing using windows 7. I get home and my PC there is possibly the most awesome PC outside of a Microsoft designed technology show home. It runs windows 8. The journey to and from work I get to use the most productive tablet on the market in my surface running windows 8.1.
That's fantastic news! I won't have to worry about your computing experience any more. But please understand that the world is bigger than just you. There are other people out there, and most of them do not own Windows Phones. They are the people that Microsoft need to appeal to.
BTW, your way of thinking (i.e. apparent incomprehension that other people might have a different experience to you, or needs, or point of view) is very common in internet forums, but I rarely see it when talking to people in the real world. I'm very curious as to why this is. Do internet forums attract people that I don't meet? Or do people behave differently on internet forums?
3. They would sell more phones if they had more apps - its nothing to do with the windows name.
See my idea in post #31 for how to solve this. BTW, do you have any evidence to support your claim that the Windows name is not a problem? I don't have any evidence to back up my proposal. It's just an idea - if you don't like it, fair enough, but I would like to see some actual evidence or reasoned arguments against it.
Well thank you! You certainly seem like a friendly chap.
5. I don't drink or go to pubs and I always have my phone with me.
I should probably have guessed that. Seriously, though, don't define yourself by the products you buy. Get out and meet people. There are many more interesting things in the world than phones. The saddest thing I see in pubs/restaurants/cafes etc is couples sitting together, but playing with their phones rather than talking to each other. Technology is a double edged sword.
Marketshare figures mean nothing
Mean nothing to who?
- its profit that matters which is why even with only 17% apple pulls in more money than google.
Important to consider when buying shares in companies. Not so relevant when choosing what phone to buy. If everyone bought products only from the most profitable company, then Apple would have 100% market share.
Even MS makes more off google via mobile down to patent licensing.
Not sure exactly what that sentence is trying to say - MS makes more than what? IPR income is important when choosing which company's shares to buy, but not so much when choosing a phone. Patent licensing is a nice way for a company to make money (just have to sit there and watch the cash roll in - no hard work needed!). It's not a long term strategy though - patents expire and the world moves on to other technologies. I've worked for companies that make a lot of money through IPR and seen this from the inside. They tend to be companies in decline, that used to be market leaders but are now struggling to be relevant. Perhaps Microsoft can be different, but it's not shaping up well so far.
The situation with android is when Samsung split off then androids marketshare will plummet. They may as well rename Android to Samsung mobile.
I'm not here to defend Android (this thread is about promoting Windows Phone). However, I doubt Samsung will drop Android. If they do, they will have the same problem as Microsoft - i.e. no apps. Even if Samsung's new platform is better than Android, without apps it will be less attractive to consumers.