Why Microsoft has a huge uphill battle with consumers..

[RavenSword]

Yeah it is perception and it is not entirely without cause. WP is different in looks and it does lack some apps that others on other platforms are used too. People like what is familiar and Android or iOS are familiar as it is what is most common. WP is vastly different and BB10 is even more so.

BTW: what did you decide on for a phone? Did you go with windows phone? I know you were debating getting one.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Yes, Microsoft has a huge uphill battle with consumers. It's not because consumers are too stupid, too resistant to change, too caught up in fads, too fearful of the unknown, or any of the other reasons given in this thread.

Microsoft has a huge uphill battle with consumers because it is still embracing the tunnel-vision of "if we make it, they'll buy it simply because we made it" and they continue to lack long-term commitment in the consumer space. (XBox is the lone exception) Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8 each were incompatible with the preceding version. How many times can a company "reboot" their offerings and expect to gain traction? How many people embraced the stop-gap WM 6.5 only to have their device obsoleted by WP7? And then again with WP8? That is NOT the way to gain customer loyalty.

They did the same thing with the Zune... a year after introducing the Zune 30 with a themed version of Windows Media Player (Zune software 1.x), they rebooted the brand with the Zune 80 and Zune 2.0. It was clearly a dramatic and disconnecting change that immediately made the Zune 30 look and feel antiquated.

Incrementalism! Create a stable and solid experience. Iron out the kinks and don't settle for allowing the niggling little irritants to continue simply because they're little. Let each generation of device build upon and extend from the previous generation without making the previous generation look and feel obsolete.

What I mean when I say, "if we make it, they'll buy it simply because we made it", I'm referring to Microsoft simply including technical specs and capabilities that surpass what the competition offers without showcasing how and why those specs and capabilities translate into a better user experience. Microsoft produces the Surface and they think that the best way to get the word out is to run ads of metrosexual hipsters prancing around swapping typecovers?! Really?

How long did it take Apple to be committed to the iPod before it was a mainstream success? There was a point in time when the iPod was new and different without any name recognition, and yet Apple persevered, or was it just luck?

You can blame consumers, but that's not going to win people over to buy product.

 

[smoledman]

Also marketing the Surface Pro as the only device you need is wrong. Apple has no problem convincing people that they NEED a Macbook AND iPad. The right form factor for the use-case. That's something Microsoft has to learn. The Surface Pro is neither.

 

[SwimSwim]

Let each generation of device build upon and extend from the previous generation without making the previous generation look and feel obsolete.

I agree with your thread, especially in regards to how terrible Microsoft has been in regards to backwards compatibility. However, isn't making previous instances of stuff feel obsolete what innovation is all about? It's about progress and moving forward, to make something much better than what came before. So shouldn't we encourage Microsoft making previous instances of products feel obsolete? After all, that'd mean that the new product significantly improves upon what was already there, and isn't that better for the consumer in the end?

 

[A895]

BTW: what did you decide on for a phone? Did you go with windows phone? I know you were debating getting one.

Saving up to buy a Lumia Icon or ATIV SE off contract. So I'll probably get it by the fall.

Sent from my XT907 using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[Elitis]

Pretty hard for MS to overcome when even supposed WP users are slamming them and posting so called what they should be doing. Sorry but none of you (or I) are advertising or design savvy, nor are we super duper programmers, and a lot of things. Just people that complain the other side of the grass is better and by golly MS better step up or we'll leave. I thought computer or camera forums were bad but... oh well I'll just enjoy my wp phone and ignore the silliness that ensues here.

I'd like to contest the bolded part, my friend.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I agree with your thread, especially in regards to how terrible Microsoft has been in regards to backwards compatibility. However, isn't making previous instances of stuff feel obsolete what innovation is all about? It's about progress and moving forward, to make something much better than what came before. So shouldn't we encourage Microsoft making previous instances of products feel obsolete? After all, that'd mean that the new product significantly improves upon what was already there, and isn't that better for the consumer in the end?

No, innovation isn't about making the previous generations of a device feel obsolete. It is a fine balance... that is where incrementalism comes in. It is arrogant for a company to produce a follow on generation of a device soon after the previous in a way that instantly makes the previous generation look and feel useless. It makes the early adopters and current customers feel abandoned.

How many times has Microsoft proverbally kicked early adopters in the teeth?

Apple was successful in building their customer base (loyalty) by producing a good product for the current generation. Then producing an upgrade that was a little better here, a little better there. No one area of the device was dramatically better than the previous gen. But taken as a whole, it added up to a significant upgrade. People who purchased a gen "x" iPod didn't feel suckered when Apple produced the "X+1" gen.

Microsoft needs to satisfy the customers of their CURRENT generation so that when it is time to upgrade, they'll be confident in doing so.

 

[rodan01]

No, innovation isn't about making the previous generations of a device feel obsolete. It is a fine balance... that is where incrementalism comes in. It is arrogant for a company to produce a follow on generation of a device soon after the previous in a way that instantly makes the previous generation look and feel useless. It makes the early adopters and current customers feel abandoned.

How many times has Microsoft proverbally kicked early adopters in the teeth?

Apple was successful in building their customer base (loyalty) by producing a good product for the current generation. Then producing an upgrade that was a little better here, a little better there. No one area of the device was dramatically better than the previous gen. But taken as a whole, it added up to a significant upgrade. People who purchased a gen "x" iPod didn't feel suckered when Apple produced the "X+1" gen.

Microsoft needs to satisfy the customers of their CURRENT generation so that when it is time to upgrade, they'll be confident in doing so.

Nonsense. Android is the champion of dropping support of old phones and look where they are. It depends in the product life cycle, if the product life cycle is 2-3 years, there is no problem in introducing a new product incompatible with the previous generation every 2-3 years.

 

[TechAbstract]

Nonsense. Android is the champion of dropping support of old phones and look where they are. It depends in the product life cycle, if the product life cycle is 2-3 years, there is no problem in introducing a new product incompatible with the previous generation every 2-3 years.

I bet one of the reasons to get new phone on Android is to get new OS update. I've done this couple times.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Nonsense. Android is the champion of dropping support of old phones and look where they are. It depends in the product life cycle, if the product life cycle is 2-3 years, there is no problem in introducing a new product incompatible with the previous generation every 2-3 years.

Nonsense? Is it an exclusive-or situation? Only ONE company can fall short? What does the fact that Google drops support for old phones have anything to do with Microsoft's track record in the mobile space? Google gives Android away for free to phone manufacturers. Google sweetened the pot for them. Microsoft historically dictated terms of usage of Windows Mobile -> Windows Phone and only started giving WP8 away a month or so ago.

There was a time, before some here were old enough to read, when Apple was teetering on the verge of insolvency and Microsoft was on the top of the heap of mobile handheld computing and smartphones. What happened? Arrogance at being on top.

There is a far cry from Google's ceasing to support a particular level of Android (Android apps still work on newer version of the OS) and Microsoft's cold dropping app support across OS versions. (ie. Apps developed for WM 6.5 would not run on WP7).

 

[Jas00555]

There is a far cry from Google's ceasing to support a particular level of Android (Android apps still work on newer version of the OS) and Microsoft's cold dropping app support across OS versions. (ie. Apps developed for WM 6.5 would not run on WP7).

I disagree completely with this. I've got a Moto X and there are multiple apps that still aren't compatible. You can't really expect an older phone OS to be compatible with a newer, completely different interface. I mean, ok , fine, you've got a point with Windows Mobile apps to an extent, but WP7 apps were almost completely compatible with WP8. Considering how different WM6.5 and WP7 looked, I would argue that separating the two was the best decision if they wanted to stick with "Metro".

 

[Tjarren]

People don't like change, but using smartphones and tablets were a change from what they had been using before. People don't like different, but smartphones and tablets are different than what they were used to.
So what DO people want? They have no idea and neither do I. People are a confusing mess of contradictions and illogic, thus Windows Phone's marketshare ...

 

[MDMcAtee]

6.5 wasn't all about the os in it's failure,it was mostly about the equipment it ran on. My dedicated keyboard failed so many times,and the work around the techs at the Sprint store were too numerous to count.It was the only phone I ever had that had to be rebooted 3 x a day to keep running.

All one has to do is look at who are giving phones away,heck Sprint is giving both a S5 and a tablet away just to sign on,I don't think Microsoft is ever going to do this.

Apple fans will stay with Apple,they are loyal and believe Jobs is still running the company from the grave.

They have a lot going for them and the hype is deafening at their roll out times. This is where Microsoft has to compete...they have to be louder bolder and outspend them while offering true innovation. Android has shown the world that being the loudest works,even when the innovation doesn't live up to the hype.

People have to have to be shown suitable alternatives that work flawlessly for all of Google and Apple's services. Which means if they want to steal market share they need to steal both Apple's and Androids marketing firms and fire the lame ones they got,and invest in developers who can produce.

Simple as that

Mac

 

[undulose]

I've always thought if Windows Phone was as good as IOS or Android & 95% of the major apps where there it would see a good adoption rate, but something that happened to me 2 times this week have me thinking MS has a lot of work to do. One was with my 17 yr old & the other with my wife.

Situation #1

We were out eating dinner with friend who are moving. Dinner was over & it's time for the group photo. I'm the only WP user everyone else has IPhones (1 out of 4) We all pull our phones out, my daughter who is the photo queen of the family says "use daddy's camera it's way better than ours especially in bad light" I give the waiter my phone he takes the pic & comments on how nice the photo was along with the screen. He then asks what kind of phone is it. I reply it's a Nokia windows phone without even thinking. My daughter then chimes in & says "yeah, it's a really cool phone with a killer camera, but I don't like it because it too different." The waiter replies, "yeah, I would get lost trying to use it & go nuts. Too bad it's not like my IPhone."

Situation #2

My wife needed to use my phone to search for something while shopping. She grabs my phones & starts looking at the screen (looking for Safari I guess?) I tell her to hit the search button & start typing what she is looking for, you don't have to open the browser & Google it.... She immediately says this isn't Google & need Google to search. I said you don't need Google to search. She sits there & stares at the screen for a sec or 2 & says " I don't like it, it's different" I then long pressed the search button asked Cortana to search for what she wanted, the results came up very fast with all the normal WP 8.1 results. She then says " That was really cool, but I don't care if it's better or faster, it's different & I don't like it."

You have 2 generations of smartphone users, two 17 yr olds & a 42 yr old that have the same mind set. Which is They don't care if the product or software is better. They don't like it & refuse to even try it because it's different than what they currently know. It is too much of a hassle or bother to learn something new even if it is faster or better. Think about that & how you combat that frame of mind as I suspect most average consumers(because these 3 are your typical everyday consumer) think the same. Go with what is comfortable, safe & everyone else has even it is slower or doesn't have all the best feature?

I don't like the way you generalize 2 generations of smartphone users when the two people you've mentioned have the same genes and even at the same house. Their personality may be close; that's why they agreed at the same thing.







Sent from my Nokia Lumia 1520 (RM-937 Malaysia) using Tapatalk

 

[JamesPTao]

My biggest problems with Microsoft devices and why I think they have failed to reap the success is because of two things. Weak and inconsistent marketing and lack of dedication to the devices. 1st example was Zune. Great device and Zune 2.0 was fantastic but you couldn't find one anywhere and unless you knew a friend that had one or you had the first Gen you were left with the unaswered question why buy a Zune. And they weren't even carried in walmarts until a couple of months before being disco tinued. Example 2 surface. Now they have advertised more than Zune, which is t saying much, but again where are they. WalMart has them but you will never see them unless you're looking for them and two minutes later you'll find the boxes in the case in a bottom corner with only the side viewable. Really? How about pay for the space and have the models running with the advertisement space like apple. People are familiar and confortable (feel safe) with apple and google. They may be interested in a surface but until they can see one running, hold one you think they're going to gamble with $500 to get one. Especially if they aren't clear about the true benefits over the competition. How about Microsoft fire their devices ad team and hire nokias for all if their devices. At least they have an idea if what they are doing.

 

[rodan01]

There was a time, before some here were old enough to read, when Apple was teetering on the verge of insolvency and Microsoft was on the top of the heap of mobile handheld computing and smartphones. What happened? Arrogance at being on top.

iOS and Android happened. The development of these OSs started in 2003. I guess Microsoft started the development of Windows Phone 7 the next day after the iPhone was presented by Jobs in 2007. So, 4 years is too late even for Microsoft.
Maybe they could have waited a year more to use in WP7 the same core they were developing for Windows 8, giving you the backward compatibility you demand, but WP would be dead like BlackBerry 10.

 

[SwimSwim]

No, innovation isn't about making the previous generations of a device feel obsolete. It is a fine balance... that is where incrementalism comes in. It is arrogant for a company to produce a follow on generation of a device soon after the previous in a way that instantly makes the previous generation look and feel useless. It makes the early adopters and current customers feel abandoned.

How many times has Microsoft proverbally kicked early adopters in the teeth?

Apple was successful in building their customer base (loyalty) by producing a good product for the current generation. Then producing an upgrade that was a little better here, a little better there. No one area of the device was dramatically better than the previous gen. But taken as a whole, it added up to a significant upgrade. People who purchased a gen "x" iPod didn't feel suckered when Apple produced the "X+1" gen.

Microsoft needs to satisfy the customers of their CURRENT generation so that when it is time to upgrade, they'll be confident in doing so.

I still see it foolish to hold back innovating, just for the sake of keeping a few people happy. I agree Microsoft burns users way too much (WP 7.8 wasn't much, and only a couple of devices ever officially received the update. Horrible.), but it's still overall better to push forward and create incentive to upgrade.

Will a couple be upset that they don't have the latest and greatest device anymore? Of course, but that's the way technology is these days. One day you have the greatest device around, the next: it's ancient. Get used to it.

I think it's absurd to stifle innovation just to satisfy people who can't take the fact that technology much push forward. Note, I'm not saying companies just change everything overnight and then completely abandon loyal customers, not at all. Microsoft should continue to support older devices, certainly. But they should also give everything they've got to create the next big thing in technology, so that loyal old customers think it's worthy enough to upgrade from their current devices, and to get people to think Microsoft's ecosystem is worth to switch too.

As you say, it's a fine balance. Keep the old users supported with everything their current devices can handle, but that said: don't be afraid to truly test the limits of technology and push forward.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

I think Microsoft has shown that they have at least for the most part learned from their mistakes. I think that like anyone who at some point had a monopoly type of hold on service or product, they got arrogant and complacent. Well, look at Apple now. A lot of their products are becoming stale, and redundant. It's a reciprocating cycle. Microsoft's progress is evident in the steadily increasing market share impressions they are making worldwide. What makes this even more impressive is that most of it is at the expense of converting Andriod or iPhone users, so people are converting more and more despite the so called "app gap" and the prospect of having to relearn a new ecosystem. The reality is that most of us at some point have worked with a Microsoft product so it won't be a complete neophyte like experience. There are a lot of things that MS can do to expedite closing the disparity between the two other mobile ecosystems. Give it time. I'm sure iPhone and Andriod aren't looking at right now, they're looking at five years from now, and I'm sure they are worried about WP's steadily increasing popularity.

 

[rex.reyesiii]

Now Apple is buying Beats for $3B. How will MS top that?

Apple may buy Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion, reports say | PCWorld

 

[SwimSwim]

I think Microsoft has shown that they have at least for the most part learned from their mistakes. I think that like anyone who at some point had a monopoly type of hold on service or product, they got arrogant and complacent. Well, look at Apple now. A lot of their products are becoming stale, and redundant. It's a reciprocating cycle. Microsoft's progress is evident in the steadily increasing market share impressions they are making worldwide. What makes this even more impressive is that most of it is at the expense of converting Andriod or iPhone users, so people are converting more and more despite the so called "app gap" and the prospect of having to relearn a new ecosystem. The reality is that most of us at some point have worked with a Microsoft product so it won't be a complete neophyte like experience. There are a lot of things that MS can do to expedite closing the disparity between the two other mobile ecosystems. Give it time. I'm sure iPhone and Andriod aren't looking at right now, they're looking at five years from now, and I'm sure they are worried about WP's steadily increasing popularity.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."
~ Avatar Aang