Anti-Windows Phone Sentiment Strong Among Tech Journalists

[AG VK]

I think that WP is on a trampoline right now and the other OS are on the sky already....with no real support when they fall....as for WP....it can push itself back when it falls....but the other OS can't do anything but fall hard on the concrete floor..!! might not make sense but that thought helps me hold on to the OS and of course my love for it!

You're right, it does not make sense.

 

[Guytronic]

I disagree. I go to the movies at Cinemark. I've always seen some sort of advertising from Microsoft during the movie previews at my local Cinemark theater. If not Ben the PC Guy advertising Windows Phone, it's been Surface ads or Titanfall Xbox One ads.

We're seeing the Surface and Titanfall TV ads here a lot.
No WP ads yet Microsoft does have a definite presence on our television.

 

[jleebiker]

We're seeing the Surface and Titanfall TV ads here a lot.
No WP ads yet Microsoft does have a definite presence on our television.

Not to mention the outright product placement in some TV shows and movies. Whenever Holmes or Watson pick up their tablet on the US TV show, Elementary, it's always a Surface.

It's a start.

 

[metalchick719]

As a freelance writer/ghost writer, I've written loads of articles, including those about tech and specifically about particular smartphones and phone OSes. It's annoying to see topics like this essentially bashing Windows Phone, but really, who cares? The reason these writers are so down on it is usually that they're too deeply entrenched in either iOS or Android and couldn't be bothered to really give Windows Phone a fair chance. I mean, look at Molly Wood, for instance. A really good writer or journalist would be objective, anyway.

 

[Akhilesh Bhambhani]

With So many new OEMs joining the windows phone family, I think we'll be seeing a LOT of new ads.
Specially in India where brands like Micromax and Xolo have a decent amount of market share under the $150 devices. Ads are on the horizon I guess, just have to wait. The market share is definitely gonna rise by end of this year

 

[MDMcAtee]

It's time to face facts folks....

Microsoft doesn't know how to sell anything.

They refuse to compete against all other platforms because they believe they don't have to.

They believe Xbox will save WP and they are dead wrong. The vast majority of people who use cell phones don't own a Xbox and truly aren't interested in one. They have used a gamers console to lure people to buy their phones,and while they may get some to go for it,the rest of the world won't.

Microsoft has even bigger issues than miserable WP sales...they are losing money on just about everything mobile and Xbox as well.

Let's not forget that Microsoft has alienated core users on it's own products too...

As long as those in charge at Microsoft remain in charge,they will continue to lose market share with their products. Their vision is not what the world is asking for and they refuse to listen. They continually cut off their noses to spite their faces because they believe they are better than everyone else when in fact they really aren't.

A lot of issues with their software has come to light recently,in how they do their OEM's , how many bugs in their software being released on WP,ect...all has ruined consumer confidence in their products.

I see folks trying their best to make excuses for their failure,because they want to believe so badly that WP will overtake the phone market......

They need new management,they need a Steve Jobs,someone that has real vision,and who can inspire it's people to do great things,and until they do,they will continue to remain behind all other platforms.

Gates is gone, Jobs has passed...look who runs the companies and who is doing a better job..

The time for excuses is over

 

[tgp]

I disagree with your disagreement.

And I disagree with your disagreement! I'm with Laura. I see as many Windows Phone ads as any other phone, and way more Surface ads than for any other tablet. Consumers just don't want them.

 

[Ian Too]

I think the reason they're so anti Windows Phone is they recognise how strong the product is and are threatened. Once you've invested in an ecosystem, it's threatening to be presented with an alternative because it implies you've made an error, a classic case of cognitive dissonance - something I should say we are all subject to, btw.

If Windows Phone had been an iOS clone like Android, then the heat wouldn't have been quite so intense, but because MS took a fresh approach it has a double hurdle. The first is that the iOS paradigm isn't very effective on WP and this presents 'experts' with a learning curve they resent because they feel they know what is good. Far more challenging though is WP's difference implies that the entire approach to a touch sensitive mobile UI taken by Apple and Google is not the most efficient, that (and brace yourself...) Steve Jobs was wrong. Can't you feel the earth quaking?

To imply that the most highly respected tech gurus had a failure of imagination is heresy of the highest order and there is very little that inspires ire more than telling an expert they are wrong. Ignaz Semmelweis comes to mind.

This is not the complete explanation for WP's failure to take over the world, but goes some way to explain the irrational hostility.

 

[Maaz Mansori]

I don't feel that advertising is the primary problem. I see a lot of ads for Windows Phone and other Microsoft products. Anyone know the average age of these tech journalists? They publish articles based on statistics but do not offer any analysis on why the figures may be lower. The problem with most of these people is they see Microsoft as the company who dominated the PC market in the 1990s and held back innovation. Windows became so common that you rarely found anyone running any other OS and as a result and because the OS was fairly open and flexible as far as apps are concerned, it was often targeted by immature youngsters with viruses and other malware. They see Google as the new company that was finally able to defeat Microsoft and, as such, have loyalty towards them instead of Microsoft. Google's actions to shut out Windows Phone by not supporting them despite a major loss of advertising revenue also contribute to Microsoft's inability to gain market share as consumers are forced to pick sides and many rely on tech people or sales people who are supposed to be knowledgeable. These people will cite the app gap and usage statistics in order to convince less knowledgeable people that Windows Phone is inferior despite the OS being technologically superior in many ways. These less knowledgeable people typically have no need for most, if any, of these missing apps and just suffer from all kinds of problems with their Android phones like slowness, crashes, and glitches, because they have no idea how to fix them.
I feel that Apple is a completely different story. People who typically prefer Apple products do so because it is a status symbol. However, there are enough people who are not like that and if it weren't were Google, Microsoft would be fine.

 

[nycny]

Kind of thinking about joining the abandon Windows Phone crowd.
I have been with Windows Mobile almost from the beginning. Started with Casio.
I have always been amazed with the prospect of an all in one device.
Promises, disappointment. Repeat, rinse, recycle. Over and again.
Every time I expect more, I got less.
Not feeling all that great right now.
Trolls please post your usual bs.

 

[BobLobIaw]

Kind of thinking about joining the abandon Windows Phone crowd.
I have been with Windows Mobile almost from the beginning. Started with Casio.
I have always been amazed with the prospect of an all in one device.
Promises, disappointment. Repeat, rinse, recycle. Over and again.
Every time I expect more, I got less.
Not feeling all that great right now.
Trolls please post your usual bs.

You should make the best decision for you and more power to you for doing so. However, by suggesting that you will get troll responses to your post, that is a form of trolling in and of itself. Why even go there?

 

[BobLobIaw]

I agree with posters that feel advertising is a problem. I really like the new Surface Pro 3 ad and wish a similar ad would circulate for Windows Phone. The problem is that there is no current flagship so it is unlikely that there will be a meaningful advertising blitz until the fall if and when the McLaren is released. It seems that the purchase of Nokia, while perhaps a good strategy in the long run, has stalled the momentum of Windows Phone for the moment. I am used to the bias of the tech media so that is nothing new and should be expected to continue. The only thing that will change it is if consumers embrace WP--then the tech media will latch on and follow the trend.

 

[Sir William Wiener]

Its not so much knock your socks for me its more the effectiveness of their communication to their target market.

Samsung have got an ad running on most major tv networks highlighting the durability/waterproof fun factor of their S5.
Do they really have to spend money on advertising with such dominant market share here in Aus?
Not really in my opinion but what it does do is saturate the mental picture of most people when it comes to choosing their next phone.

Its iphone vs S5
You won't even consider a 1520 because the general public has never heard of it here in Australia.

Well yes, but generally those "knock your socks off" ads is how Apple so effectively catches the attention of their target demographic. I can't remember the last bad Apple ad that failed to do this.

 

[Geddeeee]

Kind of thinking about joining the abandon Windows Phone crowd.
I have been with Windows Mobile almost from the beginning. Started with Casio.
I have always been amazed with the prospect of an all in one device.
Promises, disappointment. Repeat, rinse, recycle. Over and again.
Every time I expect more, I got less.
Not feeling all that great right now.
Trolls please post your usual bs.

You're obviously not satisfied, so switch... Good luck!!!!

 

[Sir William Wiener]

It's time to face facts folks....

Microsoft doesn't know how to sell anything.

They refuse to compete against all other platforms because they believe they don't have to.

They believe Xbox will save WP and they are dead wrong. The vast majority of people who use cell phones don't own a Xbox �� and truly aren't interested in one. They have used a gamers console to lure people to buy their phones,and while they may get some to go for it,the rest of the world won't.

Microsoft has even bigger issues than miserable WP sales...they are losing money on just about everything mobile and Xbox as well.

Let's not forget that Microsoft has alienated core users on it's own products too...

As long as those in charge at Microsoft remain in charge,they will continue to lose market share with their products. Their vision is not what the world is asking for and they refuse to listen. They continually cut off their noses to spite their faces because they believe they are better than everyone else when in fact they really aren't.

A lot of issues with their software has come to light recently,in how they do their OEM's , how many bugs in their software being released on WP,ect...all has ruined consumer confidence in their products.

I see folks trying their best to make excuses for their failure,because they want to believe so badly that WP will overtake the phone market......

They need new management,they need a Steve Jobs,someone that has real vision,and who can inspire it's people to do great things,and until they do,they will continue to remain behind all other platforms.

Gates is gone, Jobs has passed...look who runs the companies and who is doing a better job..

The time for excuses is over

Microsoft's seemingly putting their hardware devices on the back burner of their cloud based services, I've said this before in other forums that Mr. Satya Nadella's philosophy for Microsoft has increased their share prices yes, but its beginning to lean towards making the company more like Facebook with apps and services that everyone wants on their phone/tablet and less like Apple with the marriage of in house hardware and software. If Nadella could get another 100 million OneDrive and Office 365 subscripts he'd gladly axe Xbox, Surface or Nokia. Hardware is not his concern.

 

[nycny]

Thanks for your support

 

[Sir William Wiener]

I agree with posters that feel advertising is a problem. I really like the new Surface Pro 3 ad and wish a similar ad would circulate for Windows Phone. The problem is that there is no current flagship so it is unlikely that there will be a meaningful advertising blitz until the fall if and when the McLaren is released. It seems that the purchase of Nokia, while perhaps a good strategy in the long run, has stalled the momentum of Windows Phone for the moment. I am used to the bias of the tech media so that is nothing new and should be expected to continue. The only thing that will change it is if consumers embrace WP--then the tech media will latch on and follow the trend.

While they're waiting for the McLaren, Apple and Samsung are putting millions of 5S's and S5's into everyone's pockets. Microsoft has amazing Nokia flagship handsets right now they should be pushing (Icon/930, 1520 and 1020). They should be trying to get these phones into the consumer's hands right now, this strategy of waiting for a future phone is KILLING their already minuscule market share in the US, China and Germany. Not only that but the McLaren is not even the most talked about future smartphone, everyone is enamored with the iPhone 6 and heck even the new Amazon phone is creating a bigger media splash than any WP handset has up to this point.

 

[Sir William Wiener]

Not to mention the outright product placement in some TV shows and movies. Whenever Holmes or Watson pick up their tablet on the US TV show, Elementary, it's always a Surface.

It's a start.

Well yes and no, product placement is best suited for products that the consumer is already aware of and is familiar with. Think of all the Coca-Cola and Pepsi cans you see in movies/TV shows. With a WP that hardly anyone is familiar with it largely goes unnoticed by those outside the tech crowd. I'm always pointing out WP's and Surfaces in shows like Hawaii 5-0 to my friends who'd otherwise would never have noticed and/or cared.

 

[Sir William Wiener]

And I disagree with your disagreement! �� I'm with Laura. I see as many Windows Phone ads as any other phone, and way more Surface ads than for any other tablet. Consumers just don't want them.

C'mon we all have to stop being delusional Microsoft apologists here, if we really care about Windows Phone and want it to ever become a viable and established 3rd smartphone contender we have to critique and question what's creating problems for our platform. I want more app developer support and how do we get that? We need more people to adopt Windows Phone and how do we get that? We need better Windows Phone advertising. It's clearly not been up to snuff in the US and the market data supports this as valid and fair criticism to make.

 

[tgp]

C'mon we all have to stop being delusional Microsoft apologists here, if we really care about Windows Phone and want it to ever become a viable and established 3rd smartphone contender we have to critique and question what's creating problems for our platform. I want more app developer support and how do we get that? We need more people to adopt Windows Phone and how do we get that? We need better Windows Phone advertising. It's clearly not been up to snuff in the US and the market data supports this as valid and fair criticism to make.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or disagreeing. :straight: I was just saying that I see plenty of ads for Microsoft products, including WP. I'm not saying they're the best ads around, but they're there.

I'm by no means a delusional Microsoft apologist. For the record, it's my opinion of some of the users on this forum. I'm very critical of WP. I think it falls short in many areas compared to its direct competitors.