Okay, I know this sounds harsh, and I realise I'm gonna get a lot of negativity, but I ask you to hear me out and let me know what you disagree with objectively.
1. Limiting choice of phones
As of mid-2014, WP has three high-end, almost-flagship devices: The 930, 1520 and 1020.
I say almost-flagship because each of these phones is missing something - either glance or wireless charging or SD card support (in the case of the 1520 it's simply missing the point - we want phones, not phablets!)
There simply is no flagship phone:
I mean come on, if people can look forward to and make purchase plans for an unknown, unnamed concept device like the McLaren that we know next to nothing about, then you *know* WP is missing something big.
2. No one cares about WP
Until 2013, the one OEM who truly cared about WP - enough to bribe developers and launch campaigns to get apps on-board - was Nokia. Now that the Finns are no longer in the game, it's up to Microsoft to steer this ship. And knowing the dinosaur that MS is (seriously, they couldn't get Skype integrated for 2 years!), melting polar glaciers would probably move faster than MS does.
It’s been months and WP8.1 isn’t out yet, Cortana only speaks American, and “something big” is apparently coming to WP that no one seems to know about.
Also, the rumours that MS might make an Android-powered Lumia isn’t helping either.
3. Monotonous designs
Don't get me wrong - I think unibody polycarbonate is awesome.
But I also like unibody metal (like on the HTC One), front-and-back glass (XPERIAs and previous gen iPhones), and even the rubberised, plasticky or fake leather casing like on the Samsung and LG phones.
The point is, different people like different designs - and with the limited number of WP devices (see #1 above), almost all of which follow the same design language, it's not going win fans everywhere.
4. No brag-able or show-off worthy features.
...like self-healing back panels. Heart rate monitors. Fingerprint scanners. Or even curved displays.
Yes, some of these are just gimmicky, but the sad reality is that we like gimmicks. In a world where 160 character conversations and 2 minute attention spans are fast becoming the norm, people like new, fancy things to show off, and then move on to the next big thing.
A lone Samsung phone (Ativ SE) has an IR blaster. And a few Lumias have PureView – which is awesome and is not a gimmick, but cameras aren’t everything, and almost seem like a one trick pony at this stage.
5. No rugged or waterproof phones
A long running gag is that Nokia phones can break through walls; but jokes aside, I don’t know any WP device that’s really weather-proof or built to take on the environment.
Sure, we have aftermarket cases that achieve this, but not everyone wants to cover their nice-looking phone in a military-grade case just to make it dust/waterproof.
Is IP67 too much to ask for? It’s 2014 for crying out loud!
6. Doesn't work with wearables
Wearable tech may not be mainstream yet, but given that it’s gaining more and more traction, we need phones that work with the gear available today - like the Pebble, Fitbit, Nike Fuelband and host of other smart watches and fitness trackers that simply offer nothing unless you have an iOS or Android device.
Yes, we know MS is supposedly working on a smart watch as well, but again we know how long that’s going to take. People want their phones to work with what's available today, not something coming out in 2 years (if it actually does!)
7. Misses official google apps; and games/apps in general.
Yes, I know, but sorry I have to say this.
I know this topic has been discussed to death and beyond, but the plain fact of the matter is:
1. A lot of people use Google
2. WP offers no official apps for most google services.
I know the WP community throws all manners of counter arguments, such as MS services are better, or that we have better-than-the-official-app alternatives for YouTube and so on, but it doesn’t change the fact that WP does not have official google apps, and this matters to a lot of people.
To sum up, WP is a platform with a unique UI and great potential but the fact of the matter is, there isn’t any true flagship (in the same league as Android) to really help it shine today.
And in the long run, I don’t see how WP can progress when it’s more an after-thought or “plan B” for OEMs, seems all but forsaken by its manufacturer, and ignored by the developer community.
Cheers!