You guys need to see the bigger picture. If you're scratching on the surface only, it appears that Microsoft prioritizes other platforms over their very own. If you look behind the obvious you'll see that what Microsoft does is actually draw people away from Apple and Google. into their services. They try and get more users on board, who may eventually make the transition over to WP in the end.
It's okay with me if they bring their services to other platforms.
Actually most of us do see the bigger picture, sure you pull users away from competing services however any marketing or sales person worth his / her salt will tell you - to sell any product it must have unique selling points. A product without any is just as useful as a boulder being used for buoyancy, just like you said
The only thing I'm really worried about is the fact that the apps for competing platforms are very often superior to their offerings for WP. That's definitely something they need to change. "Use our services, no matter the platform. But if you want the best and full experience, jump on the WP bandwagon." That's how it should be.
That is the problem they are is so superior compared to on window phone and users are not switching since there is no compelling reason. As they have the best of both worlds, the comfort of their ecosystem + plus the benefit of Microsoft apps. The final nail in that coffin would be if they made Cortana available on IOS / Android.
As other than the UX windows phone will no longer have any unique selling points (software wise) to entice consumers to buy windows phone.
What does bug me is that MS has done countless u-turns i.e worked so hard making hubs into what it was and only to tear it up and go down the app centric route. It is like come on, you should have known updating hubs tied into the O/S would need an O/S level upgrade. So that is another selling point down the drain, just like xbox games on WP - (another brand not being utilized to it's full potential).
Another big one was Windows phone 7 & Windows CE, the development time spent must have been insane given the wealth of features that were in Mango. The decision to go with Windows CE was the biggest mistake they could have possibly made as it offered no upgrade path what so ever, (I understand why they did it) however if WP7 ran on the Windows NT Kernal, things would be dramatically different now.
Edit:
Sorry of the long rant, looks like I got abit carried away here :winktongue: