I think Windows Phone is Done!

[Logan T]

I've been a huge promoter of Windows Phones since I bought my 810 from T-Mobile 2 years ago. Friends and colleagues I showed it to loved it. A few even switched from the iphones/androids to Nokia Lumia. But now I see the writing on the wall. T-mobile EOL'ed my 810 about 60 days after I bought it. I didn't mind. I still loved the phone. But for the last 10 months, I've eagerly wanted a larger Lumia. I've been patient, but now with the news that Verizon has stopped carrying the Icon, and MS completely silently as to any new flagship phones on the horizon, I personally believe they're getting ready to bail out of the hardware and phone OS system completely.

Sure, they'll still make apps for the competition, Cortana will eventually end up on the X1 and pc ecosystem, possibly even as an option on android and iphone. But I really think all of us current Windows phone owners are really just owners of "Zunes" at this point. I would love to be proven wrong. But the silence from MS regarding any new flagship phones is deafening, and I think they're just waiting to announce the death . Rip Windows Phone Ecosystem.

 

[carlos12001]

Sadly I kind of agree, for the lone fact that there are zero new flagships coming out, that we know of.

 

[Visa Declined]

Stop with the doom and gloom please, and look at the big picture. Microsoft is investing heavily into Windows Phone right now, creating new phones and new apps. Posts like this are completely absurd.

 

[windows920]

Windows Phone wont be dead, especially with the announcement of Windows 10 that will support/run from 4 inch to 70-something inch devices.

 

[Jcmg62]

Who knows what plans MS have in store for us very patient WP users. I asked a similar question on the Lumia 1520 forum the other day.....I've had my lumia 1520 for nearly a year now. In just over 12 months time I'm going to be looking forward to my upgrade and I sure as hell don't want to go back to a 4 or 5" screen.....I'm a phablet man through and through now.

The question is; what does MS have in the pipeline? I'm fairly certain Microsoft are going to stick with the phablet. They'd be crazy not to, what with Apple now getting on the bandwagon.

In my humble opinion Microsoft need to be doing one of two things. Either; A) push out a steady stream of phones to try and swamp the market in much the way Nokia did throughout the last decade or B) make an announcement to the effect that users can expect a small, select handful of new phones to hit the market on a given month of every year, much the same way that Apple now practically own September because the whole world knows that's when the latest iphone is going to be announced.

Personally, I'd prefer option B. A build up to a single month in the year when 3-4 new devices come out, ranging from an entry level phone through to a high spec flagship and a monster phablet....all running Windows 10, all with near identical features.

Until this happens, I share your frustration. We just have no idea what the MS device roadmap is, and that's not good enough

 

[Asskickulater]

yea agreed, its not like microsoft bought an entire phone hardware division, or announced windows 10! stupid microsoft #abandoned windows phone dead

 

[Maaz Mansori]

Microsoft not producing flagship phones does not equate to a dead ecosystem. The HTC One for Windows was recently released and will be available on more carriers including AT&T soon. While the original intent of purchasing Nokia's devices division may have been to expand Microsoft's hardware department, it appears now that they are planning on using it to introduce new product categories and new phone features to the market and then push OEMs to develop for their platform. Being that Windows 10 is coming out next year, we are currently at a standstill as far as Microsoft making phones is concerned. They might slightly update a few current models but there likely won't be any major flagship until Windows 10 is released.

 

[koolnaija]

I think the main issue that's happening now is that a lot of us have set the one thing we need aside, "Patience". Yes most other manufacturers release a new flagship every year and we seem to want Microsoft to keep that pace. Now it would be nice to have that pace but is it really necessary, NO. Microsoft is and will always be primarily a software company; now they will have the opportunity of releasing both software and hardware but they will always focus on software. They have confirmed their support for WP with the announcement of Windows 10 and the hardware side of the equation will require patience from everyone. WP won't die until Microsoft says so, Verizon's eol of the icon, a setback but not the end of WP.
My advice is this, Patience is free, take and use as much of it as you can. If you've had your fill of patience, do your research for the next best thing to fulfill what you want.

 

[tgp]

yea agreed, its not like microsoft bought an entire phone hardware division, or announced windows 10! stupid microsoft #abandoned windows phone dead

I agree with you, but there is a flip side to the idea. Microsoft might have been after whatever patents came with the deal, like Google with Motorola. Or, buying the devices division might have been the cheapest and/or easiest way to get out of the contract Microsoft had with Nokia.

 

[Mellifluous]

This may be wishful thinking, but I don't believe Microsoft are done with phones, by a long shot.

They bought Nokia. They have a vision of a "one" Windows, which sees the same operating system running on a wide variety of different computers.

Phones are computers and the things that we will be able to do with them will only expand. If Microsoft have any sense, and I think they have it, they will set about using their ownership of Nokia to create lots of prototypes of ways in which phones and computer operating systems are even more integrated, in ways that go far beyond what they do now.

 

[Visa Declined]

In my humble opinion Microsoft need to be doing one of two things. Either; A) push out a steady stream of phones to try and swamp the market in much the way Nokia did throughout the last decade or

There is already a bunch of vendors "swamping" the market with Windows Phones, it's happening right now. Microsoft isn't going to create and release a ton of different handsets unless they know that they can sell them.

People here are impatient.

 

[rodan01]

I agree, Windows 10 is a sign of that, the Modern UI was practically removed.
Probably Microsoft will concentrate their efforts in the enterprise market where Windows is still relevant, and use iOS and Android to distribute their apps and services for consumers.


Sent from my GeForce7050M-M using Tapatalk

 

[theefman]

Lumia 1520.3, still unmatched. :grin:

 

[Jcmg62]

yea agreed, its not like microsoft bought an entire phone hardware division, or announced windows 10! stupid microsoft #abandoned windows phone dead

I agree, MS are highly unlikely to abandon phones after spending billions on Nokia and possibly billions more of research and development of W10. However, the point is that MS would really help themselves if they would be more transparent about future hardware.

If they came right out and said "ok guys, don't expect any new Lumia's until Windows 10 is good to go" then, as a community you can plan around that.

Total silence in an industry that thrives on constant change, advancement and gossip isn't a good thing

 

[tgp]

If they came right out and said "ok guys, don't expect any new Lumia's until Windows 10 is good to go" then, as a community you can plan around that.

Or, saying it outright could tip users over the edge. How many here are hanging around waiting on rumored updated devices? I imagine some would decide right now to go to iPhone or Android if they knew for a fact that it would be next summer until a new device was released.

 

[Ultimate Insider]

I agree msft failed their phone business. They take Nokia with them down too. If Nokia have used Android instead of Windows Phone or insist on MeeGo, everything would be different now and much better than the current situation.

 

[Loco5150]

Yeah, thats why they bought Nokia's Devices& Services for 7bn, so they can leave the mobile space.

 

[rodan01]

Yeah, thats why they bought Nokia's Devices& Services for 7bn, so they can leave the mobile space.

The problem is that Nokia's Devices & Services loses a lot of money each quarter, so It could be worst if they stay in the business. Better sell the assets to an Android OEM and recover a part of the investment.

 

[LockOnTech]

Microsoft still has the Lumia 1520, it may not be a super high specification phone; but it is up to par with some of the other modern new devices out on the market. It is not like Microsoft is going to throw the towel just because there is little consumer knowledge or interest in this particular ecosystem.

 

[Ultimate Insider]

Yeah, thats why they bought Nokia's Devices& Services for 7bn, so they can leave the mobile space.

don't underestimate what MS bought for 7.1 billion $. They have everything (PATENTS) to make money from Android.
if they make money from licensing to Android patents then selling and coping with the windows phone business is not the main focus. It makes sense for them why they are not offering true flagships to the market with windows phone.

Lumia 1520 was sold in turkey for 1000$ at launch and now it is dropped to 681$ including all taxes. Still, I don't buy it! I and my sis are using Lumia 920s. Because I cannot see any light at the end of tunnel for windows phone. Evertyhing is becoming darker day-by-day.

Whatsapp, Instagram, Vine, Twitter haven't been updated for months. There is no official youtube app. no google apps at all. And if the same apps on ios and android are on windows phone, they are inferior than the ios and android versions in terms of quality, user experience and functionality.

So that makes sense, why they are not selling any flagship Lumia anymore. (except 930-1520 and those are still inferior in terms of specsto android) First they should have large user base and that can be only focussing on low-end market. Making free wp to oems was a smart move. The only problem is when smartphone users are buying a phone the first thing they are asking for are APPS. Only feauture phone users are not asking for apps. So they are the most important target group for MS. It is similar to egg and chicken problem. To have large user base, you must have apps and to have apps you must have large user base.

The only thing what Microsoft should do is: selling lumia 530-630-635-730 at cost without any profit. Once the users are buying the phones and the phones are used at least for 2 years. then their strategy will work.