Is Windows Phone headed in the right direction?

[paulxxwall]

Wp8 is the os of the future android and definitely IOS seems so outdated look at the history of Xbox!!!!#1

 

[falconrap]

I think the last 3-4 weeks is showing they are on the right course. They got off to a slow start, but they are now going downhill and picking up speed. The rate at which new apps are hitting the store is quite a thing to see. The fact that WP8 is starting to see apps released at the same time, or very close to, iOS and Android is further proof. The simple fact is, this os is easy to use and ranks highly amongst its users. Android has some significant issues in its future to deal with, including what happens if Samsung goes all in for Tizen.

WP8 just has the core basics covered so well. I can actually, functionally use Excel on my phone! OneNote is great. SkyDrive is unbelievable...allowing me to share photos on my phone with friends and family far easier than ever before. The fact that SkyDrive is, after a simple download, integrated right into Win7 allowing me to quickly deal with my files like they were on my HDD is another great thing, and shows how integrated WP8 is becoming with the PC. Outlook.com and its integration with the phone, as well as Facebook and Twitter, show the power built right in. webOS started this level of integration, and WP8 has taken it to the next level. The fact that WP8 is also viewed as a better platform to earn money per user, and that WP will probably hit 30 million users shortly, if not already, is going to be a major draw to app developers. Especially as the tools mature and allow quick ports.

I think we would all like to see MS speed the pace up a bit. That is the one are they need to improve on so they can fill the "holes" quicker and get rid of the annoyances that still "tarnish" the platform. But, overall, they are heading in the right direction and will likely cement themselves as the number 3 OS within the next few months.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Finally on the app front were seeing MSFT making some inroads. You know what would be nice? A big name game title or app exclusively on WP for a short period.

 

[Kevin N Smith]

Finally on the app front were seeing MSFT making some inroads. You know what would be nice? A big name game title or app exclusively on WP for a short period.

Gravity guy 2.

 

[notnaive]

I think Microsoft will have some success with Windows Phone, but it will not achieve the dominance that it seeks. The problem has to do with their deliberate progression toward a closed development model. Apple, as we all know, retains tight control over both hardware and software. Most Apple users do not mind this at all. In fact, the psychological make-up of the typical Apple super-fanatic is such that, not only do they not mind being boxed-in, but if they could have their way, their neighbor, whom they have never met, would be boxed-in too. If this smells of a cult, that's probably because, in some ways, it is. Nevertheless, there is a HUGE number of people in the world who enjoy being locked in, and Apple has enriched itself on them. Additionally, because the products are of high quality (or so I hear) those who are not "drawn to the cult" also occasionally buy Apple products.

Microsoft saw the rise of iOS, then Android, and freak-out. We must remember: Windows Mobile was/is an open OS. If I want to write a super-killer-application that gets ultra-deep into the device on Windows Mobile, I can. Not true on Android. Not true on iOS. As much as Google claims that Android is an open-platform, it is not. There is a sand-box in which the developer must code. Even the so-called "native" code is actually launched via JNI. I have never programmed on iOS, but I am sure it is similar.

These closed models have a peculiarity: they tend to benefit the proprietor of the closed model. Sure, you can write "apps" for Android, but those apps will be confined to a certain type. And as we all know, development on Android is a mess. A third-party software developer cannot break free and write device-pervasive applications.

Microsoft responded by locking-down WP7. Then WP8. Developers screamed for native code, and were thrown a bone in the context of JIT'ed C++ execution, but not true device-pervasive native development. The API of WP8 is missing some significant elements when compared to Windows 7 and Windows 8 desktop.

All this is important for a simple reason: Someone is going to come along and provide a truly open platform. Not Android, but something that provides access to the entire device. Consumers and businesses will start using smart-phones for things that they were not meant to be used for. The sky will be the limit.

Then what? Will Microsoft suddenly open-up its platform? Android? Won't matter It will be too late.

This is what is going to happen, because Microsoft failed to understand a simple fact: The people who prefer Microsoft, over Apple, prefer open models, over closed models. Microsoft, in trying to create outstanding uniform consumer experience, has alienated its most important loyalists. Those who do not like being locked-in.

 

[omniusovermind]

Rather than rehash so many things and end up making such a huge post, I'll keep it brief by using a link instead. As long as MS addresses most of the most frequently mentioned shortcomings in this thread, as well as this review, then they'll be on much better footing going forward. I know Daniel posted a similar "What's needed" article here, so this is another similar one to draw from as well. Many of the pointers in it are actually what finalized my decision to take a pass on WP this year because I was pretty close to picking one up last week.

 

[ohgood]

I want to say hacking my post up is bad forums etiquette. In doing so in this situation you have changed the questions. For example you have taken questions 4 & 5 out of context and confused yourself. The "We" I am referring to is the Windows Phone community as a whole not just Microsoft. The "Why" in question 4 should go with question 3. If you are to quote someone you should leave the quote in tact so you don't change the context.

All in you make some good points. I don't agree with all of them but point on point.

posting seven or eight questions in one post, and asking for explanations also, is asking for a numbered list of answers. no 'hacking up' was involved. you're taking it personally.

we aren't supposed to agree when you ask for opinions, that would negate the entire point of discussion of opinions.

 

[Dave Blake]

posting seven or eight questions in one post, and asking for explanations also, is asking for a numbered list of answers. no 'hacking up' was involved. you're taking it personally.

we aren't supposed to agree when you ask for opinions, that would negate the entire point of discussion of opinions.

Who is taking it personal?

Hacking up someone's post and changing the flavor of the content then putting it in a quote marker is bad forums etiquette.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Alright you two, let's just turn off the cooker before it does turn into personal attacks! I don't want to have to clean up a mess.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Gravity guy 2.

I saw that one. How about a Subway Surfers 2, a Temple Run 3 or some version of Angry Birds? Stuff like that wouldn't hurt.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Many of the pointers in it are actually what finalized my decision to take a pass on WP this year because I was pretty close to picking one up last week.

I'm curious...what OS and device are you currently using? What got you to look at WP8 initially?

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Hardware-wise, you could say that Windows Phone is going almost nowhere.
Yes, I'm serious about that statement. How many apps only work on devices that have 1 GB of RAM? How many phones are there with 4 or 8 GB of internal storage? In this respect, Windows Phone is going absolutely nowhere. Largely because the OEMs are adhering to the standards of yesteryear (for starters, my N95 8GB was release a around a half-decade ago.)
However, if you talk about features and how unique the phones are, Windows Phones (excluding the ATIVs) blow everyone else out of the water. Yes, even the Nexus 4, which includes wireless charging. Yes, even the HTC One, with its OIS. Yes, even the iPhone (it's a given.)
Software-wise, that's a different story.
WP8 is more or less technical update. And, it's based on the NT Kernel, so it needs time to mature.
Plus, I'm only getting a Lumia 620 on Easter Sunday, so I'll see how well it holds up to iOS, Android and S60 3rd Edition.
Apps?
I am not going to comment on that. Each and every person has his/her own set of apps.
For example, the girl sitting to my right has a 5th Generation iPod Touch and is obviously a fan of Instagram.
To my left, a guy has a Windows Phone (it's from HTC), and is merely using it for calls (in other words, he uses it casually.)
While I am nonchalantly using an S60 phone (which I use because it has some awesome niche shmups).

But for me, Windows Phone has won me over, and that is most important, at least for me.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Hardware-wise, you could say that Windows Phone is going almost nowhere.
Yes, I'm serious about that statement. How many apps only work on devices that have 1 GB of RAM? How many phones are there with 4 or 8 GB of internal storage? In this respect, Windows Phone is going absolutely nowhere. Largely because the OEMs are adhering to the standards of yesteryear (for starters, my N95 8GB was release a around a half-decade ago.)
However, if you talk about features and how unique the phones are, Windows Phones (excluding the ATIVs) blow everyone else out of the water. Yes, even the Nexus 4, which includes wireless charging. Yes, even the HTC One, with its OIS. Yes, even the iPhone (it's a given.)
Software-wise, that's a different story.
WP8 is more or less technical update. And, it's based on the NT Kernel, so it needs time to mature.
Plus, I'm only getting a Lumia 620 on Easter Sunday, so I'll see how well it holds up to iOS, Android and S60 3rd Edition.
Apps?
I am not going to comment on that. Each and every person has his/her own set of apps.
For example, the girl sitting to my right has a 5th Generation iPod Touch and is obviously a fan of Instagram.
To my left, a guy has a Windows Phone (it's from HTC), and is merely using it for calls (in other words, he uses it casually.)
While I am nonchalantly using an S60 phone (which I use because it has some awesome niche shmups).

But for me, Windows Phone has won me over, and that is most important, at least for me.

Those low storage phones are for low end markets. How many GBs of storage does ZTE Blade have inbuilt? How how many GBs does Galaxy Ace has inbuilt? N8 half a decade ago was a flagship phone with 8GB, today's flagship is Lumia 920 with 32GB - 4 times that capacity!

 

[ohgood]

guy asked for opinions, and I numbered them for ease of reading/following. figured that was a positive.

is highlighting points in a quote or numbering points and counters considered bad ?

 

[stmav]

I do think it's heading in the right direction. Sure there are problems that still need to be addressed and I think they will address them. Maybe not as fast as some would like. Since getting a 920 in November I've seen the Portico update come across. Nokia release updates every time I turn around. And a pleasant run on apps and games lately, which I think is going to continue.

To me, Nokia is playing just as big a role as MS in determining the direction of WP. Sometimes we get tunnel vision and think in terms of US only as far as adoption goes. But as you read the news articles, bit by bit they are they are getting into the international markets. I am very interested in watching the sales in India over the next couple of months. Nokia is turning out attractive phones in several price ranges that is giving people WP options at a price they can afford. I really think it would help to get the 720 and 620 into some of the US carriers.

MS has to know that a mobile presence is a must. So I do think they are in it. I'm not thinking in terms of taking over marketshare in the short term. But to establish themselves as a viable 3rd option. Then over time grow the marketshare to a respectable percentage. I like the way my phone works and syncs with my Surface and laptop. So I see the potential of the three screen scenario. Can't wait to see what gets done on GDR2 and GDR3. What happens there and is followed up with Blue is going to give us a better picture of what to expect.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

guy asked for opinions, and I numbered them for ease of reading/following. figured that was a positive.

is highlighting points in a quote or numbering points and counters considered bad ?

I do it a lot. I don't consider it a problem personally. In fact I'm likely going to take that approach when I answer the questions myself later.

 

[stmav]

guy asked for opinions, and I numbered them for ease of reading/following. figured that was a positive.

is highlighting points in a quote or numbering points and counters considered bad ?

Giving your opinion when asked is not bad at all. But editing a quote can be considered bad form. Just leave the quote as is and do your reply however you want that works for you to get your point across.

 

[anon4287986]

I have a blackberry and a Apple desktop but I own an Xbox360 which I use daily! I had a chance to play with the Lumia 920 and WP8 OS and I actually really like it. It seems to me that they are coming along. They have a great OS and devices... I am hoping that in a years time, I can walk into any carrier store and see a Windows, BlackBerry, Android and Apple section all represented fairly. As far as if they are headed in the right direction? I think so. WP8 is different. BlackBerry 10 is different. Android and Apple are virtually the same paradigm. 2013 is going to be a really interesting year. I hope to see more Windows phones in people's hands.

 

[a5cent]

It is Microsoft's job to grow, or at least sustain their revenue levels during the next decade. MS has no hope of achieving that without becoming a much more relevant player in mobile (tablets & smartphones). WP is staying, for as long as it takes.

Technically, I think WP is going in the right direction. Developers are getting a common runtime environment and increasingly similar programming interfaces in Windows, RT and WP. Users are getting an increasingly familiar UI that shares its design language and behaves similarly across three screens. All the while Microsoft is expanding and modernising their cloud based services step by step (deeper bing integration, maps, outlook.com, skydrive, IE11 tab and favourites sync, start screen sync, etc). Best of all, MS is resisting market pressures to turn WP into an Android clone with a different UI. Although WP8 has stumbled in a few areas, it is clear that MS envisions WP as an OS that can manage itself autonomously, instead of requiring the owner to do so. It takes a lot of courage to stick to a strategy in the face of difficulties (very slow market share growth), but I think it will pay off in the long run.

In most other ways however, I think WP is failing. WP has yet many issues to resolve, but I'm going to focus only on the big picture. I see three major problems: lack of communication, lack of a marketable identity and a lack of champions.

Lack of communication

Microsoft has subscribed to a "shut up and ship" philosophy. I think that is a mistake. I'm not saying Microsoft should overpromise and underdeliver! However, Microsoft does need to give customers more to look forward to and be excited about! Microsoft doesn't need to reveal every single feature they are working on. There is nothing wrong with keeping a few things secret, with which Microsoft can surprise their competition and consumers alike. However, as it is now, many understandably question whether MS is even listening. This is counterproductive. Joe Belfiore fires off a tweat every once in a while, but I find this woefully insufficient and a bit unprofessional. As jhoff80 mentioned: "It's tough to say [if WP is headed in the right direction] until we at least get some details on what Blue will entail on the Windows Phone side of things". IMHO people buy into a product vision just as much as they buy into the product itself. That vision for WP isn't being communicated. This vision desperately needs to be communicated, including a few of the features to go along with it.

Lack of a marketable identity

If you want a smartphone that is beautifully designed, that just works, and where you can count on there being an app for that, what do you buy?

If you want a smartphone with the latest and greatest hardware, a large screen, that isn't confined to a walled garden and that is flexible and highly configurable, what do you buy?

Anyone with just the slightest interest in smartphones can tell you which of the above sentences refers to the iPhone and which to Android. WP has no such identity. As it is now, even people with an interest in smartphones have difficulty explaining what WP stands for, and why anybody should choose it over the Android or iOS competition. That isn't good enough.

WP desperately needs two or three things it aims to excel at. Whatever they are, Microsoft needs to focus the WP team on making WP shine in those areas. Being a jack of all trades but master of none won't cut it anymore. The market is already too mature for that to work. Once established, Microsoft must market the h3ll out of those advantages. It's not that WP doesn't have any advantages as it is, they just aren't marketable, particularly not in a TV add.

Lack of champions

In all the markets where WP sells well, it isn't doing so based on the popularity of the OS. It is doing so despite the popularity of the OS.

In all the markets where WP outsells the iPhone, the reasons for this achievement are price and/or the Nokia brand. In economies where people have more disposable income and choices, like western Europe and the U.S., consumers will choose what is seen as the most desirable OS instead. What is the most desirable OS is determined by enthusiasts everywhere, collectively.

Unfortunately, WP isn't able to rally enough of these enthusiasts. WP may be targeted at the average Joe, but Microsoft needs to cater towards the needs and expectations of enthusiasts as well, for it will be up to them/us to provide the most effective part of Microsoft's marketing push. Microsoft needs to reach out, talk, and deliver more for this group.

Omniusovermind and others mentioned/referenced many of the missing features that finally need to get taken care of for WP. Although those are all very important, and I wish MS were faster, those issues don't worry me much. They will come. It's the negligence surrounding these big picture issues that I find far more worrying...

Technically, yes, right direction. Many other things, no, wrong direction.

 

[Oliver Newell]

It is slowly but surely taking off. After reading an article on this forum about windows phone 8 outselling the iPhone in 7 countries including Russia and India WP8 is getting a broader market share each month as it seams. The most popular and to some deal breaking apps like instagram and Pandora, which have not been available on WP8 yet are coming to the platform soon, and if Nokia and HTC can put in a bit more effort in advertising I reckon it will take off very quickly, a gather a proper market share. Samsung need to ***** up their ears, the Ativ S is a great phone, one of the best available on WP8, its just no one knows it exists.