Guys, Apps like windows 8 launcher, launcher 8 are available in google play store and it allows the unique functionality of windows phone in an android device like the live tiles ,apps interface etc. Also the lock screen notifications of apps, not sure if its unique though.
I believe these unique features of windows phones does play a key role in attracting customers to windows based phones like the nokia .
Now if an app like launcher 8 does these things in android, doesn't it cut down that many prospects to microsoft , who otherwise might have switched to a windows phone for such features.
Won't even the current windows phone customers too consider buying an android device next time may be for its ecosystem , if they can enjoy wp8 unique features by downloading an app ?
Why is microsoft not against such apps which imitates the basic core functionality of their New OS ?
Correct me if am wrong ..just curious..
nothing is lost by apple or microsoft, when someone skins their device to look like iphone or wp8, or meego, or sailfish, or jolla, or e17, or whatever. the user did not just buy -another- device, they just skinned theirs how they want to try it.
i've tried it. it was flippy, fluid, and believe it or not windowsians, it didn't lag. OMG NO UNPOSSIBLE you might say, but yes, really, there was no lag. haven't seen a lag since cyanogenmod9 on a single core tmobile g2...
but that's beside the point. the ui was interesting, fluid, and neat. here are a couple of things i noticed while using it, and the very short lived wp7 and wp8 devices i bought and sold on craigslist:
neato flipping tiles.
with no interest in social networking, the tiles grow stale quickly. facebook, and similar hubs aren't used by me, soooo - what to update ? email counts ? yawn.
it's swoopy. reallllly swoopy. neato at first, then, it feels like it's just a layer of candy that isn't needed.
the jump list, or app list, is annoying. i prefer seeing an easily distinguishable icon (yell about boring seas of icons if you like, but they are faster to identify than anything else, which is why they're used in so many computer applicatoins) to a long list of app -names-.
microsoft may prefer to sell a handset than to have their UI skinned, but the ease of downloading and installing vs changing phones, at a store, and signing contracts to do so (or not) and paying fees is a bit much compared to the install/uninstall of an app. again, no sale lost, no revenue lost, and no unhappy customer returning the phone in three days when they find that one feature they -need- isn't available.
the ios skins are similar too. very pretty, very neat, but... it's just not ios. the app store is missing (huge plus for ios) and the very smooth ui SETTINGS are also missing (another nice plus).
again, nothing is lost by skinning a device - if there -was- it would be a great idea for microsoft to make their own skin FOR ANDROID/IOS devices. blasphemy you say ? rediculous ? no... read on...
microsoft sells phones, in the last year, what 5 million world wide ? 10 ? i don't know specifics.
ios and android (yes, i know, they're operating systems, bear with me... people BUY for android and IOS now, they're established) sells phones, what 5 million in a weekend for ios and 5 million a week for android ? i don't know specifics here either, but it's a LOT of phones.'
now, given the number of devices that are -not- ms phones sold, why not sell a skin, an OFFICIAL WP8 SKIN FOR ANDROID/IOS for $1.99 ? that would mean if only 10% of users every bought it, several million dollars a year in sales, with little to no support needed. no R&D for future products. no hardware returns. no OTA updates or debugging. just plain old cash for an app, just like apple and google are doing now. after all, ms is making more money off patents paid from ios/android than their own handsets, why not cash in on the app market too ?
food for thought.
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