So I'm not gonna say I'm scared personally as I am a bit worried for the platform (brace thy self, familiar rhetoric is on its way). So I'll say up-front I'm an Android fan. Was on the G1 and still am. I jumped in WP last year Nov. for the same reasons I jumped into the G1 when it first came out. Those reasons? Won't go into here, just know that MS and their re-invention fit the bill.
So take what I say with whatever grain pleases thee. tl;dr version: MS needs to add to the feature set, ramp up update turnaround (I know that can be a challenge) and push for advertising differently.
On the device front, a little under half the specs of the Moto G don't fully translate to WP I feel (though that might change in 8.1). Android's been historically heavy and has needed significant hardware because of this. However, since Jelly-Bean and now Kit-Kat this is far less true. So the lower end market's really opening up to them. Obviously, many of us can see that that's where Microsoft has been leveraging itself - these lower end markets; with the likes of Nokia steaming ahead. So yes, fans of the OS should be worried for the platform as adoptions what MS needs, and adoption can shrink really fast if app devs start pulling out, and android bleeds back into a part of the market it initially dominated. (How many apps have just up and left the WP store after being "persuaded" to port their apps?).
So, continuing these familiar words, many of you may hate this so let me preface and say the theme is "in a different yet valued way". One MS's major dilemas is indeed a lacking marketplace. With deep trenches only being filled due to foriegn markets (like say India) or through adamant begging/partnerships (To Instagram... With Love?). We love reading news like "Windows Phone up 203% YoY!" But it's a bit harder to swallow when you realize 203% is 1.5% of the global market, if that (still an actual large number, but I hope the point is gotten). Windows Phone has a long way to go to be compelling to the majority of the public and devs. We are doing well because of some markets, some Devs that have listened to some vocal fans, and (if they exist) dev's who've ported their apps purely on the same love some WP fans feel.
But to survive... and here it is... MS has to up OS's offerings; And do it in a timely manner. Timely. Timely. Personally, every time we get an update, it feels more or less incremental and a year or two behind. Adding some feature some vocal users cry "why do we need this??". I'm sorry fellow user, just because you can rationalize pinning every app not to miss a toast, doesn't mean the standard user want to pin every app for the same reason. I may not want to miss a toast, but the app isn't so important I want it forever pinned for that one day I get a toast in it... That's valuable space to express myself for something I don't want, or to get you perversely close to an endless start screen.
So yes, MS will need to come punching with faster more appealing updates. Rotation-lock was the battle-cry of the last one... Rotation-Lock... Come now, we're gonna lure over users by telling them the new killer feature is to lock your screen rotation. I'm not saying it wasn't needed; overdue I feel. However it should be middling somewhere in a list of other updates from early 2012. So yes, I'm advocating all these little nitty gritty features because that is what a lot of people are looking for. What's now considered basic or fundamental options. We've upgraded from continuously tapping the back key to (almost quickly) closing using app switcher. For many these lil things matter. We can cry a lot that it's middling it's the functionality that matters, and WP will let you get more done...
...And that's not always true. Android, back when I switched over, may have been heavy and crashy, but If I was on the road, and I needed to do something heavy. Say... download a word doc from Dropbox, use an online converter to convert it to a PDF, then, download the conversion, attach it to an email and send it off... Mmmm... that was good. Tried doing that on WP one day in an emergency... Yea... isolated storage was a killer then. In that moment I'd have taken crashy and job-done over smooth and high walls (kinda the reason I never went IOS myself).
Look, I'm not trying to trash the device and OS I'm currently using and believe in. I'm making these comments after making the decision to try the OS for a year (and still yet, deciding to keep going a next year) and gain some knowledge. The knowledge I've gained said, sure, you can grab new customers easy, but you're going to fail 90% of the time converting anyone on Android or IOS (else we'd be somewhere along 15%? 25%? By now,,). To alleviate this, MS needs to out much needed optionsin their feature set. Just do it in their own way.
We can have a notification center without breaking WP's design or overly copying android, meego, BBOS, IOS. We can do more to increase inter app communications (how bout a sandbox space, fine, can't load to it via pc, and let's not say SkyDrive will always be the viable fix as it is for many devs right now). We can get more customization options beyond 20 colors and white and black; if it's even a background pattern, design for applicable live tiles OR the home screen itself. We can do tonnes more with live-tiles without going full widget commando like Android, thus maintaining our style.
It's hard reading adverts (like the recent, and well done, Huawei commercial) that talk about our 20 colors... and not say to yourself, "If I was holding my Android device I can download one of 100 launchers (a few of which resemble WP), customize to my heart's content". This is the case, not everyone wants so much options and convulsions, fine. But there's a happier balance I feel than where we're at. And further, an easier to sell (and convert) in-between that WP was, and still somewhat, ripe for the making).
I'm pointing out a few of the many things that many can see. They want WP's design, but it is limited, more so than you'd believe before diving in. So to say they can still do more is an understatement. The dev side of things... oi... that's another thing. I personally feel it's easy to dev on WP, and thus easy to make crappy looking (and functioning apps) apps. Some API things you wish you could do (hey let's attach a file in my IsolatedStorage to this email) and realize you can't. Luckily the dev community has a few options. But it's not the way it should soley be. The LongListSelector's had a bug in it since forever and it's been plenty confusing.
However, you stand back and see things like Vine, implemented so close to their apps on other platforms without sacrificing too much of WP's philosophy, so one says, "why is it so hard for others to port their apps?". Well, it can be hard... I'm not that elite enough to describe the challenges, but they are there, but to be fair, I feel their not that blocking in the least.
And then there's advertising the product and OS itself.... MS can just... do... better...
In any case, I still thoroughly enjoy the OS, but I feel that's more because I live well on Alphajax. I don't need a crap tonne of apps, I have a few that do a good job (Sleep Well is OK for Sleep as Android replacement, not great but good, heheh). I love where I'm seeing it going, and I like the stuff it has. I just see some mistakes and take in the slow progress as a point of contention. I want it to be where it's going, yesterday. So I can be a lil worried with the Moto G news, it's re-entering a market MS's just barely digging into. Now tell people they'll get candy crush and week two updates of many prime apps at 176$... and many will wonder. Plus, walk into an ATT store and you're still more likely to be persuaded to try an android after the sales rep gives the now seemingly mandatory "Why WP is good" speech. Sat through the whole talk, then ended on the sales rep suggesting, "But I'd say try the Galaxy note 3!".
So, I can go on, and go deeper, but that's the jist of my feelings. Tear into it if you'd like; agree disagree, what have you. But note if I'm pointing these out and I like the OS and still use it, imagine the general populous outside of the explorers, or those already in another ecosystem. These thoughts aren't wrapped in a minority.
EDIT: Also, there's the customary easy temp fix of tossing out more similar (to the MotoG ) specked devices in the same price bracket. At that point MS will be dropping the licencing fees for the OS (if it already hasn't with the 520-525), which could be a saving grace movement.