The 3 horses! Which is the best?

[k0de]

MSFT analogy is that "There is 3 horses in the race now."

Everyone knows that mobile computing is not a race but a marathon. In this marathon Google/Android is in the lead. Coming in second is Apple/iOS. Third but not least MSFT/WP.

Which is the best OS/Hardware?

While I agree that the question is a subjective one. We all must also agree that subjective or not one of these three horses have to be the best in OS and hardware manufacturing.

In my opinion the best OS/hardware award goes to MSFT.

But wait. Is that all that is necessary to be the best? So why is MSFT/WP in 3rd place? And why with all the flaws Google/Android is in 1st place and most popular?

There is more to this. My conclusion; There is many factors far beyond OS/Hardware manufacturing quality that make any of these horses the best and to stand alone all in first place by itself.

What do you think that Google/Android and Apple/iOS are doing that MSFT/WP can improve to gain some ground on this marathon?

 

[bilzkh]

Windows Phone is no horse... It's an eagle. It doesn't need to race with horses, it soars above them and seeks out new heights (i.e. ideas, expectations, etc). Not everyone can appreciate an eagle, but that doesn't take away from an eagle's intrinsic nobility. As for horses, they stink.

 

[tgp]

Windows Phone is no horse... It's an eagle. It doesn't need to race with horses, it soars above them and seeks out new heights (i.e. ideas, expectations, etc). Not everyone can appreciate an eagle, but that doesn't take away from an eagle's intrinsic nobility. As for horses, they stink.

But the eagle doesn't really do anything useful. The horse, however, does.

 

[user928]

In a horse race, the longshot pays the best odds.

 

[k0de]

In a horse race, the longshot pays the best odds.

At the end Windows will win the race. By a full stride.

 

[Guytronic]

By the numbers and web rhetoric it's not much of race currently.

More like one emerging nation against 2 superpowers with nukes aimed at everybody.

 

[k0de]

By the numbers and web rhetoric it's not much of race currently.

More like one emerging nation against 2 superpowers with nukes aimed at everybody.

Lol, this a 25 mile marathon. It is only the 5 mile. Smile 20 more miles to go. . Besides if Windows flop. Apple owe Windows a bail out. But that won't be necessary.

 

[trivor]

At the 4 year point, with only 3% share in the US (better in some regions around the world especially with the popularity of the 520/521) and with over 65% of owners already having a smartphone it's difficult to see where MS/Nokia will gain additional market share. Unless someone is truly unhappy with their phone (Android/iOS) then the additional cost in apps/content (think games and sometimes video with Google Play, iTunes and XBox Video) will very often dissuade someone from changing OSes. There is no obvious, compelling feature of Windows Phone (easier and better is a subjective, not objective opinion about all threes OSes) that will entice people to switch OSes and MS/Nokia continuing inability to get a single model across all carriers simultaneously (better marketing of the phone with all carriers running ads for the phones and the manufacturer's pushing their own hardware) makes it hard to see where the catalyst for Windows Phone to take another leap forward from its current plateau in the United States. Personally, I believe this is one of the biggest impediments to Windows Phone because people rarely (any more - the ATT/iPhone exclusivity was the only one I can think of for the first few years of the iPhone), if ever, switch carriers for a phone - it is always about coverage, price, or service.

 

[k0de]

At the 4 year point, with only 3% share in the US (better in some regions around the world especially with the popularity of the 520/521) and with over 65% of owners already having a smartphone it's difficult to see where MS/Nokia will gain additional market share. Unless someone is truly unhappy with their phone (Android/iOS) then the additional cost in apps/content (think games and sometimes video with Google Play, iTunes and XBox Video) will very often dissuade someone from changing OSes. There is no obvious, compelling feature of Windows Phone (easier and better is a subjective, not objective opinion about all threes OSes) that will entice people to switch OSes and MS/Nokia continuing inability to get a single model across all carriers simultaneously (better marketing of the phone with all carriers running ads for the phones and the manufacturer's pushing their own hardware) makes it hard to see where the catalyst for Windows Phone to take another leap forward from its current plateau in the United States. Personally, I believe this is one of the biggest impediments to Windows Phone because people rarely (any more - the ATT/iPhone exclusivity was the only one I can think of for the first few years of the iPhone), if ever, switch carriers for a phone - it is always about coverage, price, or service.

Lol, Your point is valid as of today. MSFT will only continue to get better and better as time goes on. So what MSFT is in third place. Guarantee that won't be the final outcome. Just be patient. Like I said there is 20 miles to go on this marathon.

 

[nc1886]

At the 4 year point, with only 3% share in the US (better in some regions around the world especially with the popularity of the 520/521) and with over 65% of owners already having a smartphone it's difficult to see where MS/Nokia will gain additional market share. Unless someone is truly unhappy with their phone (Android/iOS) then the additional cost in apps/content (think games and sometimes video with Google Play, iTunes and XBox Video) will very often dissuade someone from changing OSes. There is no obvious, compelling feature of Windows Phone (easier and better is a subjective, not objective opinion about all threes OSes) that will entice people to switch OSes and MS/Nokia continuing inability to get a single model across all carriers simultaneously (better marketing of the phone with all carriers running ads for the phones and the manufacturer's pushing their own hardware) makes it hard to see where the catalyst for Windows Phone to take another leap forward from its current plateau in the United States. Personally, I believe this is one of the biggest impediments to Windows Phone because people rarely (any more - the ATT/iPhone exclusivity was the only one I can think of for the first few years of the iPhone), if ever, switch carriers for a phone - it is always about coverage, price, or service.

If MS ups their game then they will be fine. WP8.1 and the push to the cloud are already huge improvements, but I believe we will see the most progress with Windows 9, as MS unifies all their OSes and improves their cloud and service divisions. I agree they should add some compelling features, but I don't think they necessarily need them to succeed, they only need to be competitive.
People switch back and forth from ecosystems- lots of people go from Android to iOS or iOS to Android, so I don't think WP is doomed just by being the minority ecosystem. Actually, I think the reason people tend to stick with Apple / Android is because of brand loyalty to Apple/Hardware OEMs, or Google itself. So if Microsoft can improve their services devision, I think they will push even more people to WP. And I'm very optimistic because now that Ballmer is gone, they are capitalizing on this.