What is the Value Proposition of Windows Phone?

[runamuck83]

What is it

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/valueproposition.asp

As in investing???

 

[runamuck83]

stupid thing cut off my entire thread.

Anyway, what is the value proposition of Windows Phone over Android & iOS? Why should an average user choose it over those two competing options?

Someone asked me why they should switch, and I couldn't give them a good answer.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

stupid thing cut off my entire thread.

Anyway, what is the value proposition of Windows Phone over Android & iOS? Why should an average user choose it over those two competing options?

Someone asked me why they should switch, and I couldn't give them a good answer.

Your first question was easier to answer. lol

Well, I've never used an iProduct, so I'm not really in the position to answer that part of your question. I do, however, think that Apple's mobile products are really top-of-the-line devices. I can't stand them; but I can't deny that they apparently are as good as they are advertised to be. For whatever reason, I just never got into Apple....well, there is a reason, but it's really pretty lame. lol

As far as Android.... The biggest complaint I've seen in forums like these is the supposed lag a lot of Android devices seem to suffer from after consistent use. I've never experienced it, but my Android expertise is very limited: Sony Xperia Z Ultra, ASUS Padfone, and the original ASUS Transformer tablet. I think the high-end Android devices are probably equal to the quality of Apple devices. The mid to low range droids are the ones that I'm assuming get the most complaints. I love my 1520 and 1320, but I also really love my Z Ultra too.

I've always been a WP user though. I bought the Samsung Focus the day it was released, and have stayed with WP ever since. I've had two Android phones over the past 4 or so years...mostly as experiments to see just what I might be missing: ASUS Padfone and the Z. I've come to stick with Windows Phone because their phones do what I need and appeal to me in ways that the others don't. Do I wish we had the same quality apps that Apple and Android have?? Definitely. Do I sometimes see a new Android phone and think about saving up and buying it??? Every once in a while. But, all in all, I really like WP, and if they were advertised better and more people gave them a try, I think more and more people would like them too.

So basically, after all that, I really couldn't answer your question. lol

 

[runamuck83]

Haha, thanks for trying. I think this seems to be the general problem. There's no value proposition to windows phone over the others. It's kinda just like... "Yea, it does that too" (at best). The best thing I could come up with is the interface is different.

 

[aikidaves]

It seems to me that before you can determine the value proposition, you have to define the use case. Since we all use our phones differently, we're going to value certain features differently. For example, someone who uses her phone primarily for business communications - voice, text, email, web, shared Office documents - is unlikely to put a high value on the availability of game apps, although she may or may not care about music players. As another case, a dedicated gamer who's also into social networks may not care at all about SMS, email, or Office docs. So, my suggestion is to define your use cases first, then value propositions can be built based on them.

 

[runamuck83]

One would think though, that the goal of Microsoft is to become the #1 selling smartphone. In order to achieve that goal, they need to offer an experience that not only caters to everyone's individual needs but also a value proposition over its competitors. I cannot seem to find one at this point in time (even though I personally love it over the others). This led me to ponder if this is one of the primary reasons it's struggling to gain a wider audience.

 

[aikidaves]

One would think though, that the goal of Microsoft is to become the #1 selling smartphone.

In ANY business, being number 1 is a secondary goal, one that may be pursued if it leads to the primary goal, which is simply to make money. Consider Apple - they have never been number 1 in mobile phones in the world market and I would argue that they don't want to be, but they have been the most profitable phone maker for years. In my opinion Microsoft is playing a long game with the intent of increasing their profitability through their presence in the mobile market. I don't think their strategies and tactics to date have been as effective as they expected. However, they have deep pockets, and once they digest the Nokia phone division, they may begin improving on that. We shall see.

One of their issues is that despite the deep pockets they don't have the human resources to overpower Apple or the Android vendors (including Google) in terms of features and function in all areas. If they throw TOO much money at mobile, there will be a negative reaction from their stockholders, so their resources will remain constrained. In my opinion, they have to set good priorities and focus on them, and then communicate the value propositions in their areas of strength. Of course, their relative strengths will constantly shift vis-a-vis their competitors, since this is still a rapidly-changing market, so those value propositions are not going to be static (which may explain why they're not prominently displayed somewhere now).

So, what's WP's value proposition for you? For me, it was a case that at the time I got my L920 it met my desires (which I don't have time to enumerate now) more inexpensively than iOS or Android, and I find it more fun and less troublesome than either. But that's just me.

 

[runamuck83]

Yes, you're completely correct. #1 is not the ultimate goal. Making money, and bringing more customers into the Microsoft ecosystem, whole retaining the existing is the goal.

I also agree that the value proposition will be different for everyone. However, think about Apple and Google for a moment. Their value propositions are clear as you stated. Apple's value proposition is their quality, style, and ease of use. Google's is their customization, w to a breadth of web services, and broad device selection.

Where does Microsoft fall???