I know a lot of people are chomping at the bit to get a flagship in the next few months. It's just not going to happen.
But if MS plays their cards right, a Spring multi-carrier launch of flagships could be a boost for the ecosystem. Similar to the Windows Phone 8 launch but avoiding the pitfalls.
WP 8 launched at a bad time. Fall is iPhone season. It got all the media hype. Also, those devices (920, 8X, Ativ S) didn't stand out except the 920's wireless charging and OIS. They were otherwise not any better and unfortunately heftier than phones released 6 months prior. And finally, WP8 was a reset and really had large app gap. Too many strikes for the ecosystem at the time.
Today WP OS is free, many hardware restrictions are gone, there are plenty of apps, and the OS is updated to support the latest SOC/screen res. So building a WP device is easier now than ever for the Android manufacturers.
If they launch a Lumia 1040 device, a WP HTC M9, and maybe a Samsung or LG or Sony high end device, alongside Windows Phone 10 in Spring, they could make waves. They need to make sure the hardware stacks up well against the Androids that come out then (SD 805/810, 2+ GB RAM, large 10+ hour battery, 130-150 grams, amazing screen, etc) and be priced attractively. Yes, they will compete with the S6 and Android HTC One M9 but it is better that they compete with them in Spring than in Fall with 6 months old specs like the WP8 launch phones. It won't necessarily cause an explosion in sales, but it will create buzz and build a reputation that WP also can be at the cutting edge of both hardware and software.
But if MS plays their cards right, a Spring multi-carrier launch of flagships could be a boost for the ecosystem. Similar to the Windows Phone 8 launch but avoiding the pitfalls.
WP 8 launched at a bad time. Fall is iPhone season. It got all the media hype. Also, those devices (920, 8X, Ativ S) didn't stand out except the 920's wireless charging and OIS. They were otherwise not any better and unfortunately heftier than phones released 6 months prior. And finally, WP8 was a reset and really had large app gap. Too many strikes for the ecosystem at the time.
Today WP OS is free, many hardware restrictions are gone, there are plenty of apps, and the OS is updated to support the latest SOC/screen res. So building a WP device is easier now than ever for the Android manufacturers.
If they launch a Lumia 1040 device, a WP HTC M9, and maybe a Samsung or LG or Sony high end device, alongside Windows Phone 10 in Spring, they could make waves. They need to make sure the hardware stacks up well against the Androids that come out then (SD 805/810, 2+ GB RAM, large 10+ hour battery, 130-150 grams, amazing screen, etc) and be priced attractively. Yes, they will compete with the S6 and Android HTC One M9 but it is better that they compete with them in Spring than in Fall with 6 months old specs like the WP8 launch phones. It won't necessarily cause an explosion in sales, but it will create buzz and build a reputation that WP also can be at the cutting edge of both hardware and software.
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