Be honest guys, could WP7 fail completly?

[cdook]

I think Microsoft needs a bigger advertising budget for Windows Phone. And it needs to be cool and catchy. Android didn't really take off until the Droid marketing campaign. WP7 needs something cool. Maybe a bunch of Xbox Live avatars raiding a tomb for the hidden treasure using their Windows Phone. They could checkin using the OS, update their status, chat and then use the Maps app to find the hidden treasure. Maybe throw in an achievement unlocked screen at the end as a joke.

 

[Coffee]

their 'really?' ads are pretty good, actually. they need more.

 

[Forgewizard]

Coming from WEB OS and PALM - its apparent that even with the backing of a large corporation and tons of cash - anything can "fail" if the plug gets pulled from the source! But I don't see that happening with WP7. What DOES need to happen is that Stores that are retailing the devices need to actually RETAIL THE DEVICES!

When I went to Verizon last week (long after the release of their WP Trophy) theydidn't even have a windows device in their sales store! Two reps commented that WP devices don't sell very well - to which I bluntly replied - how can you sell something you do NOT display?

Verizon might as well be called VANDROIDZONE! Nothing but android with a smattering of RIM. I'm a persistent customer though - I'd done my homework, read tons of reviews, visitied both Android and WP forums BEFORE seeking an Arrive. Although I allowed Verizon to offer me an Android based HTC Merge for trial - I only did so to see of Verizon had signal at my house - the rep was going to order a WP7 Trophy for me if the signal test was successful.

While there I endured some unpleasant comments about the Palm Pre and about Windows Mobile. Having tried a few Windows Mobile devices in the past I was aware of that OS shortcomings too. But I simply said to the rep - That while Chevy, Dodge and Ford were considered the biggest many of us chose Volkswagens - which enjoyed considerable success in the face of the big three. Consumers will chooses what suits them best and the retailers need to offer this choice. Everybody laughed when the first Volkswagens were imported to the US in 1949 - but in just a few short years the big three were revising many of their models to compete with what the consumers were evidently interested in!
A good salesperson will NOT insult the customer by making derogatory remarks about the customers past choices or intended choices. A good sales person will do their best to accommodate the customer. I can guarantee you I will NOT promote Verizon nor Android phones. I will however be showing off my new Arrive and WP7!

I had to travel 75 miles away from my home to find a rep that would sell me a WP 7 Arrive! If I wasn't such a focused consumer (and one who drove Volkswagens for years) I'd be like many others - pushed into getting a device that did NOT suit my needs.

Failure won't come at the hands of the OS - it will come from the hands of the people pairing the OS with a device and ultimately the sales reps responsible to promote the device!

 

[mapexvenus]

Here is another way that Microsoft can gain and retain marketshare. I am a new Windows Phone user and have the HTC HD7S and very eagerly awaiting the Mango upgrade which many other devices seem to have gotten. According to the Microsoft 'Wheres my update page', the update for the HD7S is currently 'scheduling'. This is the status that was updated on 9/27, and according to MS, the update is delivered usually within 10 business days. Well, it has been 9 business days. If Microsoft doesn't either push the update, or update the status on their webpage tomorrow (the least I can expect) I will be walking.

 

[Pronk]

that may be the fault of the TV stations there rather than MS themselves.

What, for not showing them for free?

Example: I watch The Gadget Show sometimes - a prime time tech show. Apple advertise in the breaks, HP do, Samsung, Dell. Even Microsoft (for PCs). But no WP7 ads. That's prime opportunity - but nothing. Weird.

 

[starblade876]

As I'm sure others have said, it's pretty foolish to think that WP is going to fail. MS's business is computing and computing has evolved to include mobile. If they let Apple have an ecosystem without trying to compete with their own ecosystem, it would only be a matter of time before their desktop OS fell. MS knows how key this is, which is why I'm pretty sure they'll keep at it or die trying.

 

[shlomo80]

their 'really?' ads are pretty good, actually. they need more.

I'm not sure they appeal to the right people. The mentality it'd suit is someone who's already prepared to move on - and that doesn't really describe the Apple-addled masses.

Microsoft really needs to make capital of the added awesomesauce of WP7. So far I haven't seen a single ad that really puts it front and centre.

 

[Pronk]

I dunno. The "Really?" ads (which I've only seen online) are a bit strange. I get the idea that it's supposed to show you can dip in and out and get on with your life, but I think the execution of the ads, and even what they're showing, is questionable. It doesn't show particularly well why WP7 is good at quick look access for basic info (speed, clear simple layout, services all combined in one area, information shown on tiles etc - you see that for all of 2 seconds right at the end with one shot of the start screen, with no explanation whatsoever about what it is) and it also could unintentionally put across the idea that WP7 isn't enough to hold your interest. Sure people get distracted by phones, but they also enjoy using them for fun - which is why they're distracting mainly, not because it takes 1/2 an hour a go to check tweets/texts on other formats compared to WP7.

It's advertising something that also isn't true in a way. WP7 might tell you e.g. how many emails you have at a glance (as, to be fair, do most other OSs), but it doesn't have some magic way to let you read them any faster. You still have to go in and do that. I'd love to see if there were some stats that show people use WP7 phones for less time and get the same amount done, but I'd be willing to bet that it actually works out to be much the same amount of time as other smartphones because people are probably doing the same things - sending tweets, reading facebook posts, sending/reading emails, looking up things on the web, playing games etc. WP7 can't do any of those things any faster because they can't make the end user read faster or make the mobile internet faster. So when you think about it, what they're actually saying is with WP7 it's probably marginally faster to get low-level information such as no. of emails, no. of tweets, no. of FB updates, basic weather, than other formats - and that's it. And then it's arguable that with full widgets on Android you could get more information in more or less the same time, so it might not even be WP7 is best.

So yeah - I think as soon as you stop to look at those ads, they really let WP7 down by just not showing it and not showing its biggest strengths.

 

[Coffee]

I'm not sure they're any worse or better than other ads - the Droid Bionic ads are about some chick in an arena fighting machines - they barely show the phone or any capabilities. Apple commercials show the phone but mostly the people are all doing basic tasks that an phone can do - taking pics and videos.

The 'really' ads are effective because everyone knows people that walk around with their head down, into their phone. They're not perfect ads, and they shouldn't be the only ads.

 

[bustacapp]

Is it not just a case of MS holding back until Mango is omnipresent and Nokia roll out their new phones? Surely it's good sense to only push something once all the creases have been ironed out? I'm exepecting massive marketing of these phones sometime soon.

 

[jamon723]

Still Waiting

Here is another way that Microsoft can gain and retain marketshare. I am a new Windows Phone user and have the HTC HD7S and very eagerly awaiting the Mango upgrade which many other devices seem to have gotten. According to the Microsoft 'Wheres my update page', the update for the HD7S is currently 'scheduling'. This is the status that was updated on 9/27, and according to MS, the update is delivered usually within 10 business days. Well, it has been 9 business days. If Microsoft doesn't either push the update, or update the status on their webpage tomorrow (the least I can expect) I will be walking.

HD7S user here too. I guess today's not a "business" day. Really bummed with Mango still not being available for us. I've had nothing but Window's phones since HTC's 8125. After losing so much functionality to the improved UI in the "Mobile" to "Phone" change, it's frustrating to get that functionality back in these drawn out updates. Why MS can't seem to offer their loyal customers a date to expect updates and then deliver on that is disappointing. They send updates to infinitely different pc's almost weekly. And hearing all the feedback from the "random" users special enough to have received the update already is just insult to injury. C'mon MS, you're making it hard for loyalists to argue our case for choosing you.

BTW, to anyone w/ Mango, is it possible to attach video to a text yet (like we could 4 years ago with Windows Mobile)?

 

[mapexvenus]

HD7S user here too. I guess today's not a "business" day. Really bummed with Mango still not being available for us. I've had nothing but Window's phones since HTC's 8125. After losing so much functionality to the improved UI in the "Mobile" to "Phone" change, it's frustrating to get that functionality back in these drawn out updates. Why MS can't seem to offer their loyal customers a date to expect updates and then deliver on that is disappointing. They send updates to infinitely different pc's almost weekly. And hearing all the feedback from the "random" users special enough to have received the update already is just insult to injury. C'mon MS, you're making it hard for loyalists to argue our case for choosing you.

BTW, to anyone w/ Mango, is it possible to attach video to a text yet (like we could 4 years ago with Windows Mobile)?

If Microsoft is going get all picky about whether today is a business day or not then it really is their loss. One less WP7 user (me) probably isn't going to matter to them, which is also where they are missing the point.

The least Microsoft can do (to your point) is give us a realistic date and keep us updated if things change. When Apple says Oct 14th is iOS 5 then trust me, that is the date they will deliver the update. If they don't then I am quite sure that they will let their customers know.

 

[theman60099]

HD7S user here too. I guess today's not a "business" day. Really bummed with Mango still not being available for us. I've had nothing but Window's phones since HTC's 8125. After losing so much functionality to the improved UI in the "Mobile" to "Phone" change, it's frustrating to get that functionality back in these drawn out updates. Why MS can't seem to offer their loyal customers a date to expect updates and then deliver on that is disappointing. They send updates to infinitely different pc's almost weekly. And hearing all the feedback from the "random" users special enough to have received the update already is just insult to injury. C'mon MS, you're making it hard for loyalists to argue our case for choosing you.

BTW, to anyone w/ Mango, is it possible to attach video to a text yet (like we could 4 years ago with Windows Mobile)?

it's not MS fault that AT&T chose to delay the update for the HD7S so if anything u should complain to them and stop blaming MS.

 

[smcgrath0610]

Right now I'm cautiously optimistic. Everywhere I go I get asked "What phone are you using?", "Where did you get that?", "That's really Windows?". I see people becoming more and more curious about the platform as time goes on and I hope that with the release of windows 8 and the backing of the exceptionally strong Xbox Live platform we start seeing the entire Microsoft ecosystem start to really come to life because even though it's in it's infancy right now we're already starting to see some really cool stuff.

Here's the thing though: They need a catch, they need a hook to bring people in. Once you get aquianted with the platform you fall in love with it, but people that don't necessarily want XBL compatability or to complete the microsoft ecosystem need a reason to lean the direction of WP7 or WP7.5. Android and Apple have the advantage of being first out and staking a claim to most of the market, WP7.5 is at risk right now of becoming a "Me too!" candidate unless it brings some game changing things to the table.

 

[D.A.R.Y.L.]

Hmm, I don't think it will fail since MS has deep pockets like others have said. Looks like they are wanting WP7 in better hardware too.

Shocker! Microsoft to produce dual-core, LTE Windows Phones, other modern things
Shocker! Microsoft to produce dual-core, LTE Windows Phones, other modern things -- Engadget

 

[mapexvenus]

it's not MS fault that AT&T chose to delay the update for the HD7S so if anything u should complain to them and stop blaming MS.

Are you really that clueless? The updates are scheduled and planned jointly by MS and AT&T, with the former playing a larger role.

 

[jamon723]

Maybe I can quit whining tomorrow....

Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update arriving on AT&T HTC HD7S handsets on October 11 | WinRumors

 

[DarkFears]

We just have to try to remember that this is a first generation os, even though windows mobile has been around, wp7 is a totally new deal. Also, with a MASSIVE number of the worlds personal computers running with windows, microsoft has some serious advantages when it comes to designing, knowing, synchronizing the mobile world with their home stationary computing lives.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

It's not that I think WP7 will fail or get WORSE (if you're talking about gaining marketshare and consumer popularity it already has "failed")....I just don't see them getting out of the slump they're in. Carriers aren't interested in the platform (and I don't see that changing even though Microsoft says they are going to work with retail partners to promote it), and there aren't any new ginormous devices coming with HDMI output and crap like that to gain peoples' attention (who will never use that stuff anyway). Until Microsoft becomes heavily aggressive in their marketing (which I just don't see them doing because they have money to play with and can take the loss) they will never penetrate the holds iOS and Android have on their user bases to change platforms and learn something new. It's similar to how you see people who grew up with very little lots of times try to turn that around in their life and make millions because they started from nothing. This is what happened with Android....they were a small team with Google to back them up. iOS...well..they just copy people and patent it to make it look like their own lol. Microsoft, on the other hand, has kind of been riding along their success and hasn't had that "hunger" to dominate yet. It just feels like WP7 is a little project that they're doing to just see if they could succeed with a mobile platform to where if it never takes off it'll simply be like a "Meh...we tried...on to bigger things...".

Another thing that stands out to me as Microsoft not really trying as hard as they can is the apps that are already in the Marketplace....THEIR OWN APPS PRODUCED BY THEIR TEAMS, aren't even updated to Mango (i.e. the Angry Birds port that doesn't even run at 60 fps that Mango unlocked and doesn't support multitasking). I just think Microsoft is too large of a company to really "get it" because of how much money they have and their time investment in the things that ARE working for them (Windows 7, XBox, etc..); not to troll, but it's the reason I still have my Nexus S 4g in case Ice Cream Sandwich brings the "smoothness" that WP7 has (and CLOSE to the same battery life).

On the other hand.....I'm known for being a "debbie-downer" lol. Sorry...I'm just a realist and call it how I see it....

 

[bear_lx]

quote "Like I have said in other posts. Look it the Xbox, when it came out, Playstation was killing in the market and people were laughing at the xbox. MS just put s*** loads of cash into it and now look at it, number one. They have also showed with the xbox that they could evolve, and adjust to the times by making the xbox into a entertainment box that goes well beyond video games. All I see is dust behind the xbox now.


your wrong here, go to ebay and look at the xbox selling prices vs the ps3 selling prices. xbox has the edge for online gaming, but when it comes to graphics and game selection. ps3 is superior. it is more reliable, has a blue ray player, a full web browser, and far better hardware. who the **** still uses trays for cd's? thats so 1980's." unquote