BIGGEST Concern for WP7...

[Bballbenb]

I think WP7 is great. It might even be the best OS out there on cell phones right now. My biggest concern for it is timing.

I think if WP7 could have came out in the summer it could have been a HUGE hit. Not many phones came out this summer. With Google and Apple, they both have huge releases coming up. Google with Ice Cream Sandwich, the recent Droid Bionic, and Google Nexus Prime. Apple with iPhone 5 and icloud and iOS 5.

Yes Mango will probably release a month or few weeks before these all do, but people wanting a new phone may be sidetracked by these upcoming releases Also, Verizon which is the biggest cell phone carrier only has 1 WP7 device and none currently announced.

I really hope WP7 can become a strong 3rd compeitor or enough to stay in business, but I cant help but wonder if the timing was horribly planned for its release.

Whats everyones thoughts?

 

[Winterfang]

My biggest concern was and is the lack of phones. Something sadly Microsoft isn't paying much attention, hopefully Nokia comes and saves the day.

 

[Dave Blake]

I think we need new hardware. If we can get some signature type devices like the HTC (Titan & Radar) devices from Samsung and Nokia WP stands a chance of becoming the top platform. I think if WP picks up some great devices, gets 4G on board and gains a little momentum things might just start getting interesting by the end of next year. As for is there a time line on when is or was the best time to launch... No I dont think it makes a difference WP is a great platform with great hardware and some timely marketing I think we will be okay.

 

[jfa1]

Nokia has said and reaffirmed they will have a WP out in Q$ 2011 Their strength is not in NA but elsewhere. They probably wont be in NA until 2012. If they can get real market traction in Euroipe and Asia then that will be very good. The Titan and Foicus need to be marketed and marketed and marketed and they need it now and for the nest six weeks. The Mango needs to get out next FRIDAY in a really big way without glitches and issues. It would be really nice if the focus couls fly like the Galaxy S and Tab and the Titan be a blockbuster as well WE need to get on a roll and get it gear! It can happen!

 

[scottcraft]

I think we need new hardware. If we can get some signature type devices like the HTC (Titan & Radar) devices from Samsung and Nokia WP stands a chance of becoming the top platform. I think if WP picks up some great devices, gets 4G on board and gains a little momentum things might just start getting interesting by the end of next year. As for is there a time line on when is or was the best time to launch... No I dont think it makes a difference WP is a great platform with great hardware and some timely marketing I think we will be okay.

I agree. Some killer phones with good advertising will go a long ways towards helping WP grow.

 

[Sparxy19]

I think advertising is the key to success but it really does help if you have some great devices to advertise it really does help.

 

[wellsmanfu]

Definitely need to step up their advertising big time, and I think that Big D5 is right, they need to get on the 4G bandwagon. That's what the carriers are advertising, and it seems that only Android devices have it. You put the Titan or Radar up against a high end Android and give both 4G, then the customer, AND the sales rep, will have to really consider WP7, imo.

 

[psychotron]

I think we're beginning to see that WP7 is just a part of a larger overall strategy for MS. I believe once the Metro UI and concept begins to populate the Windows PC and XBox platforms we will see a sharp uptake in the public's awareness and WP7 will almost certainly come along for that ride. Once all that starts coming in to play then WP7 will start getting the love it deserves.

 

[theefman]

Sad that we're still talking about MS's lack of advertising almost 1 year in. And already looking for the next big "event" that will jumpstart WP7 adoption, since it seems Mango may not do it.

 

[jfa1]

They are making steps in marketing and its not the same business model as Apples where they have one smartphone at a time to market plus the ios updates. There are multiple smartphones an variations of the same devices so there are more fingers and hands baking many cakes at the same time in different ovens so to speak!

 

[Pronk]

Apple have an advantage in that they're marketing a complete product. MS aren't. MS are marketing an OS that's used on products. So even if you like WP7, you still have to then find a handset you like it on.

This is the flipside of wider choice - you simply can't get the same focus on marketing with one company doing one product. When Apple advertise an iPhone, they can say whatever they like about any aspect of it because they own the whole thing. If MS do an advert, unless they specifically state what they're showing they have to be careful who's phone they show so as not to put another OEMs nose out of joint, have to make sure any feature shown is available on all models (so can't show any stand-out features that differentiate one handset from another) and so on.

They might be better off subsidising OEMs to market their WP7 handsets themselves - then there'd be a variety of advertising and the strengths of each handset on top of WP7 could be highlighted (best camera, biggest screen, best audio etc.).

Plus there's one big issue I have noticed. Every WP7 ad I've seen (and there aren't many) has been pretty "meh". WP7 is a very nifty OS. You don't make it look cool and appealing by making yet another "lifestyle" advert that with a few tweaks could be advertising any product from a big corporation, from shower gel to vacuum cleaners. Love or hate Apple products, their adverts stand out. They're simple, clean, effective and showcase the product without getting technical. MS needs to find a way to stand out and let the product speak for itself too.

 

[Enemy Zero]

There's a lot of good ideas here. I think they need to get more phones with more current features out there. It doesn't seem right that AT&T has 4 different phones and every other carrier gets 1. There should be more of the others on every platform.

4G will help but I believe a lot of it would be to get us on par with ios and android as far as development. Every app that comes out instantly says "for ios and android". Now if we could get every release to say "for ios, android and windows phone" there'd be a major advantage in the choice people have. A lot of people I know will choose the phone that can do the most for them even though with 400,000+ apps, they'll never use all the apps available to them. People just like knowing that no matter what they want to do they can find the exact app they want.

 

[selfcreation]

im not concerned at all....

Sells are going up , New phones are coming out...

1: they release 12 phones in 12 months.... WP7 is NOT lacking phones .. its maybe lacking phones on carriers.. but in general we got 12!!!!!!! witch is allot .. and we have 12 more coming.......(considering this was the FIRST gen Phones ..its ALOT )

as for carriers having more phones then others that’s 100% UP tot he carriers and NOT MS ..... so change carriers .. dont get mad at MS.

**** i work for BELL i have a FREE line with BELL .. but i got my FOCUS with ROGERS cause it was a better phone . LOL.. ( and now i pay 50$ a month lol cause of a phone model when it could have been free)

android came out with like 4-5 phones the first year!! ... you guys dont know your CELL history much lol...

2. release date does nothing honestly.... it might of been good to get MANGO last month for the school year , but now we are getting it for the HOLIDAYS witch is just as good if not better... not to mention we get updates at a quicker pace then Iphone , Android and BB.. (thumbs up )

as for the other releasing Updates... let them... WP7 for the time being is simply a OS that other Iphone or android users can fall on , if they start hating their OS ( witch is already starting to happen ) with in time YES it might become a competitor for Iphone and Android, but for the time being its not. its simply a fall guy. i just wish XBOX got BLUE-RAY that way we would attract more Console users and in return moer WP users.

as for advertising , if you guys did any reading you would know they did boost it.. AND!! they are hiring for MS reps to train store reps, that alone is better then running 100000 commercials, cause now store reps will actually start pushing it it out.
( commercials for me mean nothing , I don’t even watch TV lol )


as for hardware .. we are getting new hardware!! only thing we are missing is the DUEL-CORE and LTE .... but to my knowledge that’s just a matter of time ( like 3rd GEN ) i think MS is waiting on Nokia to launch the MID range WP ( witch will basically be the same Quality as the phones we have now ) once that happeneds they can start busting out 3rd gen SUPPER PHONES... (duel-core, More RAM .. ect.... ) and existing phone will become MID range ( this makes sens if you think of the NO PHONE LEFT BEHIND policies MS has )

as for you saying that WP is simply not interactive enough or not as smooth ad good as Iphoen and blah blah blah , click here and be done with it LOL: http://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-wins-idea-people-s-choice-award-and-two-others


I can compare all of your worries to Parents being MAD at a 3 year old kid that doesn’t know how to swim yet!... GIVE HIM TIME!! lolll his still young!!!!

Patients is a Virtue… but I know that Virtue is a Grace and Grace is a little girl that dint wash her face… LOL

 

[Pronk]

They may have had 12 phones, but (the HD7S aside) they mostly all came out at the same time at the initial WP7 launch. We're seeing new stuff now, but there's been a big wait.

Android manages a constant hum of interest because new handsets arrive on a monthly basis. A lot of them are rubbish, but there's always something new to look at. Apple build to an annual peak of interest with one handset, and that handset usually has both advanced features that mean it stays fresh until the next iteration (the iPhone 4 retina display is still the best screen I've seen on a handset) and a striking, minimalist design. WP7 has been a bit unlucky so far because they've had the once a year launch pattern but with hardware that has, to a varying extent, been based on existing Android handsets. There's been less of a "wow, look at that phone" buzz with WP7 handsets - until now. Love it or hate it it's undeniable that the Titan is very noticeable and has set the ball rolling, and I think the Focus S and the Sea Ray will really get things going too.

This is where Nokia will add the most value though. Striking top of the range handsets and cheaper models that are genuinely unique to WP7 and will help give it it's own market identity. And that can only be good as it makes others raise their game and gives us more choice.

 

[selfcreation]

They may have had 12 phones, but (the HD7S aside) they mostly all came out at the same time at the initial WP7 launch. We're seeing new stuff now, but there's been a big wait.

Android manages a constant hum of interest because new handsets arrive on a monthly basis. A lot of them are rubbish, but there's always something new to look at. Apple build to an annual peak of interest with one handset, and that handset usually has both advanced features that mean it stays fresh until the next iteration (the iPhone 4 retina display is still the best screen I've seen on a handset) and a striking, minimalist design. WP7 has been a bit unlucky so far because they've had the once a year launch pattern but with hardware that has, to a varying extent, been based on existing Android handsets. There's been less of a "wow, look at that phone" buzz with WP7 handsets - until now. Love it or hate it it's undeniable that the Titan is very noticeable and has set the ball rolling, and I think the Focus S and the Sea Ray will really get things going too.

This is where Nokia will add the most value though. Striking top of the range handsets and cheaper models that are genuinely unique to WP7 and will help give it it's own market identity. And that can only be good as it makes others raise their game and gives us more choice.

so what your suggestion is instead of launching 12 phones on launch day (or the first phew months ) ,, they should have waiting and launch them over the last 12 months??i guess that could of worked but probly would of made people complain even more...and i agree that one or 2 phones this summer could have been a nice boost doh... but with the new hardware coming out it was just not profitable and i think most of us would still have waited for the FFC + 4g + + + + .mango..ect....

Its funny , Apple is considering dropping Retina for S-AMOLED Plus , lol . causer its better (iphone6 = SAMOLED+ hehehe) ive spent allot of times arguing with my Iphone 4 Colleagues lol on witch screen was better .. we basically came to a understanding that it came down to personal choice. Amoled is Much brighter and colors are a lot more ALIVE … but Retina has more pixels and its less saturated BUT colors look faded… with the AMOLED PLUS 50% boost in Pixel ,, its gona be hard to beet

ether way ... i think that in the Next 12months we are going to see a MUCH BIGGER BANG!! then we did in the last 12 months... hopefully.

 

[theefman]

How did we get to 12 phones? WP7 has:

Trophy
Mozart
HD7/HD7S
Omnia 7
Focus
Dell Venue Pro
7 Pro/Arrive
LG Quantum
LG Optimus 7

Dont think I missed any but even if we say 12 in total there have been at the very least twice as many android handsets in the same timeframe. The number of WP7 handsets is nothing to write home about and its not helped that so many carriers have just 1 device, limiting the choice. Whereas on the same carrier you can choose from at least 5 handsets released in the last 3 months. No way WP7 will remain in people's minds when there is always a new "best" android device to drool over.

Anyway we know as far as htc & co are concerned this wont change so lets hope Nokia is true to their word and have a constant stream of handsets coming.

 

[archer75]

Lack of advertising. Developers not taking it seriously. I can't even begin to tell you as I look for apps how often I see, available for iphone, android and blackberry. Rarely a mention of wp7.

I tell my friends and coworkers about windows phone and the vast majority of them never heard of a windows phone. Salesmen at stores don't know anything about them and try to push android and ios.
If microsoft and it's partners would advertise more and educate the salesmen out there then I think sales would skyrocket.

It's not an issue of phones(there are plenty of them) or of carriers(they are on all of them). It's education.

 

[selfcreation]

How did we get to 12 phones? WP7 has:

Trophy
Mozart
HD7/HD7S
Omnia 7
Focus
Dell Venue Pro
7 Pro/Arrive
LG Quantum
LG Optimus 7

Dont think I missed any but even if we say 12 in total there have been at the very least twice as many android handsets in the same timeframe. The number of WP7 handsets is nothing to write home about and its not helped that so many carriers have just 1 device, limiting the choice. Whereas on the same carrier you can choose from at least 5 handsets released in the last 3 months. No way WP7 will remain in people's minds when there is always a new "best" android device to drool over.

Anyway we know as far as htc & co are concerned this wont change so lets hope Nokia is true to their word and have a constant stream of handsets coming.

kk let me list them for you:

1.Samsung Omina 7
2.Samsung Focus
3.LG optimus
4.LG Optimums Quantum
5.HTC mozart
6. HTC 7 Pro
7. HTC trophy
8. HTc HD 7
9. HTC HD7s
10.HTC surround
11 HTC arrive.
12. DELL VENU PRO
does all came out in the first phew months.....

and thes are coming...

13. SAmsung FOCUS s
14. HTC titant
15. HTC radar
16. IS12T
17. SAMSUNG W ( or something )
18. NOkia Sea RAY
19. probly more Nokia
20. probly more Nokia


i only expect more and more WP to come out .. it was the first year!! and clearly you dont make 100000 phones on a brand new OS, you wait to see if its worth the investment.....

you says android made alote of phone?? the first eyar they only had 5.... 7 less then WP .... we are actually doing good... and i by WE i mean wp7.

Lack of advertising. Developers not taking it seriously. I can't even begin to tell you as I look for apps how often I see, available for iphone, android and blackberry. Rarely a mention of wp7.

I tell my friends and coworkers about windows phone and the vast majority of them never heard of a windows phone. Salesmen at stores don't know anything about them and try to push android and ios.
If microsoft and it's partners would advertise more and educate the salesmen out there then I think sales would skyrocket.

When was the last time you read an article about wp7? and MS... lol ... every thing you just said MS is doing AS WE SPEAK. they are in the process of hiring WP7 Reps to teach store reps and to help them better sell it...and they are also working on the next add campaign witch will start in * FALL* with mango...

Yes ok maybe they should have started sooner … but its also up top the OEM`s/RTM`s to do advertising… and they are not helping..

 

[smartpatrol]

I don't blame Microsoft for not advertising too much. They need to save their real ad blitz for Mango, when they have a product that really shines. No sense trying to sell WP7 while it's missing many of its killer features.

Regarding handsts, let's be honest. It seems like there are dozens of Android handsets announced every month. Meanwhile we are stuck with the same handful of WP7 devices basically since launch last year. It wouldn't be a problem if we had a couple iPhone-caliber devices. But really, WP7 devices are just last-year's recycled Android phones.

I honestly think we're lucky that we're getting any HTC or Samsung Windows Phones this year. Samsung and HTC have ZERO reason to want WP7 to succeed. They're both making a good profit selling Android phones. Android is free (vs $15 for a WP7 license), and it allows them to put their own custom skins and software on the device.

Nokia are the only handset manufacturer who is truly invested in WP7's success. I don't expect WP7's fortunes to change until their products launch.

 

[archer75]

When was the last time you read an article about wp7? and MS... lol ... every thing you just said MS is doing AS WE SPEAK. they are in the process of hiring WP7 Reps to teach store reps and to help them better sell it...and they are also working on the next add campaign witch will start in * FALL* with mango...

Yes ok maybe they should have started sooner ? but its also up top the OEMS to do advertising? and they are not helping..

The only articles you read about wp7 are about how disappointing sales are which are followed by a slew of comments about how much wp7 sucks and it's dead.

But yes, they should have started sooner. I think the phones should have launched with the features that mango provides and it would have been in better shape today. I just wish microsoft and the OEM's would hurry up!

Any guesses on a release date for the samsung focus s and how much a contract-less one would cost?