Folks who make up the 1% - why are you holding on?

[Sedp23]

Plenty of doom and gloom everywhere. I've used Windows Mobile since 2003. Then Windows Phone from 2010. Then Windows 10 Mobile since day 1.

There have been app gaps, there still are.
There have been missing features like copy and paste.
There have been bugs like random reboots.
There has recently been Pok?mon Go. I'm still here.

If you've stayed with Microsoft's mobile operating system for a long time and are seeing yourself as one who will still be here till the last Windows Phone is sat on the shelf, why? What keeps you from "jumping ship"?

My reasons are: I'm too far, too deep invested into the ecosystem. I'm sold on the one ecosystem dream. I always back the underdog. You?

I like the ecosystem I like the phone and Windows 10 on tablets. I don't care about Pok?mon go or Snapchat it's nothing I would regularly use anyway. Have great readit apps, forum apps, weather apps, fb, ig, and twitter and a great camera ....I'm fine

Sent from mTalk

 

[Zeem Frostmaw]

The UWP ecosystem is something the competition will never have. Also consistent dark themes are blissful and Continuum is <3

 

[fatclue_98]

The app gap is trivial, who cares about SnapChat, really. Someone making close to or over 6 figures, tell me why that and Pok?mon matter in a phone. Its an Adults OS.

I do and they don't.

 

[fatclue_98]

So you're saying that adults shouldn't be allowed to have fun? Why don't we have Periscope? Banking apps are improving, but we have holes. I follow many adults who use Snapchat actually. It's not fair to put things as adult and kid stuff.

I think you're trying to simplify too much. Younger folks have fallen into the trap of things being either this or that, with no room for a little grey. There is no doubt that Windows Mobile caters to a more mature crowd that cares more about efficiency and productivity than the latest fad game. The dark theme, symmetrical tiles and minimalist UI doesn't score any "flash" points with the hipsters but it strikes a chord with us old farts. Not surprisingly, I've come across a large number of engineers and architects who use Windows Phones and that's in Miami where the "pretty people" live and you're a nobody unless you have an iPhone.

 

[Guytronic]

Its an Adults OS

Really?
Well evidently the adults haven't heard about it because they aren't buying.

 

[Allen Rhodes]

I think you're trying to simplify too much. Younger folks have fallen into the trap of things being either this or that, with no room for a little grey. There is no doubt that Windows Mobile caters to a more mature crowd that cares more about efficiency and productivity than the latest fad game. The dark theme, symmetrical tiles and minimalist UI doesn't score any "flash" points with the hipsters but it strikes a chord with us old farts. Not surprisingly, I've come across a large number of engineers and architects who use Windows Phones and that's in Miami where the "pretty people" live and you're a nobody unless you have an iPhone.

Ohhhh boy, someone gets it!!!! Give this man a prize. iPhones became popular due to Apple showering Hollywood with its products, fact, look it up. At some point, provided MS continues down this path, the app gap may close a great deal. But we will NEVER see market shares past 10%. Is what it is. MS sells, will sell, their phones and OS on substance instead of flash. I prefer s company that listens to customer feedback instead of telling you what you should like, OR HOW TO HOLD YOUR PHONE.

 

[YC Neo]

very simple for me, I just want and really enjoy to be the 1%.

 

[farhanaxiq]

I don't know, I just seem to love this os, probably the most elegant os, it look nice with dark accent, the third part dev here is awesome

 

[TK2011]

- WP/WM is just overall solid. It's clean and rarely cause trouble. Some recent growing pains around W10M aside, just very dependable.
- I value communications (email, phone, IM) aspects of phone more than games and some apps that I can do without. WP/WM excels in areas that I care about more.
- Class leading cameras
- Relatively lower cost (Got my 950 and 950XL together for around $600. Can't beat that price to performance ratio)
- Live tiles
- I like and trust MS as a one-stop OS and online services provider.

 

[TechAbstract]

I am barely holding on to my Lumia 950 XL. I started out on Android for couple years before I went to iOS with iPhone 4S. Way before that I had a couple HP iPAQ pocket PC. The app situation has caught up with me. Windows mobile is not even a priority for Microsoft like it does with Google's Android and Apple's iOS. Getting tired of missing out the latest trendy apps/games friends are playing or talking about. It seems like everywhere I go have apps that are not available on Windows phone. Even at my work, there are few missing apps. I will be taking a hard look at the new iPhone coming out this fall. All Microsoft services are on iOS, so I won't miss much. I still can use my Office 365 email, Skype/Skype for Business, Azure Authenticator, SharePoint, Xbox, and GroupMe on iOS.

 

[Pieter Wolff]

I came from a N9 ( MeeGoo was fabulous ) via a Lumia 720 to my current 830. I'm still on 8.1 as it serves all my daily needs. I don't play games and use the phone to stay in touch with my loved ones. I love the camera and the reliability of the last Nokia. No crashes, black screens or other inconveniences. So no need to spend a fortune on a phone that does exactly the same but is merely a show off!

 

[Kimmo Toivanen]

Coming from dumb phones and feature phones to low-end android, L820 (3 years) and L640 (90€, used that now for 8 months). I'm also experimenting with 40€ low-end android as a work phone. Disclaimer: I have tried W10M many times and always reverted back to WP8.1.

- I like the start screen UI, lock screen weather and glance. Vertical scrolling is better than side-by-side screens. Even if transition has fancy animation Start screen can be pretty much replicated with SquareHome 2. Next lock screen vs WP lock screen - WP still wins
- I liked social integration of WP8.0. WP Facebook is decent, but android version is better.
- L640 is very OK phone. It works a lot better than android with 8GB flash because apps, that can be moved to SD, go fully to the SD. And there are not tone of Google apps having second version (factory + update) of them. My experiment has just 0.5G/4G, but it runs Here maps etc fine. Pokemon Go is more like no go though
- I don't switch phones for fun and I don't jump on first possible device in sight
- I don't like how Samsung puts the controls. Back on right, WTF I have used Apple products like 2 days. Not my cup of tea. Also both are expensive for their spec and their value of usage.
- I had hope for Windows on a phone, UWP etc, development to catch momentum, bridges, not so much on Continuum, but hey - my phone does not have it. I had hope for midrange device with good value (L830 never was) as an upgrade this year or bit later. Well, we all know how that went with MS ending consumer phone development and no serious alternatives in sight. Just enterprise and SD21x phones. Windows mobile is not dead. It's just pining for the fjords
- L950 is currently selling at 300€, but it is not interesting. Camera may be very good (is it on level with launch time marketing material?). Still - no.
- Last time I went to W10M and reverted, few apps were gone from the store. Guess if they are available at the other 2 ecosystems
- SMSes are stored in cloud and in that sense hard reset or device change is less painfull. I guess android still needs some app to store and recover SMSes. But then Health did not store steps to cloud even though synchronization was on. Health is also quite slow. Androids phones seem to have similar functionality.

WP8.1 is still nice OS to use, but for me, without devices or app upgrade path on W10M, there will be time to move over. Maybe I'll see what Nokia brand has to offer

 

[Narathan]

I've been using Android since version 1.3 up to 6.0.1 and the problem I've had with Android has always been the uncertainty of seeing the next update on my devices. And the bugs, the slowdowns - especially the slowdowns! WHY do you need a quadcore cpu and around 3-6 GB's on ram for Android, and it *still* somehow has lagspikes and freezes? Bad optimization between hard- and software I guess. I've had so many phones I lost count on how much money I spent on that ecosystem, but I'm sure I could've gotten me a nice car!

I remember my first Windows Phone, the Dell Venue Pro. That device blew me away and I still miss it. It was unique and I could upgrade all the way from 7.0 to 7.8 - AMAZING.
8.0 to 8.1 was still amazing, my HTC 8X was fenominally sleek and sexy. I was truely heartbroken once I heard it couldn't be upgraded to 10. At some point I got a Nokia 928 and that thing was just as glorious as my Dell Venue Pro.

I now rock a 950XL and even though I absolutely hate the device (hardware and its build quality), I love the OS even with all its "flaws".

The App gap is a minor nuisance to me since I'm just a boring healthcare manager. I've never played any games on my phones and all I do is listen to music, watch some series on it and read up on whatever's next in the technology and healthcare world. And WhatsApp ofcourse.

I love the live tiles. I like the way the whole OS looks and feels: flat. professional. And I like the clean look it brings. Sure, there's a lot of work to do when it comes to the UX and UI, but the difference with Windows Mobile and Android is that I'm actually seeing improvements!

And I've tried Apple for a bit. I don't understand whats so great about it... It feels very limited. Also, just a home button? My definition of simplicity is probably different.

So yeah, even though I'm sometimes switching between my Xiaomi Mi5 with Android and my 950XL, the moment a decent Windows Mobile gets released with a SD820 or into that direction? No hesitation, as long as its around 5".

Love the OS, hate the current hardware.

 

[KimRM]

For me it's not a question of "holding on", I just genuinely prefer it over ios and android.If we were still on WP8.1 I would probably already have switched to an android device, but with Win 10 I feel it's moving the right direction.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

for some like me, there's nothing better for our use cases

 

[TheLumiaExperience]

The live tiles are unique - I had hated the tiles on W8.1 PC but somehow loved them on the phone when I first got the 930.

I had an Android phone for work and didn't enjoy using it at all. I didn't find it intuitive, like it ought to be, for a daily device.
I couldn't stand the looks of the apps list in ios or Android and had no connection or relationship with Apple products or ecosystem. That's why I went Windows. That and the kick *** 930 that had some pretty great specs.

I figured out how to do things on Windows in the first few days of owning it, more easily than I did in the months that I had my work phone. It spoke to me of great functionality and design.

I hold on because I do not want to use any other OS for my phone. That is why I dread the thought of Windows Phone failing.
I enjoy it too much and can see some great potential in a great product.

And, having to choose between two players isn't that much fun or great for the industry (when the products try to stay ahead of the 1 other competitor). A third major player is needed to drive innovation, like Microsoft have done.

 

[davidjennings68]

Recently moved from Android.....and I'm here to stay. After a few months of updates I wouldn't swap my 950xl for anything now

 

[jlzimmerman]

Because iOS is stale, sterile, and boring (I have an iphone also).
Because Android is failed me numerous times regarding long-term stability.
Because W10M/WP and its UX/UI uniqueness continue to be breath of fresh air.

 

[kaktus1389]

Four years ago I bought a more or less budget Samsung android device with android 2.2 Froyo and I never got update to 2.3 gingerbread. At first I actually liked it, but then it started to lag and crash often and many apps didn't support my phone anymore + as it was budget phone watching movies and playing games was almost impossible after 2 years.
So I went to the store and checked a few devices in the price range that suited my budget and as I wanted to check out a platform other than android I went with Lumia 630. It was a low midrange phone, but I liked the performance of windows 8.1 OS a lot. I also tried out insider versions of windows 10 and I really liked it but then reverted back because the phone was really heating up (512 MB of ram probably). I liked the start screen and the UI from the day 1 and I still like it with Windows 10 Mobile updates (unlike majority). A few months ago I felt that something with 512 MB ram is just not good and went for Lumia 640 XL and I am very satisfied with it and will probably keep it until second generation of "Surface phone" comes out.
Things that I like the most after the UI:
- Notifications sync with PC (insider)
- MS native apps
- Cortana
- Security
- Performance
- UWP

 

[sinime]

Even without all the apps on Android and iOS, WP, or W10M, is just a better OS.

Tried Android (Galaxy S6) last summer and after 3 weeks, decided it wasn't for me... Too much lag if you customize it to not look dull, too dull if it's running lag free. And none of the widgets seem to go together (visually). Android truly is the wild west of smart phones.

Tried iOS too... that stent lasted a little longer because I didn't get bored with it till after my return window had expired. It's got great eye candy at first, but after a couple of months it just got old and stale. And don't get me started on my conspiracy theory on Apple intentionally slowing older phones down when releasing their annual OS updates.