GDR 1 Not Enough.

[spaulagain]

Guess what? The 2007 iPhone wow! factor still on, diminishing but still strong and sales don't lie. Android has the help of Samsung and those Chinese OEMs.

That's not a wow factor though, that's loyalty. Just like us WP users are loyal to WP.

 

[Jorge Holguin]

That's not a wow factor though, that's loyalty. Just like us WP users are loyal to WP.

I'll give you the loyalty part, but they still have it for example there are two girls and a guy at work they got the 5s. When I ask then why did they get it? I have the same answer: "Because everybody has it" my answer was you're gonna regret buy this phone when you realized is the same garbage since iPhone 4. Two of them confessed to me and one of the girl sold it to buy the Galaxy 4s.

 

[spaulagain]

I'll give you the loyalty part, but they still have it for example there are two girls and a guy at work they got the 5s. When I ask then why did they get it? I have the same answer: "Because everybody has it" my answer was you're gonna regret buy this phone when you realized is the same garbage since iPhone 4. Two of them confessed to me and one of the girl sold it to buy the Galaxy 4s.

That's exactly my point, it's loyalty either through their own dedication or through transference by others.

WP has missed the boat in the US, it will be years before it can overcome this market fixation. But the rest of the globe is still available. And most of the world can't afford an iPhone. Android is the real target. And they can compete with Android, especially when threshold is released.

 

[Blacklac]

GDR's aren't big updates though. That's why some people refer to this update as 8.1.1.

 

[Jorge Holguin]

That's exactly my point, it's loyalty either through their own dedication or through transference by others.

WP has missed the boat in the US, it will be years before it can overcome this market fixation. But the rest of the globe is still available. And most of the world can't afford an iPhone. Android is the real target. And they can compete with Android, especially when threshold is released.

I agree, and what gives me hope is that two months ago I was the only one at work with a WP now there are three more; two 525 and the 1520. And I know Nadella is working hard to bring more developers to WP, well to the all MS ecosystem. And the prove is how hard MS is working to make development tools easier to use.

 

[colinkiama]

So what do you expect them to do, jump straight into threshold? GDRs are just placeholders. Little features that they left out in the original updates. Think of them like service packs. It's not that there is no wow factor in the OS, it's just that Microsoft can't advertise the phone well. They don't convince consumers that their phones are 'cool'. They just advertise the icon's camera, stop doing that Microsoft it's a freaking smartphone. Show people the OS in motion, show them what it's about, show them features like rooms and lens, show the people how you can pin anything, show them how easy it is to share. The problem is their advertising team are lacking so people aren't interested, then due to low market share the developers aren't interested. It's an endless cycle.

 

[Christian Holmstedt]

Just because a product is well known doesn't necessarily mean there will be less problems. Android and iPhones are always having problems. In fact there is a higher level of customer satisfaction for WP users than iPhone or Android users. The fact that fewer know about WP has always been the biggest problem. Yet WP continues to grow.

Should have worded it differently..... a well established product with a mainstream system gives the impression of less problems (for lack of better word) to the average user / new customer. Didn't mean there would actually be less problems, it's just a logical way to go..... if you get the drift.

MS needs to push their product harder and make WP8 more visible to succeed. It's a good product.

 

[ScottGeek]

Indeed lots of valid points throughout this thread.....

For me, we are in the long wait, but as a technologist who builds and creates these things, I take the deep perspective beyond the "Next Big Thing" hype. Don't get me wrong, indeed it would be absolutely wonderful if several WOW's would happen... not just with Microsoft and WP, but a commercial WOW. That sweet spot when you see WP Icon on the TV positioned next to iPhone and Android... you know those "Connect to our service through your mobile device... now available for iPhone and Android....." Yeah, that's when it gets real.

But that of course, takes time and a certain amount of timing and luck. The key is to keep growing your platform... make it robust.... make it full featured... listen to your customers... etc. Lots of variables to get right.

A lot folks pu-pu being even being compatible or similar to the other two platforms, but even this must be a part of the equation for WP. If for no other reason, the mobile market has millions of people who know what they like in these devices. You can no longer isolate yourself with telling everyone how great you are... does anyone remember BlackBerry? It's last big selling point was the device had a real keyboard...2-3 years after everyone in the mobile world figured out you don't need a real keyboard. You fall behind... You get left behind....

Yeah... Let WP tap into the Android store and run in capability that second commercial icon. Fix the Mobile IE so it stops saying it's IOS. Open a incentive program for hardware OEMs to create new lines of devices beyond just the Nokia brand. Make yourself "native" compatible with those other eco-systems... you can work with say google services without looking like google. Full on attack Folks! I know I know... to the purist... the "Blasphemy" of it all :amaze: But... "Damn the torpedoes... Ramming Speed" *Ok backing away from the ledge.... a bit :angel:

~ScottGeek.

 

[qbnkelt]

As someone coming in from BlackBerry, I can say that I am blown away by my Lumia 1520 and the latest upgrade. I cannot disagree more fully with the OP.

Sent from my SUPER HOT Nokia Lumia 1520 via Tapatalk

 

[colinkiama]

Indeed lots of valid points throughout this thread.....

For me, we are in the long wait, but as a technologist who builds and creates these things, I take the deep perspective beyond the "Next Big Thing" hype. Don't get me wrong, indeed it would be absolutely wonderful if several WOW's would happen... not just with Microsoft and WP, but a commercial WOW. That sweet spot when you see WP Icon on the TV positioned next to iPhone and Android... you know those "Connect to our service through your mobile device... now available for iPhone and Android....." Yeah, that's when it gets real.

But that of course, takes time and a certain amount of timing and luck. The key is to keep growing your platform... make it robust.... make it full featured... listen to your customers... etc. Lots of variables to get right.

A lot folks pu-pu being even being compatible or similar to the other two platforms, but even this must be a part of the equation for WP. If for no other reason, the mobile market has millions of people who know what they like in these devices. You can no longer isolate yourself with telling everyone how great you are... does anyone remember BlackBerry? It's last big selling point was the device had a real keyboard...2-3 years after everyone in the mobile world figured out you don't need a real keyboard. You fall behind... You get left behind....

Yeah... Let WP tap into the Android store and run in capability that second commercial icon. Fix the Mobile IE so it stops saying it's IOS. Open a incentive program for hardware OEMs to create new lines of devices beyond just the Nokia brand. Make yourself "native" compatible with those other eco-systems... you can work with say google services without looking like google. Full on attack Folks! I know I know... to the purist... the "Blasphemy" of it all :amaze: But... "Damn the torpedoes... Ramming Speed" *Ok backing away from the ledge.... a bit :angel:

~ScottGeek.

If android apps are allowed in WP. Then everyone would leave. What's the point in developing native apps for it if android apps are already there. Live tiles wouldn't work with android apps, security is a concern and wp would just be an android launcher. Nothing special. Android apps in WP is a very bad idea. Just look at what happened to blackberry.

 

[Jazmac]

I don't think it ends at GDR1. Its another milestone on the path to the baddest smartphone ever. Bloggers had much hate for WP7 when it dropped. We hated on it too but from a users vantage point. Some deserved and some undeserved. It took a lot of pressure from the base to get to GDR1 and its good to see it. But it doesn't end here.

 

[TechFreak1]

There are more updates on the way, did MS say GDR 1 was the last update?
If they did I either must have missed the Memo or there is massive glitch in the Matrix.:winktongue:

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Many great points in this thread.
What I don't understand is where this thread came from. GDR1 was never intended to be the "wow" factor of Microsoft! Neither is GDR2. Windows Phones 9, or whatever they're going to call it when it's released(supposedly) next spring, is when Windows Phones will make their comeback. If it's going to happen, it'll be years from now and it definitely doesn't start with GDR1. It's meant to fix issues with 8.1 Make 8.1 better and easier to use. Nothing more.
I'd really like to get into this in depth...wait no I wouldn't I already have. Several times. These threads pop up everywhere except under different names and for a "different" reason. It's all about how Microsoft isn't good enough. I just wish people would understand that Microsoft can't release major updates every day! This takes time, it takes weeks of solid work and tired eyes. Hand cramps, cups of coffee, all that is imminent when trying to make millions of people happy.
Do you think iOS was perfect in one day? It still isn't. It's more polished than Windows Phones, but it's definitely not perfect. And they've had more time. I understand wanting to improve Microsoft, but you won't do it by arguing about why Microsoft does what it does or why it's not doing it good enough.
Nadella has a plan, obviously, and it appears to be a very good one. Sales are already increasing, satisfaction is greater. Updates are rolling out and we're getting new phones. And these improvements are happening much faster than you'd get on Android or iOS. With Android you're lucky to get the newest update without paying $600 to get the new phone. And then needing to upgrade again when Android releases a new version of software that you're phone suddenly won't get. Apple tries to be clever, making it look like they support all their phones for years but really subtly convincing you to pay the $700 to $800 to upgrade. iPhone 5s will probably be obsolete the moment iPhone 6 comes out. Yet I still see lots of people using 920's and 925's still.
Complain all you want, my friends, because Microsoft is doing the best they can to be the best they can, and in some ways they're a lot better than Apple or Android. This stuff takes time, who are we to demand that Microsoft rushes to release something that won't be as good as if it took time? Personally, I'd rather wait for quality updates that really improve the interface than a bunch of little updates that don't do much and are inevitably filled with bugs.
And about marketing...you're right. Microsoft isn't trying in that division, and it's a problem. But they need to have something to advertise first. Like I said this is a long process and I have a feeling that when Microsoft tells the world all about their phones they want the phones to be better hands down than any other platform out there. Something new. Not only original, slick and personal, but something that will "wow" the common man with numbers. Even if they don't understand what it means, most people are impressed with Snadragon 801 Qualcomm Core processors versus 800. Or 2 Gb or even 3Gb compared to one.
Of course, this is all my opinion. And somewhere in there I probably made some mistake or another and I apologize if there is one.

 

[ScottGeek]

If android apps are allowed in WP. Then everyone would leave. What's the point in developing native apps for it if android apps are already there. Live tiles wouldn't work with android apps, security is a concern and wp would just be an android launcher. Nothing special. Android apps in WP is a very bad idea. Just look at what happened to blackberry.

I can understand why those feelings exists... fear and hatred of Android's wildness... I suspect? I will disagree a bit with the it's "a bad idea"...

Android apps are just a gateway... not a replacement... not a take over my phone. It goes like this... Millions of people who do not and will not even check out a WP device simply because they cannot run their favorite little app might switch to a WP and discover longer battery...better pictures... and an even the longer list of what makes WP devices very nice. It's just a "launcher"... I don't see it that way, the strategy can be deeper that, because there will always be some extreme Android based app that will look like crap on a WP, in that moment... you give that person...who has the WP in their hand... an alternative native WP app. It's about catching someone's attention. The more WPs in people's hands... the more willing that huge MS developer community will create more quality apps. Not less apps... the more people that have a WP and want a Native app, then more likely one will be created, because in the Commercial Software industry it comes down to numbers.... right wrong good bad like it don't like... it's about numbers.

Can one protect your WP from the Android ick? Of course you can. Sand boxing and Virtual machines are a well known "how to do's".

Could this strategy fail? Of course it can... Will people leave WP because it can run an Android App? I'm sure there will be some... maybe they will go back to their iPhone if they are not going to stop and think for a moment that running an Android App on a WP is Not going to break a Windows Phone or even expose the WP to some under-world performance draining "you made my Windows Phone Crap" device.

Blackberry... that steep decent started long before they even got close to Android. The Blackberry was over when reasonably priced subsidized iPhones hit the market and Businesses cut deals with Apple. Android did not kill the Blackberry.... BB OS not keeping up with the direction that Apple/Google took smartphones is what killed Blackberries....

Just because One could run an Android App on a WP does not mean One has to.

Anyway, just one perspective....

~ScottGeek.

 

[realwarder]

Here's what Microsoft need to do:

They've got a great phone platform. As good as the competition. They even give it away for free. Great, but where is the motivation for a company to make/sell one? After all the sales units are lower due to popularity and perception of iOS etc.

Solution: Give manufacturers a cut of store revenue. Microsoft make 30% of any app sale. Give 10% of that to phone manufacturers or perhaps the carriers. Maybe both. 5% to manufacturer and 10% to carrier.

Sure they'll loose a little today but the motivation will suddenly exist to make money after selling the box.

Just an idea...

 

[ven07]

We need to catch up before we can think about surpassing them

 

[Al4video]

First of all, let me be clear I've been a WP user for the last four yrs. And as everybody that has used WP I have gone through all the pain and humiliation towards us. Although, I owned a Galaxy I never got rid off of my HTC Radar I love that phone [I wish HTC bring something alike to WP 8.1.] I was so happy when WP 8 was announced that I did not wait to finish my contract and I got [still have] the Lumia 925 I love this phone one of the best in the market. I wont give you a history about WP 8 cause I am pretty sure you all know it. But then our wishes finally came true, MS announced 8.1 and when they let regular users like me to downloaded the new OS I couldn't be happier: Cortana, Background, new CEO* Notification Center, Word Flow, more emoticons and so on.... Then GDR 1 came alone and I am very happy with it, I love Life Folders, Apps Corner, Device Hub, new and updated apps everyday so every thing we have been asking for is coming.

But GDR 1 is not enough. Why? Because as everybody in the tech world pointed out MS did a great job to catch up and I totally agree with that statement. MS has made many WPers very happy and that is good, but there is nothing that take us apart from the competition to attract people from other OS' [Apple, Android and Blackberry] to our platform. Yes is a great update [especially if you've been using WP for awhile] but if you like me play with Android latest update you will see we still lack behind, for example our notification center is great but too limited iOS and Android give the user more power; you shouldn't have to click twice or thrice get something done. My older son has the HCT One M7 and there is nothing in WP I can use to attract him to WP, he likes some of the features of the OS but overall he is not impressed yet and there is one app that is not helping the cause [Clash of Clans] this has been a major hurdle for him to even consider WP.

Finally, MS has to bring something that people want, even if they don't know they want it/them Cortana and live tiles are great but not enough, we need that WOW! ) moment* just like the first iPhone or Galaxy 4/4s MS need to let people speechless when they see, touch and use WP.

I want to give my thanks in advance for ready my post please be free to respond, I would like to have your input I prefer to see constructive comments but I just want you see what you think ..... What can we do to help WP get more noticed?

You make some good points but your post still equals a huge generalization. people choose phones for various reasons. My last phones were the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S5. Both great phones. But i went into a Microsoft store and played around with a Lumia 521. Took it home and kept it for 14 days . I returned it and got online and purchased a Nokia Lumia 1520.3. Bye bye S5, bye bye iPhone. The windows phone just feels better. the OS clicks with me in a very intuitive way. I know I gave up a gigantic eco system but I don't care. The Windows system fits me like a glove. And believe me I'm a techie in both work and play. I've had all the iPhones and all of the Samsung high end phones. The Windows system suits me better.
So when your post eludes to features that Windows may or may not have, to many of us it doesn't matter. Sure we want more. But this is the platform that I want more from. I don't long for Samsung or iPhone features, I had them. The notion of why we choose one phone over another could easily be a never ending study. But it's not a feature for feature argument. I still have my iPhone 5s but when I compare my home screen to my 1520 he iPhone doesn't do it for me. I was going to give the 5S to my girlfriend but after she saw my 1520 she wants a windows phone. Not as big as a 1520 though.
I can honestly say I have never had a phone that operated better. I have extremely long battery life, no crashes, no lag and completely customizable.

I'm impressed!

 

[colinkiama]

I can understand why those feelings exists... fear and hatred of Android's wildness... I suspect? I will disagree a bit with the it's "a bad idea"...

Android apps are just a gateway... not a replacement... not a take over my phone. It goes like this... Millions of people who do not and will not even check out a WP device simply because they cannot run their favorite little app might switch to a WP and discover longer battery...better pictures... and an even the longer list of what makes WP devices very nice. It's just a "launcher"... I don't see it that way, the strategy can be deeper that, because there will always be some extreme Android based app that will look like crap on a WP, in that moment... you give that person...who has the WP in their hand... an alternative native WP app. It's about catching someone's attention. The more WPs in people's hands... the more willing that huge MS developer community will create more quality apps. Not less apps... the more people that have a WP and want a Native app, then more likely one will be created, because in the Commercial Software industry it comes down to numbers.... right wrong good bad like it don't like... it's about numbers.

Can one protect your WP from the Android ick? Of course you can. Sand boxing and Virtual machines are a well known "how to do's".

Could this strategy fail? Of course it can... Will people leave WP because it can run an Android App? I'm sure there will be some... maybe they will go back to their iPhone if they are not going to stop and think for a moment that running an Android App on a WP is Not going to break a Windows Phone or even expose the WP to some under-world performance draining "you made my Windows Phone Crap" device.

Blackberry... that steep decent started long before they even got close to Android. The Blackberry was over when reasonably priced subsidized iPhones hit the market and Businesses cut deals with Apple. Android did not kill the Blackberry.... BB OS not keeping up with the direction that Apple/Google took smartphones is what killed Blackberries....

Just because One could run an Android App on a WP does not mean One has to.

Anyway, just one perspective....

~ScottGeek.

Actually you are right. Adding android apps to wp means people will finally consider windows phone. We will have apps, we will have the games they love, people will consider buying. Then when the market share grows, bam! developers start making native apps to meet customer demand. Apps like snapchat which wouldn't work due to needing play services will be made for wp. It's actually a good idea.

 

[colinkiama]

However there is a problem. The style of the android apps is not 'metro' wp loyalists have already complained. Check out uservoice. Thousands of Loyal users voted for android apps not to come to WP. The community may have killed itself.

 

[colinkiama]

We need to catch up before we can think about surpassing them

If you think about It, we could catch up if we let the android apps on wp.