Yeah, I know people don't want to say its dead. But right now its pretty dead. They may come out with a Surface Phone that changes the game, but what we have now isn't going to cut it.
Yeah, we all generally like WP. But normal consumers don't care. They want the devices that every app is released for. They want the devices that their friends have. Yeah, WP has a bunch of apps, but its not just about that. When you see an ad for a company's mobile offerings, it also says Android and iOS. Rarely ever WP. Most popular apps don't make it on the WP until they are on the downturn of their popularity. There are hardly any bank apps for WP. Restaurants with bonus programs like Dunkin Donuts don't have a WP app.
What does WP do RIGHT NOW that no other device can do AND that people are actually interested in? Continuum is cool, but it doesn't really address a need that anyone is waiting for. Hello is nice, but it doesn't work properly. Most of the office and MS specific apps not only exist on iOS, but they are BETTER on iOS.
The live tiles are mostly just eye candy. They rarely display anything useful that I cant see in my notification center. Anyone who has been using an Android or iOS service for a long time is so used to the interface that they last thing that is going to draw them away is a totally different interface. They like to be comfortable and they know how to navigate their phones.
MS may rebound and succeed in the mobile marketplace, but it wont be with WP.