There's been a lot of panic and hysteria about Windows Phone and the future of the platform.
People are getting very emotional and panicky and others that are just voicing their concern are being called emotional and panicky. There's a lot of hysteria and confusion and Microsoft is doing nothing to help.
This is the problem as I perceive it:
1. The internet is a place where rumors spread fast and wide. You can fight rumors by denying/confirming them and not saying anything else or by showing part of the roadmap. Microsoft choose option 3, which was not on the table - ignoring them completely and pretending they don't exist or they have no effect on the platform.
Some companies deny or confirm rumors and move on. Some companies choose option two: roadmap. Intel does option two, telling ODMs and OEMs what's coming because they're in it together. ODMs and OEMs in effect tell their customers their lineup for upcoming products so that people have an upgrade plan (product X1 - product X2) or to make people wait a bit longer and not buy a competitor's product (don't buy the competitor's A2, our X2 is coming in November).
Intel needs to communicate with ODMs because their products are tied together. Yet Microsoft is not communicating with developers to know what's going on. They are in it together. Secrecy has no benefits for developers who don't know whether to spend time on the platform or not.
Consumers nowadays are more informed than ever. They want to know what they're buying and what to buy and need to plan for it. These things are time sensitive: in the US, your upgrade depends on your contract and in other places, you need to save to just buy it cash. People don't want to buy a device at full price to have its price reduced in a month or two because a new device came to market. Had they known, they would've waited 60 days to buy the newer one.
Then there's a fourth option, is regular yearly releases. Apple did not say much about the next iPhone, but we know when it's coming. Microsoft has tons of phones, but in some places, each carrier has one of them. I'd have to change carriers to get the one I want, yet no one has the 930. Why is Microsoft still playing the carrier exclusive game, I don't know. The 930/Icon came out in Feb(?) yet as of today, July, I don't know when or who will have it in Canada.
All these things are symptoms of poor communication between Microsoft as a ODM/software company and developers and consumers.
People want to know:
1. What are the devices in the roadmap? We know that there will be an iPhone 6, an S6, Z3. What is coming from Microsoft?
2. What is the situation with Android app support? Quash the rumors already. My team is already contemplating a two app situation (iOS and Android for "Google Android", Amazon and Windows Phone)
3. What is coming up in the OS? "Wait and see" and "it's gonna be big" type things mean nothing to the consumer. We know all about Android L and iOS 8. Compare that to the next release of WP. What do we know? This is important for developers, ODMs and consumers. We know nothing other than a major convergence of operating systems. But when? What does that mean for developers who are working on big projects now?
Now before you tell me "WP8.1 just came out" - Microsoft needs faster iterations than Apple and Google. When you are at 3% global, you need to work faster to get to double digit figures. This is done by involving manufacturers and 3rd party developers in the conversation who can fill the gaps or speed up the development of the platform.
It's all about communication and Microsoft has terrible PR.
This is how things sound as we speak:
1. Microsoft cancelled their flagship for Q3/Q4.
2. Microsoft will be continuing the carrier-exclusive system.
3. Microsoft will enable Android apps on WP.
The PR of Microsoft is very poor for a company of such high standards. I'm surprised that WP's marketshare is at 3%. How can a company that makes such great software and hardware fails to address the concerns of its loyal community.
It seems that they have it all wrong. They believe that gaining marketshare is by selling very cheap phones to people who don't care what the phone is. This will get the numbers high quickly, but is not sustainable. Eventually your prices will be undercut by someone who can make cheaper phones and people who only care about the price will go to that platform.
The cheap phones approach does nothing for people who want flagships. For example, a cheap phone sold in India does not convince a French shopper to consider a flagship WP, because people buy phones based on what they know and what their friends have, not based on marketshare.
On the other hand, a growing community of loyalists who bring their parents, friends, colleagues and such is how Apple did it with the iPod and then carried on with the iPhone. I'm not saying "drop the cheap phones" or "don't sell in Third World countries" or "release more flagships" or anything of that sort. I'm saying, communicate with the loyalists, the fans, the fanboys (/fangirls?), etc. This is the ticket to sustained growth and platform adoption.
(And speaking of Third World Countries - a lot of people in TWCs want flagships but cannot get them without importing. They're not all poor. Fix that! Do they want to sell or not?)
/rant, lol.
People are getting very emotional and panicky and others that are just voicing their concern are being called emotional and panicky. There's a lot of hysteria and confusion and Microsoft is doing nothing to help.
This is the problem as I perceive it:
1. The internet is a place where rumors spread fast and wide. You can fight rumors by denying/confirming them and not saying anything else or by showing part of the roadmap. Microsoft choose option 3, which was not on the table - ignoring them completely and pretending they don't exist or they have no effect on the platform.
Some companies deny or confirm rumors and move on. Some companies choose option two: roadmap. Intel does option two, telling ODMs and OEMs what's coming because they're in it together. ODMs and OEMs in effect tell their customers their lineup for upcoming products so that people have an upgrade plan (product X1 - product X2) or to make people wait a bit longer and not buy a competitor's product (don't buy the competitor's A2, our X2 is coming in November).
Intel needs to communicate with ODMs because their products are tied together. Yet Microsoft is not communicating with developers to know what's going on. They are in it together. Secrecy has no benefits for developers who don't know whether to spend time on the platform or not.
Consumers nowadays are more informed than ever. They want to know what they're buying and what to buy and need to plan for it. These things are time sensitive: in the US, your upgrade depends on your contract and in other places, you need to save to just buy it cash. People don't want to buy a device at full price to have its price reduced in a month or two because a new device came to market. Had they known, they would've waited 60 days to buy the newer one.
Then there's a fourth option, is regular yearly releases. Apple did not say much about the next iPhone, but we know when it's coming. Microsoft has tons of phones, but in some places, each carrier has one of them. I'd have to change carriers to get the one I want, yet no one has the 930. Why is Microsoft still playing the carrier exclusive game, I don't know. The 930/Icon came out in Feb(?) yet as of today, July, I don't know when or who will have it in Canada.
All these things are symptoms of poor communication between Microsoft as a ODM/software company and developers and consumers.
People want to know:
1. What are the devices in the roadmap? We know that there will be an iPhone 6, an S6, Z3. What is coming from Microsoft?
2. What is the situation with Android app support? Quash the rumors already. My team is already contemplating a two app situation (iOS and Android for "Google Android", Amazon and Windows Phone)
3. What is coming up in the OS? "Wait and see" and "it's gonna be big" type things mean nothing to the consumer. We know all about Android L and iOS 8. Compare that to the next release of WP. What do we know? This is important for developers, ODMs and consumers. We know nothing other than a major convergence of operating systems. But when? What does that mean for developers who are working on big projects now?
Now before you tell me "WP8.1 just came out" - Microsoft needs faster iterations than Apple and Google. When you are at 3% global, you need to work faster to get to double digit figures. This is done by involving manufacturers and 3rd party developers in the conversation who can fill the gaps or speed up the development of the platform.
It's all about communication and Microsoft has terrible PR.
This is how things sound as we speak:
1. Microsoft cancelled their flagship for Q3/Q4.
2. Microsoft will be continuing the carrier-exclusive system.
3. Microsoft will enable Android apps on WP.
The PR of Microsoft is very poor for a company of such high standards. I'm surprised that WP's marketshare is at 3%. How can a company that makes such great software and hardware fails to address the concerns of its loyal community.
It seems that they have it all wrong. They believe that gaining marketshare is by selling very cheap phones to people who don't care what the phone is. This will get the numbers high quickly, but is not sustainable. Eventually your prices will be undercut by someone who can make cheaper phones and people who only care about the price will go to that platform.
The cheap phones approach does nothing for people who want flagships. For example, a cheap phone sold in India does not convince a French shopper to consider a flagship WP, because people buy phones based on what they know and what their friends have, not based on marketshare.
On the other hand, a growing community of loyalists who bring their parents, friends, colleagues and such is how Apple did it with the iPod and then carried on with the iPhone. I'm not saying "drop the cheap phones" or "don't sell in Third World countries" or "release more flagships" or anything of that sort. I'm saying, communicate with the loyalists, the fans, the fanboys (/fangirls?), etc. This is the ticket to sustained growth and platform adoption.
(And speaking of Third World Countries - a lot of people in TWCs want flagships but cannot get them without importing. They're not all poor. Fix that! Do they want to sell or not?)
/rant, lol.
as Laura said!
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