OK. Lets say I don't own a WP. I want a phone but haven't looked which phone I want. I can get an Apple phone which has all the latest apps. I can get Android which has all the latest apps or I can purchase a WP which has most of the apps and the other is 'filled' by forked Anroid apps. If you were in that position which would you choose and why?
As it is currently, customers going into a mobile phone store who don't want Apple are steered directly towards Android. WP is not even a consideration to most carrier employees. That won't change as the new excuse is why get a WP when you can get a real Android phone? Sales are dismal not only because of apps but because sales staff in regular carrier stores do not promote WP.
If people go to a carrier store, most know what they want, usually what their friends have. Very few want something different. This is the issue we have currently. Apps is definitely one aspect but there are a multitude of issues around WP. I don't see how bringing in Android apps in anyway will help this issue.
What has to happen is for MS to get off it's behind and start doing something about the situation. Doing something half baked isn't going to solve the problem. They seem to be fixing the functionality issues, let's see if they can concentrate on the other half now.
As you say the app gap is no the only inhibitor for the adoption of the platform, but It's the biggest one.
Just imagine the WP 8.1 reviews by tech columnist. "...It's a huge step forward, the OS is in functionally parity with Android, WP 8.1 OS has nothing to envy from iOS and Android, BUT... even if some big apps like xxx had come to the platform, there are still huge holes in the store, app xxx is not there, only a 200.000 vs +1 million, etc.. And that is, they killed the interest, because even if you aren't crazy about apps, in the back of your mind the fear that you could lose something important is created.
When you go to a store and the carrier employee shows you a WP, what's the reason they give to better chose iOS or Android?: Apps.
When a friend likes your phone and she ask you if you would recommend it, you say you love it, BUT, you always warn that It's not for people that use many apps, because xxx is not there, and it took a year to get yyy, etc.
So, apps is the biggest factor, It's the big excuse to dismiss the platform, there is not doubt about it,
I don't agree with you in that people wants to buy what everybody have. Fashion is a complex movement between uniformity and differentiation. When everybody have the same thing the pressure to move to something new increases, when the adoption of the new start then more and more people is attracted, but when most people get there some of them start looking for something new that helps them to be different, and the cycle start again. But of course the new stuff has to be functional, a good product, if It lacks a big part of the experience is not considered.
In developing markets the situation is even more favorable because iOS is not an alternative for most people due to the high cost, so you have to chose between Android and WP. Just try to enter in the psychology of a person buying a $100 phone in a developing market and she doesn't own a PC or a tablet. $100 is a lot of money, she will own that phone for a couple of years, she can't spend the money in a phone that doesn't give a complete experience because It's the only way to access the internet, what if she can't access the bank app, if she can't access the government app, the local newspaper app, the app for the subway system, if she doesn't have the apps that her friends enjoy, etc. So, even if the UI is nice, the OS perform better in low end hardware, a big % of people that would chose WP go Android because niche apps, local apps aren't there, and many of those app won't come to WP because aren't economically viable given the low adoption of the platform.
In China google and their services is not a factor. Most of the phones are shipped with a fork of Android with a custom UI, custom app store. The most popular apps in China aren't facebook, gmail, youtube, twitter, instagram, the popular apps are equivalent Chinese apps. So, what is stopping WP there? Those apps are being developed with the Android SDK and don't run in WP.