Rename Phone OS to Lumia

[bradbamford]

Now that Microsoft owns the Lumia brand, "Windows Phone 8x" could be renamed "Lumia".
I would argue they should.

Lumia is a great brand, and its a simple one word name would describe any phone running Microsoft's phone OS. This is the same way anyone running Google's phone OS has an "Android".

Keep it simple if you want it mainstream, get a Lumia Phone.
Is that a Lumia? I want one of those Lumia phones.

 

[Shouvik Mazumdar]

Not really. We cant change the BRAND ASSOCIATION now. LUMIA as a brand is closely associated with phone models like Lumia 920 , Lumia 925 . After 2 years you cant change the association to a Software. It just wont work.

But I can agree that Windows Phone needs a cool one word name , but I guess by now it has already percolated among the masses and I do hear people saying I want a Windows Phone or Simply Lumia 520.

 

[berty6294]

I hear people refer to Windows Phone as Lumia all the time.

 

[bradbamford]

Not really. We cant change the BRAND ASSOCIATION now. LUMIA as a brand is closely associated with phone models like Lumia 920 , Lumia 925 . After 2 years you cant change the association to a Software. It just wont work.
But I can agree that Windows Phone needs a cool one word name , but I guess by now it has already percolated among the masses and I do hear people saying I want a Windows Phone or Simply Lumia 520.

That's part of the point that there are many Lumia phones in the market already.
They are already Lumia phones so nothing changes there.

 

[Smyrna5]

Microsoft appears to be moving their entire OS line towards what WIndows 8 looks like (desktops, tablets, phones). I don't think it would help their strategy to rename the phone OS something else. I'd never run Windows 8, until I got my Lumia. I was surprised at how little adjustment I required on a Windows 8 desktop after playing with my phone for a few weeks.

 

[berty6294]

Honestly Lumia is to Windows Phone as Surface is to Windows 8. That's what's going to happen.

 

[thegamevg]

That's part of the point that there are many Lumia phones in the market already.
They are already Lumia phones so nothing changes there.

Its not a possibility unless Nokia/MS becomes the only OEM that makes Windows Phones..
Besides, the whole concept of unification of the OS points towards consistency - Windows is a much more universally recognized brand-name.

 

[N_LaRUE]

The OS isn't going to change name. Doesn't fit with the vision. Most likely to happen is we'll just have Windows Phone or Surface Phone.

 

[hopmedic]

I think the idea has enough merit for discussion. I'm not totally convinced, but I'm also not going to just flush it down the toilet.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Not really. We cant change the BRAND ASSOCIATION now. LUMIA as a brand is closely associated with phone models like Lumia 920 , Lumia 925 . After 2 years you cant change the association to a Software. It just wont work.

But I can agree that Windows Phone needs a cool one word name , but I guess by now it has already percolated among the masses and I do hear people saying I want a Windows Phone or Simply Lumia 520.

Lumia isn't associated just with a hardware phone. Lumia is WP. WP is not Lumia.

I totally think MSFT should exploit this opportunity to just call next iterations of WPs Lumia. Not Microsoft Lumia. Just Lumia. Not Nokia Lumia. Just Lumia. Is it enough of Lumia here?

 

[N_LaRUE]

I think the idea has enough merit for discussion. I'm not totally convinced, but I'm also not going to just flush it down the toilet.

I don't think you understand company acquisition. MS could give a stuff about the names Nokia or Lumia. They're tools to be used to keep loyalty until we the masses get used to the change. Then both Nokia and Lumia will vanish. Get used to the idea.

 

[bradbamford]

Its not a possibility unless Nokia/MS becomes the only OEM that makes Windows Phones..

Remember when Motorola did all the marketing for the Motorola "Droid" ?
"Droid" became synonymous with any device running "Android", and not just Motorola devices.
Some people who have HTC Android devices today will tell you they have a "Droid".

 

[Doohickie]

Microsoft appears to be moving their entire OS line towards what WIndows 8 looks like (desktops, tablets, phones). I don't think it would help their strategy to rename the phone OS something else. I'd never run Windows 8, until I got my Lumia. I was surprised at how little adjustment I required on a Windows 8 desktop after playing with my phone for a few weeks.

...unless: They rename the whole OS family Lumia: Lumia Moble, Lumia Tablet, Lumia PC or something like that. I doubt they will though.

 

[Doohickie]

Remember when Motorola did all the marketing for the Motorola "Droid" ?
"Droid" became synonymous with any device running "Android", and not just Motorola devices.
Some people who have HTC Android devices today will tell you they have a "Droid".

Until recently, I thought Droid and Android were synonymous- that Droid was just a shortening of Android and both referred to the OS. Only after I got my Win Phone and started posting here did I learn what the distinction was.

 

[Smyrna5]

At least in the US, ask most people on the street if they have ever heard of Lumia, and most will say No. Ask them if they have ever heard of Windows or Microsoft, and almost everyone knows who you are talking about. Ask someone old enough about Nokia, and they might tell you they used to make phones. Enough said.

 

[hopmedic]

Remember when Motorola did all the marketing for the Motorola "Droid" ?
"Droid" became synonymous with any device running "Android", and not just Motorola devices.
Some people who have HTC Android devices today will tell you they have a "Droid".

Until recently, I thought Droid and Android were synonymous- that Droid was just a shortening of Android and both referred to the OS. Only after I got my Win Phone and started posting here did I learn what the distinction was.

Actually, Droid is a trademark of Verizon's Android phones, not Motorola's. Verizon licensed the name, "Droid" from Lucasfilms, which owns the trademark on the word Droid.
Verizon Droid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[broar94]

IT should be Nokia Windows Phone instead of Lumia

 

[Doohickie]

Actually, Droid is a trademark of Verizon's Android phones, not Motorola's. Verizon licensed the name, "Droid" from Lucasfilms, which owns the trademark on the word Droid.
Verizon Droid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Regardless, it was too close to Android to be identifiable as a separate, but related product. Marketing FAIL.

 

[inteller]

I tell you what will happen. By Windows 9 the phone and the ARM tablet will run the same OS.

 

[bradbamford]

I tell you what will happen. By Windows 9 the phone and the ARM tablet will run the same OS.

We have all seen this as the obvious next step. However, as a developer, I'm less convinced now that this will ever happen. A phone is not a PC and a phone is not a Tablet, and a phone is not an Xbox. Obviously, the apps have to be dramatically different to accommodate the vastly different UIs.
My dream of docking my cellphone and being able to run PhotoShop and Visual Studio is probably never going to happen.
Which brings us back to my point that the phone OS will never be exactly like windows 8 even after they unify as many APIs as possible.
So brand the phones "Lumia" by Microsoft, and try to win back mindshare with a consumer brand that isn't negatively tainted.