You are only or mostly referring to apps to consider this. And even then, you are speaking of quality or number of apps that people are using only rarely as being the core experience of a mobile phone user and the reason why the grass is greener elsewhere.
But honestly, the core apps on Windows mobile are very good : Bing Map (especially the latest version) is much better than Apple Map and give Google Map a run for its money, all Microsoft apps (Outlook, OneDrive, Phone, Messaging...) or the OS are good. There are plenty of social, 3rd party app which are excellent.
A lot of time, people refers to the lack of a specific bank as a dealbreaker, but let's be serious, who want to manage his accounts constantly from its phone ?
For instance, my local bank has an iOS application but not for Windows mobile. Except that I cannot make money transfer through the app (on iOS) so basically, anyway, I have to use the website so this is the same experience between iOS and Windows mobile.
Unfortunately, Bing maps is not better than Apple maps or Google maps. I think it is good in the US, but maps outside US are very bad. There are lots of missing details for many locations. If you want, I can always get some screen shot for you to see.
"who want to manage his accounts constantly from its phone" you said? Oh you will be surprised I can tell you! If no one bother to do mobile banking, why do you think banks are wasting efforts and resources to make such apps? Using browsers? Of course you can do that. But why will I use a browsers when the banks already provide native apps? Unless you are talking about users on windows phone which are forever lacking native apps?
Yes, maybe a first user would have to look in the store obviously to see MyTube or 6Tag or others. But once you experience MyTube for instance, you realized how the experience is much superior to the Google YouTube app on iOS.
So what matters to ME is to have the best experience.
By the way, Facebook W10 version is fine. You say it is crap, I honestly do not see the different with iOS. Is there ? I am not saying there is none but we may have a different definition of what is trash.
Oh no.... I really starting to wonder if you actually has experienced official apps on iOS / Android.... For all the 3rd party YouTube apps out there on windows phone, I cannot even see my saved playlists at all. I have tried TubeCast, MyTube, PerfectTube, etc.... All unable to show my saved playlists unlike official one on iOS / Android. I really don't see how's that "superior" experience for the 3rd party ones.
The Facebook W10 version can't even display photos posted in the replies section properly. Photos are always cropped because they don't even resize. And there is a big difference - no reactions icons for Facebook W10 version! In case you are not even aware of what's reactions are???
I get that but let's be real here please for a minute. The only phone not getting W10 are the one with 512Mb of RAM. We are speaking of sub 100$ phone. What do you think the experience is on Android with such phone ?
Do you really think it is better to have a very low end phone, running 2 generation old Android with the latest app but running very poorly ?
I mean, even a 50$ Lumia 640 is getting W10 and it is running great.
Honestly, this is the wrong argument here. Especially to promote Android that has a record of offering very poor upgrade support for most phone you may purchase.
No no...... What about Lumia 1320 with 1GB ram? And what about 1020 with massive 2GB of ram?? Well, I give you that W10M cannot handle 512MB of ram. But what makes you think Android can?? And please don't get off track here. I'm quoting you in the previous post that you are unhappy about your OnePlus phone still running KitKat. But you have not answer me - can KitKat run the latest versions of apps from the Play Store? On the other hand, can a WP8.1 runs Facebook W10 UWP version? I bet you get the idea now....
Again, are you speaking of incentive from people to leave iOS now ? Or the benefit that people would get leaving Windows mobile to go to iOS ?
iPhone users are as happy as Android or Windows mobile users to have great features. Just go on the forum and check the reaction of Apple users getting at last a 4,7" screen, or a better camera, or more RAM, or reversible charging cable, or Live Image or...
It is just that when you never experienced a feature, of course, you do not realize how much you miss it.
I think people value all those things : great and prompt OS update and security that you enjoy with iOS (and Windows mobile) but also hardware at different price point with great features as you enjoy with Android (and Windows mobile).
You cannot segregate people like this, thinking that Apple users are ready to pay 1000? a phone which does not have half of a 500? Android flagship and that Android users do not care running 2 generation old OS. That is condescendant and cannot be further from the truth.
I dunno.... you tell me. I was replying to your comments of the following:
"And for people switching to the iPhone, I think you have to have some courage to stomach purchasing 970? (here in Europe) for a phone that has no wireless charging, no quick charging, a small screen compared to its footprint (and not as good as the 950), a poor camera without hardware button to launch, no double SIM, no extension possible."
Hence I explained to you why those people will rather spend so much on an iPhone even though an iPhone is lacking in the areas you mentioned. Because apps and OS updates are so much well supported than on windows phone.
But that is the point. Do you need the very latest possibility of putting italic or bold in Whatsapp to enjoy it ?
People have been using Whatsapp since years without that and they were not complaining.
You still don't get it do you? If most of your friends are using iPhone / Android, they can use such functions and you are the alien in the group here. You will not able to ENJOY the new features. Why? Because app supports on Windows phone are always much slower than other platforms.
Common, you are not serious. Why are iPhone users using Google or Microsoft services so much ?
Google Drive and OneDrive are miles better than iCloud drive.
Same for Outlook, Google Map / Bing Map, Office, Office lens, ...
Seriously?? These are OFFICIAL apps. OMG......
Then, you have what I explained about the main / basic / important things for a phone. A phone must be performant for communicating (phone, sms, mail, ...), for navigation, for web browsing... And all the most important things that you do most with a phone, the Windows phones are as good if not better (as explained) compared to iPhone. I am speaking with 1st hand experience and this is my opinion.
I could perfectly choose to buy also an iPhone for me (on top of my wife) but it would be simply a downgrade for me.
All you mentioned are because you are just not used to iOS. Nothing much and nothing about there. On the other hand, ask an iPhone user to use windows phone, I think they will be shocked by all the live tiles. Are you saying that iPhone cannot perform well for all the basic task you mentioned? The downgrades for you are fine for others.
So I loose plenty of Cortana functionalities. If I put a favorite on Bing Map (because no Google Map for Windows, available offline), I can set up location based reminder and have those favorites on my phone. I loose this with Android because I need to use Google Map on the browser, with internet connection (and a poor touch experience).
I loose my bookmark favorites (because Chrome is a non option for me on a Windows tablet because it is bad). I have to pay twice my apps. I loose possibility to send SMS from my PC. I have to deal with 2 different interfaces....
Google can use location reminder as well with Google Now. I don't see what you are loosing here. Are you loosing the reminder functionality or are you loosing internet connection? You are confusing others here. As for bookmarks, I have no issues with syncing my bookmarks with Google Chrome at all. The only issue here is yourself because you do not want to use Chrome. See?
As explained above, it is far from being so rosy. What you gain on one side, you definitely loose on other.
Well, haters are going to hate while fans of a platform will find any excuses and continue to use it. But being a user of 3 platforms for so long, I still stand that the grass are definitely greener with Android / iOS.
.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram