Before I get into my thoughts, I want to state unequivocally that I am not a fanboy for any manufacturer/OS. I presently have in use an HTC Radar, Palm Pre, and Nexus S. That being said, here's why I think 2012 will be the year of Windows Phone.
1. Incredibly user friendly A sizable chunk of my smart-phone customers are senior citizens and, as one pointed out, "this may well be the easiest smart-thingy I ever saw." In all seriousness though, the ease of use is the number one reason that customers give me for adopting Windows Phone. Because of what Microsoft has done with the UX, any customer that can use a Windows Laptop should be able to use the WP7 Platform with relative ease.
2. Business In addition to Microsoft Exchange out of the box, Windows Phone is also SharePoint, Lync, and Office 365 capable out of the box. IT Departments should be able to manage Windows Phone without needing any additional training. So,as companies get more and more concerned about cost, we will see more of them looking to Windows Phone.
3. App Ecosystem Continues to Grow There is no question that the Marketplace continues to grow at an amazing pace. (17,000 in 90 days). Sure, we don't have the hundreds of thousands of apps that Android and iOS have, but we also don't have the redundancies in apps either. I surveyed my Android Customers and found that, to a person, this is what they use regularly (at least once per week): Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Radio, email, calendar, weather, e-book app, and navigation. All off these are available here. So the misconception that Windows Phone doesn't have the apps people want is a misnomer that can be easily overcome.
4. Nokia. Need I say more? Their brand recognition, high quality, and aggressive pricing will most definitely bring Windows Phone traction.
5. Most Importantly, the Sales Channel When Windows Phone originally launched, many of us were not exactly stoked about Windows Phone. However, native Mango Devices (Radar in case) are really wowing the sales channel. Several of my colleagues and I have recently adopted these devices not only as our sales floor demo devices but as our day to day devices as well.
I will come back this afternoon and add some more detail to this post and some of the sections. For now I wanted to get the ball rolling on the conversation. This is most definitely the year Windows Phone comes into its own and takes its plce in the top 3.
1. Incredibly user friendly A sizable chunk of my smart-phone customers are senior citizens and, as one pointed out, "this may well be the easiest smart-thingy I ever saw." In all seriousness though, the ease of use is the number one reason that customers give me for adopting Windows Phone. Because of what Microsoft has done with the UX, any customer that can use a Windows Laptop should be able to use the WP7 Platform with relative ease.
2. Business In addition to Microsoft Exchange out of the box, Windows Phone is also SharePoint, Lync, and Office 365 capable out of the box. IT Departments should be able to manage Windows Phone without needing any additional training. So,as companies get more and more concerned about cost, we will see more of them looking to Windows Phone.
3. App Ecosystem Continues to Grow There is no question that the Marketplace continues to grow at an amazing pace. (17,000 in 90 days). Sure, we don't have the hundreds of thousands of apps that Android and iOS have, but we also don't have the redundancies in apps either. I surveyed my Android Customers and found that, to a person, this is what they use regularly (at least once per week): Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Radio, email, calendar, weather, e-book app, and navigation. All off these are available here. So the misconception that Windows Phone doesn't have the apps people want is a misnomer that can be easily overcome.
4. Nokia. Need I say more? Their brand recognition, high quality, and aggressive pricing will most definitely bring Windows Phone traction.
5. Most Importantly, the Sales Channel When Windows Phone originally launched, many of us were not exactly stoked about Windows Phone. However, native Mango Devices (Radar in case) are really wowing the sales channel. Several of my colleagues and I have recently adopted these devices not only as our sales floor demo devices but as our day to day devices as well.
I will come back this afternoon and add some more detail to this post and some of the sections. For now I wanted to get the ball rolling on the conversation. This is most definitely the year Windows Phone comes into its own and takes its plce in the top 3.