WHY the anti-WP7 bias?

[Major]

I can understand a certain level of ignorance among the general populace, and even within the rank and file sales reps at some carrier stores. However, when you hear so many stories of clear WP7 hate at carrier stores and at upper management, you have to begin to wonder why this could be.

Is it possible that Google is giving carriers financial incentives to carriers for hitting certain market share numbers? I can't think of a plausible reason for a carrier to purposely sabotage sales of any of its products, unless there's money to be made.

It's one thing to have an opinion, but some of this stuff we're reading about every day on here is obvious propaganda against WP7.

 

[Reflexx]

I think a lot of it has to do with sales incentives. If you are actually paid to sell one product over another, then that will do quite a lot towards steering your personal bias.

 

[ItnStln]

I'm going to guess that they push what interests the customer.

 

[Major]

If the customer comes in asking for a WP7 device and the rep steers him/her towards an Android device, that's not pushing what interests the customer.

 

[Winterfang]

Windows Mobile leave a bad taste on their mouth.
Android/Iphone are way easier to sell.
People come looking at the stores looking for Android/Iphone devices by name.
WP7 offers no real value over it's competitors.

Etc...

 

[Dave Blake]

Your going to sale what sales up till now people dont know what WP7 is as the intelligence about this platform changes and people start asking for WP when they hit the store then sales persons will work harder on getting WP devices in peoples hands. For years not these sales persons have been pushing and have been told to push Android and iPhone. That changes with education and advertising. Here comes Windows Phone get ready everyone when we have the Lunia lineup available in the US this will change. It has already started in T-Mo stores. I wanted to see a 710 the other day in a mall T-Mo stand the sales rep was very excited about the device and tried very hard to sale me one.

 

[palandri]

I think a lot of it has to do with sales incentives. If you are actually paid to sell one product over another, then that will do quite a lot towards steering your personal bias.

My wife works retail, and vendors setup sales incentives all the time for their line of merchandise.

 

[jalb]

Windows Mobile leave a bad taste on their mouth.
Android/Iphone are way easier to sell.
People come looking at the stores looking for Android/Iphone devices by name.
WP7 offers no real value over it's competitors.

Etc...

When I bought my Focus, I went into the At&t store and asked for it by name. The sales person and the store manager wasted twenty minutes of my time trying to talk me into buying a Motorola Atrix instead, and telling me how horrible WP was. I finally had to boldly state that I just wanted the Focus please and could I pay now.


IMHO, Windows Phone's biggest obstacle is fanboyism.

 

[speedfreak228]

i think on reason for the hate against wp7 phone was vista and winmob. my brother had a winmo and it was junk (froze constantly). any way so we both got iphones and they work worked great hardly any problems at all. when someone switches from a bad product to a good one its really hard to get them to go out on a limb to try your product again. and several ppl i have talked to said that windows baby couldnt make a computer run their software much less a phone.

 

[freestaterocker]

I think most of it really was the winmo issue. Most people hear windows phone 7 and think it's just the latest version of windows mobile. I have a friend who works for a Canadian carrier and was due for a new device, coming from the winmo Omnia, and when I recommended WP he said NO WAY but was surprised when I told him it was a completely new OS from the ground up and said he'd check it out. Unfortunately the device his carrier/employer offered wasn't to his liking so he got an iPhone. If the Nokias were available then it might've been a different story...

 

[ItnStln]

If the c ustomer comes in asking for a WP7 device and the rep steers him/her towards an Android device, that's not pushing what interests the customer.

Good point.

 

[toshdellapenna]

Isn't Android basically the new Windows Mobile with respect to the constant lockups and freezing and all that? The ****** carriers are the issue here. I went to a local corporate At&t store and the was over looking at the Windows Phone kiosk, which was in the back corner of the store mind you (impressively the demo units weren't dummies like every other store I've been too) and the clerk said "you don't want a Windows Phone." Then I produced my Samsung Focus and she said "well my father had problems with updating his and that you can't do ota updates like you can on Android or iPhone." I agreed with her and we laughed about it. Also this was after Mango came out and none of units were updated.

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[Mike20PR]

IMHO what it needs most is its halo device that really sparks interest in the platform such as the original iPhone for iOS and Moto Droid for Android along with proper advertising on that device. I believe the Lumia 900 has that potential, what they need it to kick off the ad campaign now, just like the Droid teaser commercials or when they hyped up the Palm Pre so they line up outside the stores.

sEnT fRoM mY TiTaN(iC) BeAsT

 

[jimski]

Windows Mobile leave a bad taste on their mouth.
...

Well, based on the ever expanding smartphone user base, and Windows Mobile market share, say maybe three years ago, that means one in about twenty people "may" have a bad taste. What about the other nineteen. Btw, I am a former longtime WinMo user, and really glad I never gave up on Microsoft.

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[N8ter]

Cause the OS was terrible on release. Mango is decent, butnpeople forgot what pre nodo and nodo were like. It was painful.

And it didn't help. Now that the reviews are good, people don't care. They've basically the it out.

Not all of them, just "enough. "

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[roffleswaffles]

Did people even know about Windows Mobile? o_o

 

[jeremyshaw]

Did people even know about Windows Mobile? o_o

People know winmo used to compete strongly vs blackberry. Then the abhorration that was winmo 6.x came out...(post 6.0), and killed any built credibility ms had in the smartphone market. That is what prevents most of the people I know from even trying a windows phone (though... Without Skype, a lot of them cannot use it, due to business).


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[TortueG]

But it can be changed with the right strategies evangelism.

In my case, only 8 month ago I despised Microsoft and all his product (I still only use Mac/Ubuntu) and hated even more Nokia.

Now I have a Nokia running a Microsoft operating system...

All of that because I had the time to try before buy (and also because I like beautiful stuff that only few people have, it's like an exclusive stuff)

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[Big Supes]

Nowadays I despise Google and Apple. iPod and iPhone are gone, Bing is my default search engine and I'm starting to use Vimeo a lot more. Never have and never will touch a Mac, although sometimes the odd friend asks me to sort theirs out (even though I don't own one). It's never a pleasant experience.

 

[jeremyshaw]

But it can be changed with the right strategies evangelism.

In my case, only 8 month ago I despised Microsoft and all his product (I still only use Mac/Ubuntu) and hated even more Nokia.

Now I have a Nokia running a Microsoft operating system...

All of that because I had the time to try before buy (and also because I like beautiful stuff that only few people have, it's like an exclusive stuff)

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I agree. Though for me, if it weren't for Zune HD, I would of never tried wp7. I think one of the biggest drivers of iPhone sales is not just existing users, rather the apple stores. I would of simply gotten an iPod touch for my work, however... Once I felt and lifted the iPhone 4s, I bought that instead. In where I normally work, the closest apple store is several hours away. The closest Microsoft store? Several state lines.


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