Why Windows Phone hasn't caught on...(Revised from March-ish 2012)

[12Danny123]

Let's just be honest. The problem is that Windows Phone kind of suck.

But not 8 it's the complete opossite? Your gonna most of windows 8 features in wp8. With maybe a Siri competitior from ms using tellme

 

[Winterfang]

Windows Phone 8 might be totally awesome. That's why I can't way to see all the features and hot new phones.

Windows Phone 7? Garbage, inexcusable in every way. Outdated phones, barely above feature phone features, short list of apps, apps are terrible, apps are twice, three times as expensive for no reason whatsoever, hot games are nonexistant, games look like they where from games in 2006. Yet the have the audacity to ask us full price.

I for once, can't wait for that to change.

 

[blehblehbleh]

I think it's more about the quality of ads and the fact that you have to spend time with Windows Phone and Metro UI (more so on the latter). The ads are brief depending on how they're cut and just at first glance don't convey some of the benefits. I just saw this Focus ad showing off the Facebook integration and honestly it doesn't truly highlight the benefit because it's not something people pay attention to unless they really thought about it.

I mean have you noticed the opinion of reviewers when they tried Windows Phone for a month? They appreciated it more than they initially thought. Maybe some weren't converts but they at least recognized the positives and the potentials. I don't think someone already with an Android phone or iPhone can get all that from a quick commercial. In that light, I think if MS wants to gain better traction they need to show off the fluff like Apple did with Siri as far as ads go.

The dug in Android people probably can only be pleased by customization or price points.

 

[crystal_planet]

Let's just be honest. The problem is that Windows Phone kind of suck.

That's really ironic considering your signature.

Anyways...

It seems to me this market is unlike any other out there. As things become popular, they tend to take on a life of their own. And the appeals are not universal. Android folks love the hardware specs of their phones and Apple people love the apps. It doesn't make any sense. At all.

I come from a Blackberry background and I still think they are the most fundamentally sound device out there still. As much as folks like to point and laugh at them, they run rings around everyone else at the things they are known for. But they'll die a slow death because they don't have quad core processors and you can't get Angry Birds.

I have a windows phone but am tearing my hair out trying to get it to connect to my work exchange server. They're both Microsoft products. They should integrate seamlessly.

Sometimes I feel like saying "screw it" and just getting my old ruggedized Sanyo dumbphone back.

 

[aubreyq]

Sometimes I feel like saying "screw it" and just getting my old ruggedized Sanyo dumbphone back.

Aaah, the ruggedized Sanyo. Memories...

 

[btgusto]

I truly believe WP will have a huge jump in sales before 2014 comes. 2013 will be big IF MS and Nokia keeps churning out visually appealing products.

I believe W8 will help to boost the sales of WP being able to sync between windows products will be huge.
Devs will bring more apps to our marketplace which will always help.
New features will help sales
Launch partners bringing new cool phones not just rebranding of androids
RIM is dying; bringing more people our way
IT likes windows better
Xbox/smartglass
New Xbox music

Those are the things I think will bring more people to WP.

 

[Winterfang]

I enjoy quality over quantity but some apps are terrible. Look at Slacker Radio? its so bad it deserves his own topic. And what about the apps that are not there like Pandora, Live profile, Temple run? Lets no defend Windows Phone abysmal app selection.

WP8 better blow our minds.

 

[vp710]

I enjoy quality over quantity but some apps are terrible. Look at Slacker Radio? its so bad it deserves his own topic. And what about the apps that are not there like Pandora, Live profile, Temple run? Lets no defend Windows Phone abysmal app selection.

WP8 better blow our minds.

I'm sorry but it's clear MANY apps are miles better on WP than on iOS or Android. As proof: Which Looks Better? A Comparison Between Popular Apps on iOS and Windows Phone | Pocketnow and Which Looks Better? A Comparison Between Popular Apps on Android and Windows Phone | Pocketnow.

But I agree with you on the other points: apps are lacking, games are really expensive, and the hardware could generally be better. But it's coming.

 

[sdreamer]

I think there's some things to consider. The article posted today was just considering marketshare. There's a reason why Android dominates that, and it's because they're on every device out there, and people don't even know what Android is but still buy that device. That's why even if Android still dominates marketshare, mindshare is still Apple's. You don't hear is that an "Android?" It's more like is that that Samsung I saw on TV, etc.
With that, I think mindshare is what Microsoft needs to penetrate. I think to do this, they will need a long term flagship live of devices, this is where Nokia steps in, but right now the timing is horrible. WP finally has a flagship device, great reviews, great customer satisfaction, even Siri seems to agree, but with the news of WP8, Microsoft essentially shot it down, and delayed penetrating people's thoughts till the next Nokia device comes out.
So why hasn't Windows Phone caught on? IMO, no flagship device to define it at launch. Without that, there isn't anything to identify Windows Phone to, there is no iconic design to put the consumer's mind to Windows Phone.

One can argue apps, and it is valid, but I think that this is more of a tertiary factor to the handset availability of a flagship device and multiple devices, and also mindshare through advertisement. Once you get the device to define your product, you need to advertise it so people can see that device and start to build that association between device and name. After that, people will ask about it, thus creating the mindshare that I assume devs want (hence why even though Android doubles the marketshare of Apple, Apple's iOS still gets strong dev support, because people know iPhone, but people don't know Android), thus getting devs to develope for that flagship phone. Microsoft is killing all three of these things, starting with announcing the Lumia 900 will not be getting WP8 (kills their current flagship after a few months), then with advertising their phone leaving it in the hands of AT&T and Nokia (AT&T is basically just making cameo appearance of the Lumia, but not even mentioning it really, leaving Nokia doing all of it, but not with the same firepower that Verizon had with "Droid"), thus not getting that mindshare that devs are looking for.
Hopefully with the release of the Windows 8 family we'll see a more unified approached. I think it will be easier to market these things because they all do the same things in different ways. Bing is the basis of their search engine, the Metro interface runnnig on everything making a unified, and consistent UI. It's up to Microsoft at that time to advertise if they want to penetrate the market.

 

[Winterfang]

I'm sorry but it's clear MANY apps are miles better on WP than on iOS or Android. As proof: Which Looks Better? A Comparison Between Popular Apps on iOS and Windows Phone | Pocketnow and Which Looks Better? A Comparison Between Popular Apps on Android and Windows Phone | Pocketnow.

But I agree with you on the other points: apps are lacking, games are really expensive, and the hardware could generally be better. But it's coming.

Yes they look better but that's not everything. Not if it lacks features and under performs. Slacker Radio looks amazing and it has the ability to pin your own radio stations but it's so jerky and laggy and it takes so long to start that borders on unusable. I open the app and the music starts playing halfway my commute, is unacceptable.

 

[snowmutt]

WP will not burst onto the scene because the market is not in the same place it was when the iPhone or Android hit the market where tons of people were willing to move to a mobile device with data plans and such. Now it's a war or attrition and who can bring the most to the field. MS will have to earn back mind share with people over time with good products, services, and aggressive pricing.

Wiser words were never spoken.

As someone who loves being a fan but tries to be realistic, we need to understand: Mobile is no longer a DEVELOPING market for cell phones, it is an ESTABLISHED market. The wide-open, dying for the right product world of Mobile that saw the instant success of the iPhone, raging fan-dom of BlackBerry, and quick rise of Android no longer exists. Those that love their smart phones have them, and have gotten used to them. Those that haven't use feature phones and could care less. Why does everyone think Nokia wanted Tango so bad? There are only a couple underdeveloped markets, and you have to grab them.

How is WP going to chip away at the established users? Microsoft does have two well established advantages:
1) They have tons of money from other sources, so they can afford to be patient.
2) They have a huge ecosystem for WP8 to draw from- gaming, music, cloud, PC/laptops. soon tablets (which IS still a wide open market), ECT...

WebOS couldn't make inroads, neither could Bada. This is why I am not putting any money on Tizen being a success, nor am I hopeful for the MeeGo developers trying to market a N9 follow up on their own, though I do respect them and was really impressed with the N9. For that matter, I am not even that sure Amazon can break through with a smart phone. WP8 has the best shot to develop, and BB10 has a shot to stay revelent. But it is not an easy, quick path, and both could fail in the face of the dynamic duo.

 

[cgk]

Within the current cycle, I can't see either bb10 or wp8 dislodging android or IOS. The big problem with Microsoft is that it's always what is coming tomorrow that will be the big winner and it never is.

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

 

[12Danny123]

Within the current cycle, I can't see either bb10 or wp8 dislodging android or IOS. The big problem with Microsoft is that it's always what is coming tomorrow that will be the big winner and it never is.

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

But Wp8 sales will likely be way way better than Wp7 sales. I suspect 15%-20% market share is better for Wp

 

[mb-dape]

Yes they look better but that's not everything. Not if it lacks features and under performs. Slacker Radio looks amazing and it has the ability to pin your own radio stations but it's so jerky and laggy and it takes so long to start that borders on unusable. I open the app and the music starts playing halfway my commute, is unacceptable.

A deal breaker for me was that Spotify was available for WP when I bought my Titan. I think it was developed by Microsoft to get sales going in Europe. It looks stunning! The interface is so beautiful and smooth. Even the latest Spotify client for Android looks so dated in comparison. BUT Spotify on the WP is totally buggy and bad, it's more frustrating then fun to use it. Even Spotify on my Symbian phone which is 4-5 years old works better. And the WP7 version lacks features as Extreme quality etc. Actually it hasn't been updated ONCE since the release and will probably never will with WP8 coming.

 

[cgk]

But Wp8 sales will likely be way way better than Wp7 sales. I suspect 15%-20% market share is better for Wp

That's a faith based post - there is nothing at the moment to suggest that WP8 will reach 20% market-share, nothing.

 

[HeyCori]

Small picture, it seems like WP isn't doing too bad. Look at some recent announcements.

Sales remain strong after WP8 announcement.
900 finally loses second place last month.
800 4th best selling smartphone on Telenor

But when you look at the big picture, it doesn't seem like the solid sale numbers are adding up to anything. I think part of the reason is that market growth is outpacing sales of Windows Phones, with iOS and Android gaining most of the new-to-smartphone customers.

 

[jmerrey]

But Wp8 sales will likely be way way better than Wp7 sales. I suspect 15%-20% market share is better for Wp

Why? Give me some reasons. Not, "people are tired of iphones" or "iphones suck" but concrete reasons. In two years, the wp7 marketshare hasn't made a dent.

And don't say "it's connection with windows 8" because this isn't 1997. People see the apple OS as a viable alternative to windows. The days that ms could hang it's hat on the latest windows os are gone.

The best case scenario for wp8 is if nokia releases a phone with something that the other phones just don't have, aka a killer, pureview camera, and they release it to all the major carriers. Not an 8mp camera, but something like the 41mp camera. I think people would be wowed by that, and maybe it would draw some attention.

 

[HeyCori]

And don't say "it's connection with windows 8" because this isn't 1997. People see the apple OS as a viable alternative to windows. The days that ms could hang it's hat on the latest windows os are gone.

Got any facts to back your claim? Last I checked Windows 7 continues (as in present tense) to be a massive success.

 

[jmerrey]

Got any facts to back your claim? Last I checked Windows 7 continues (as in present tense) to be a massive success.

Windows 7 is a massive success. I would imagine that the windows os outsells the apple os by a huge margin.

I'm saying that consumers and business people see apple as a viable alternative now, whereas 10 years ago it was viewed as a niche product, especially in the business world. My father's IT company gets constant requests from his customers about switching to apple. All I'm saying is that the implied connection between win 8 and wp8 isn't going to be the factor that drives growth.

 

[based_graham]

Why? Give me some reasons. Not, "people are tired of iphones" or "iphones suck" but concrete reasons. In two years, the wp7 marketshare hasn't made a dent.

And don't say "it's connection with windows 8" because this isn't 1997. People see the apple OS as a viable alternative to windows. The days that ms could hang it's hat on the latest windows os are gone.

The best case scenario for wp8 is if nokia releases a phone with something that the other phones just don't have, aka a killer, pureview camera, and they release it to all the major carriers. Not an 8mp camera, but something like the 41mp camera. I think people would be wowed by that, and maybe it would draw some attention.

Its hard to make a big splash

WP are only available on T-Mobile and AT&T
T-Mobile = 1 handset
ATT = 3 handset
Verizon, Sprint and other carriers = No phones

WP8 should change that