There's no doubt all the extra features, including the Action Center for notifications, and Cortana, improved the Windows Phone OS, with 8.1.
IMO, though, since the update focused on getting the platform *away* from the hubs model that it was created around (see: all those 'Smoked by WP' commercials), and towards needing to launch an app for everything, the only thing that now separates Windows Phone from iOS or Android, is a preferance over one company's ecosystem and store of applications over another.
Personally, I'm not a fan-boy of anyone one company's, and my contention is, if you now need an app for everything, I see no reason to not move full time to iOS, for example.
Aside from Microsoft losing a customer, I don't see the point of WP any longer.
Not trolling, or raising a dust-up, just trying to start a discussion about the move away from the hubs model, and the potential upsides/downsides, and what will be the chief selling point for the platform.
IMO, though, since the update focused on getting the platform *away* from the hubs model that it was created around (see: all those 'Smoked by WP' commercials), and towards needing to launch an app for everything, the only thing that now separates Windows Phone from iOS or Android, is a preferance over one company's ecosystem and store of applications over another.
Personally, I'm not a fan-boy of anyone one company's, and my contention is, if you now need an app for everything, I see no reason to not move full time to iOS, for example.
Aside from Microsoft losing a customer, I don't see the point of WP any longer.
Not trolling, or raising a dust-up, just trying to start a discussion about the move away from the hubs model, and the potential upsides/downsides, and what will be the chief selling point for the platform.