"As long as the low end phones are the best sellers, it doesn't make sense for Microsoft to put effort into high-end devices"
I have read this on the forums so many times, and I cringe a little bit each time I read it.
"It's economics 101 - they just go where the sales are"
It makes a little sense, but people (and maybe Microsoft) forget what actually drives these sales...
The advertisements?
The low prices?
The salesmen at the stores?
Sure these all attribute to the sales, but they all pale in comparison to the most important reason people actually take the leap and switch to a different ecosystem.
It's us!!
The people that buy the low end phones are not the ones actively showing off their cool phones and give advice when their friends are in the marked for a new phone. We are!
Almost weekly, I have people I know come to me for advice on what phone/tablet/computer they should buy next. They know I know a lot about phones and other gadgets. I'm sure many of you experience the same thing!
That's why they need to keep us happy! Until I got my 1020 over a year ago, I switched phones every 6 months almost to the day. In Denmark carriers are only allowed 6 month contracts, meaning I can buy a subsidized phone twice a year, and sell the old one. This makes the switch for me much cheaper.
The reason I haven't switched this time, isn't because the 1020 is the best phone on the market. It's because there isn't a proper replacement for it yet... And it is getting oooold!
Of course I can always impress my friends with the camera, and the UI on Windows Phones looks great. I can still show of features, and make the case for Windows Phone. But the problem is that I want a new phone! I want a new phone so bad! It's the longest I have ever had a smartphone, and I and upgrade is waaay overdue for me.
As long as I have a Windows Phone in my pocket, Windows Phone is what I will recommend to my friends. Many of whom have actually made the switch. Just while I have had the 1020, I have brought at least 20 people into our ecosystem. Many of these have bought low end phones, because I have convinced them that they will get a more for the same money.
Most people, when they are in the market for a new phone, will go to that guy they know, that knows a lot about smartphones and knows what is good and bad, whats upcoming and what is getting outdated and replaced soon.
Those guys are the ones that buy the flagship phones. They are the ones that want them.
We are those guys, and like it or not, we play a huge part in the choices people make.
A flagship phone shouldn't be looked at as a device that should make a lot of profit, or that will sell tens of millions. It should be seen as an investment in the people that help attract people to the ecosystem... It's just like spending money on ads, except tech savvy people usually have more power over what the normal people buy. They see ads for every phone, and to most people they look very much the same... They need us to explain the differences to them. They don't get that in a 30 second TV ad!
I'm sure that many of you are like me, and are recommending WP to your friends!
One 1030/1040/940 in my hand will probably bring 10 or 20 new people to Windows Phone over it's lifetime. Not to mention the awareness that it will bring to people that don't end up buying a Windows Phone as I show off the cool features and awesome camera.
There are a lot of us, and I have to say that it feels kind of weird that Microsoft doesn't see the importance of the enthusiast crowd, and at least announce a new flagship...
To keep the enthusiasts on board they need be able to offer them the best of the best... Otherwise they will loose them. And they will loose all the people that they would have brought in to the ecosystem.
Flagships DO make sense!!
I have read this on the forums so many times, and I cringe a little bit each time I read it.
"It's economics 101 - they just go where the sales are"
It makes a little sense, but people (and maybe Microsoft) forget what actually drives these sales...
The advertisements?
The low prices?
The salesmen at the stores?
Sure these all attribute to the sales, but they all pale in comparison to the most important reason people actually take the leap and switch to a different ecosystem.
It's us!!
The people that buy the low end phones are not the ones actively showing off their cool phones and give advice when their friends are in the marked for a new phone. We are!
Almost weekly, I have people I know come to me for advice on what phone/tablet/computer they should buy next. They know I know a lot about phones and other gadgets. I'm sure many of you experience the same thing!
That's why they need to keep us happy! Until I got my 1020 over a year ago, I switched phones every 6 months almost to the day. In Denmark carriers are only allowed 6 month contracts, meaning I can buy a subsidized phone twice a year, and sell the old one. This makes the switch for me much cheaper.
The reason I haven't switched this time, isn't because the 1020 is the best phone on the market. It's because there isn't a proper replacement for it yet... And it is getting oooold!
Of course I can always impress my friends with the camera, and the UI on Windows Phones looks great. I can still show of features, and make the case for Windows Phone. But the problem is that I want a new phone! I want a new phone so bad! It's the longest I have ever had a smartphone, and I and upgrade is waaay overdue for me.
As long as I have a Windows Phone in my pocket, Windows Phone is what I will recommend to my friends. Many of whom have actually made the switch. Just while I have had the 1020, I have brought at least 20 people into our ecosystem. Many of these have bought low end phones, because I have convinced them that they will get a more for the same money.
Most people, when they are in the market for a new phone, will go to that guy they know, that knows a lot about smartphones and knows what is good and bad, whats upcoming and what is getting outdated and replaced soon.
Those guys are the ones that buy the flagship phones. They are the ones that want them.
We are those guys, and like it or not, we play a huge part in the choices people make.
A flagship phone shouldn't be looked at as a device that should make a lot of profit, or that will sell tens of millions. It should be seen as an investment in the people that help attract people to the ecosystem... It's just like spending money on ads, except tech savvy people usually have more power over what the normal people buy. They see ads for every phone, and to most people they look very much the same... They need us to explain the differences to them. They don't get that in a 30 second TV ad!
I'm sure that many of you are like me, and are recommending WP to your friends!
One 1030/1040/940 in my hand will probably bring 10 or 20 new people to Windows Phone over it's lifetime. Not to mention the awareness that it will bring to people that don't end up buying a Windows Phone as I show off the cool features and awesome camera.
There are a lot of us, and I have to say that it feels kind of weird that Microsoft doesn't see the importance of the enthusiast crowd, and at least announce a new flagship...
To keep the enthusiasts on board they need be able to offer them the best of the best... Otherwise they will loose them. And they will loose all the people that they would have brought in to the ecosystem.
Flagships DO make sense!!
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