Goodness, typos galore....typed on the outdated WC app
We should also get rid of this misconception that because Microsoft is not selling as much or anywhere near their competitors that the product is an outright failure. I never did understand this mentality that Product A/Person A isn't doing as well as the next guy so because that criteria, that means it/they suck.
Windows Phone success isn't contingent on IOS/Android but itself. If I am not mistaken, do feel free to correct me if I am wrong. but Android is the most popular mobile OS, yes? It is defintiely being sold more and activated at a higher rate than the other mobile OS. That does not detract from Apple's success with their own products (Which seems to set new sales records for Apple with each release). So why is WIndows Phone sales (paltry as they may be in comparison) being held to some double-standard to try and prove it is failures.
Windows PC far outsell macs and yet if I am not mistaken Apple STILL has success within their mac products and unlike many OEMs, Apple does make a profit (Again if I am not mistaken) on their product with their pathetic marketshare.
Point is, this double-standard with Windows Phone is more annoying than anything. When I look at Microsoft's success and failures, I look at its origin points from 2010...where it peaked...and where it fell dramatically and that is how i measure the platform's success or failure. Because common sense, would say that Microsoft has never been able to match Android/Apple so why exactly are we using their sales in comparison to dictate whether the product is successful or not.
This change in strategy likely will not have an effect...because essentially this strategy is what Windows Phone 7 launched with. Relying on OEMs which in turn did nothing for WP...Ironically abandoning their Windows Phone 8 mentality(And the Lumia strategy) during Nokia's reign is seemingly what appears to be killing Windows Phone. Since this change in strategy, not only are people irate with the OS but they are now rebelling against hardware as well in favor of abandoning the platform altogether. Coupled with Microsoft lack of releases and now trying to push OEMs(Again, when most don't want OEM phones), Microsoft's failures are and should be dictated by their own actions...not in comparison to how much Apple/Google sell their products.
There's an argument to be made that Windows Phone was never really alive. In 2013, when Nokia sold a record 9 million Lumias in a quarter, Android was activating over one million devices A DAY! Does that sound alive to anyone? The gap between the Xbox One and PS4 isn't even that bad. So even when Windows Phone was doing "good" it was still getting absolutely destroyed.
True, sales were on a very small uptick during the Ballmer era.
Also true, sales were still embarrassingly bad during the Ballmer era.
The way the current demise of Windows Phone is framed is as though this was a legitimate three horse race until Nadella purposely kneecapped its own product. Selling less than 1/10 of your competitor isn't a race. You've already lost.
And let's not forget that Nokia was hemorrhaging money for most of their Windows Phone venture. So Windows Phone wasn't selling enough and it was losing massive amounts of money. Nadella didn't kill Windows Phone. He was handed a zombie OS. This idea that Windows Phone was doing fine until Nadella arrived is a myth.
I understand, selling 9 million in a quarter is better than the 4.5 million Microsoft sold last quarter. Neither is good, though. Both are laughable when compared to the competition. A shift in strategy was absolutely necessary.
We could argue all day about what that strategy should be, but we must stop this misconception that selling less than 1/10 your competitor and losing hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter was sustainable.