Who is Andromeda For?

anon(10440410)

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With 80% of young people in the US today saying they either own an iPhone or will purchase one (or get their parents to purchase one for them) the next time they upgrade their phone then who really is the Andromeda device for?

What age range/demographic could MS market it to?
 

xandros9

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Honestly no one, well, from my perspective.

The early adopter crowd (and developers) has already been burned a couple times already and would be reluctant, typical consumers and businesses often need some apps that Windows straight up doesn't have and I'm not sure the hardcore Microsoft-only fanbase is anywhere near as large as it was a few years ago but that's just my take.

I think it's too late for such a device unless its positioned uniquely, it's excellent-enough at launch (but this is Microsoft) and brings enough to the table, which I can't really see happening.
 

tgp

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Everything halfways credible I've read say that the "Andromeda" device is not a phone replacement. The only places I get the idea that it is a phone replacement is on fan sites such as this one.

Based on that idea, it could be for anyone. It depends on your needs and desires, and the depth of your pockets.
 

Pacus1x

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Who really is the Andromeda device for?

The same question was made during the WP/W10m years... nobody wanted those, even MS.
 

anon(10440410)

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If I had to describe iPhone devotees in a single word I'd probably use "Preppy". 80s term I know, but it's kind of what I think they are.

Android devotees - A single word? Gangstas. (90s term)

What exactly are us folks drawn to Windows? Are we Creatives? Prosumers (as Dan Rubino likes to say)? Intellectuals? Gamers?
 

anon(10440410)

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Admittedly its harder to sum up Android users in a single word than it is with iPhone users. Because I also know some 70 year old grandmas who go out and get Android phones because they're super cheap. Obviously not gangstas or even wannabe gangstas. I wish to high heaven they'd splurge on an iPhone because they're easier to work on. And I always end up fixing them for them.

So maybe it's more of an affluence thing, as Business Insider seems to suggest, a status symbol.

I lived in NYC for a few years, and yeah, folks from Brooklyn, where I lived, or my friends from Newark, were much more prone to have Android phones than folks from the Village.

But again... just what are Windows users? I think MS needs to figure that out if they want to stand a chance selling this thing. It's marketing 101.
 

xandros9

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I think with the smartphone market largely becoming a duopoly its hard to pin down a typical user for a given platform.

I'll admit, I'm a fan of Regular Car Reviews and how Mr. Regular can proclaim a car as "the official car of _____" but it's hard with phones even though some trends can be drawn. (like Nexus owners)

Right now in uni, iPhones are everywhere. Android phones seem to be as common as Windows Phones were when I was in high school. (albeit WP peaked then)

Sometimes people spring for Androids because they're the only major player in the low-end, but eh, its all about variety. I've seen techies with iPhones, Pixels and so on, and here I am celebrating how I lasted more than six months (and counting) with my iPhone SE. People who just want a handheld telephony appliance? Maybe a cheap Moto is in hand or an older iPhone.
 

eshropshire

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Everything halfways credible I've read say that the "Andromeda" device is not a phone replacement. The only places I get the idea that it is a phone replacement is on fan sites such as this one.

Based on that idea, it could be for anyone. It depends on your needs and desires, and the depth of your pockets.
I agree. If Microsoft is developing a new phone device why would they have been going out of their way over the last 18 months to alienate everyone who ever purchased a MS Windows phone.

I have never heard anyone connected to Microsoft say this is a phone. They have said this is a device that includes telephony capabilities. Too many here think that means phone but that is not what I hear MS saying.
 

anon(10440410)

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The next generation can't be ignored, but I don't think an Andromeda device would stand a chance in high school with the exception of artists, gamers, and intellectuals. But in order to draw gamers they're going to either really have to beef up the specs or do something with game streaming from xBox One or xBox live over the internet. Maybe include some haptic feedback like a game controller.

With adults I agree with Rubino that prosumers are the key, and maybe folks in the construction field (estimators, contractors, field techs, etc). Make sure it's a Surface branded premium device. Something a professional isn't ashamed to take out of their pocket, fire up their website on, or some paper work on, and hand to a customer for review and signing.
 

Jcmg62

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With 80% of young people in the US today saying they either own an iPhone or will purchase one (or get their parents to purchase one for them) the next time they upgrade their phone then who really is the Andromeda device for?

What age range/demographic could MS market it to?

Me. It's for me.

I'm 42. I'm mature, I don't depend on my parents to buy my devices for me. I'm a hard working professional with disposable income, who values productivity over snapchat lenses.

I prefer to create things that matter rather than consumer apps that are built for a generation with the attention span of a 3 month old.

I use Windows 10 because I know, without question, that it's the very best Operating System on earth for professionals. It's the only Operating System for true professionals.

It's for me. The professional.

Or, put another way, when I slip into my Xbox alter ego...I want Andromeda to be to me what the Pip-Boy is to my guy on Fallout. It's my only device. It can hook up to other devices if it needs to but it's my one true computing device.

Yes, even professionals need some play time :p
 

BajanSaint69

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I think MS will try to leverage it's enterprise user base. It's a tablet laptop replacement for road warriors and corporate types. They have the money, they have the need to carry fewer devices, and they already have Microsoft products. The enthusiasts will buy it but they aren't many (most of them are on this forum) and the form factor will percolate out from there with other manufacturers releasing devices with a similar form.

Look for a 3 to 5 year time span before it hits the main stream.
 

DavidBS1989

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I'm 29 years old and I'm waiting Andrómeda anxious. I fell in love with Windows Phone since the time I got my Lumia 930, and I don't want to get back to Android, and of course never to iPhone. So, I will keep my Lumia 930 until a new Windows Phone device appear.
 

Golfdriver97

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I wish to high heaven they'd splurge on an iPhone because they're easier to work on.

If you are referring to the elderly who want a smartphone, perhaps they don't have the disposable income to get an Apple? If they are retired, they are on a fixed income, and spending $700+ most of the time isn't a wise investment.

If you are referring to Android users in general, I don't want an iPhone; I find them to be less intuitive than an Android.
 

anon(10440410)

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Completely agreed. Just to be clear, the Andromeda I am speaking of is a foldable, pocketable, 2 in 1 device running full Windows OS on ARM, with LTE and a GPS. Just as with other Surface products it's its own device category.

Microsoft-Surface-Note-1.jpg
 

anon(10440410)

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BTW it just occurred to me that people who read a lot could be a real target demographic. I commute to work, and while I'm not a huge reader myself, I often see others reading, and from time to time do a little myself.

Reading on a phone though is not fun. But I could see reading on an unfolded tablet/phone to be a real joy. And hey readers are what started the mighty Amazon!
 

Loup69

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Agree with Jcmg62, Andromeda is for me too!

As a mature, professional, Android just doesn't resonate with me. Apple, as a company just doesn't resonate either. Will hold onto my Lumia 650 another year in hope of Andromeda. I suppose if Microsoft dashes our hopes, at some point I will finally upgrade to an iPhone, which at least seems more polished and "grown up" than Android.

Still as a professional I would relish a device that is tailor made for people like me. And like Jcmg62 would also enjoy the occasional gaming session.

One thing more... with a foldable device, I could see the whole "app gap" argument fading in relevance, since we would be able to run websites in full screen mode. For example two apps I really miss are Mint and Voxer. Both have websites that don't work on Edge's mobile browser, but work on my laptop's Edge browser. A dedicated Universal app would be better, of course, but it would be good enough for me, as I just want to check my budget occasionally on Mint and message my family on Voxer.
 

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