With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device to Create MindShare?

Jason Ward

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James8561

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

most people don't play Halo and could careless about talking to their phone.
a shiny new flagship will catch everyone's attention everywhere.
 

Laura Knotek

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

Most US AT&T customers with the 920 will have expiring contracts this fall. What is going to make them upgrade to another Windows Phone, if only entry-level or year-old devices are available at that time?

The average US post-paid consumer with contract and subsidy gets the high-end device, since all high-end devices of all platforms tend to be around the same price with subsidy.

If there is no flagship device that is a successor to the 920, those customers will probably switch to the new iPhone 6 or the latest Samsung Android available this fall. The 635 won't cut it.
 

Laura Knotek

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

most people don't play Halo and could careless about talking to their phone.
a shiny new flagship will catch everyone's attention everywhere.

I never even saw Halo, much less played it.
 

gentry33

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

Most US AT&T customers with the 920 will have expiring contracts this fall. What is going to make them upgrade to another Windows Phone, if only entry-level or year-old devices are available at that time?

The average US post-paid consumer with contract and subsidy gets the high-end device, since all high-end devices of all platforms tend to be around the same price with subsidy.

If there is no flagship device that is a successor to the 920, those customers will probably switch to the new iPhone 6 or the latest Samsung Android available this fall. The 635 won't cut it.

Hear! Hear!
 

ULOP3Z

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

So what do you expect people with current high end phones to upgrade too? A 635 or 530
 

vitor.rf

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

Most US AT&T customers with the 920 will have expiring contracts this fall. What is going to make them upgrade to another Windows Phone, if only entry-level or year-old devices are available at that time?

The average US post-paid consumer with contract and subsidy gets the high-end device, since all high-end devices of all platforms tend to be around the same price with subsidy.

If there is no flagship device that is a successor to the 920, those customers will probably switch to the new iPhone 6 or the latest Samsung Android available this fall. The 635 won't cut it.

[+2]

And, more importantly, Cortana is still in BETA, which is both an excuse and explanation to the lack of features, and limited to USA (as of today).
To me, in Brazil, seel Cortana as their Hero feature is like "HEY, look at ALL THE THINGS WP has you'll never have because you're not from USA xoxo"

So yeah, flagship devices are needed.
 

dgaust

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Cortana is not a hero feature. It's ok, but it's currently limited to the US. Sure, it might roll out to other English speaking countries within a year or two (plus China), but unless Microsoft pulls its head out its **** and realises there's a much larger world out there than the US, then they won't be successful.

If they're not capable of providing services regardless of region, they need a flagship device to carry the can.
 

smoledman

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Cortana is not a hero feature. It's ok, but it's currently limited to the US. Sure, it might roll out to other English speaking countries within a year or two (plus China), but unless Microsoft pulls its head out its **** and realises there's a much larger world out there than the US, then they won't be successful.

If they're not capable of providing services regardless of region, they need a flagship device to carry the can.

It's a hero feature in the US to start. Not being in all other countries does not negate it's HERO aspect in US. I don't get your logic.
 

hotphil

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Cortana is not a hero feature. It's ok, but it's currently limited to the US. Sure, it might roll out to other English speaking countries within a year or two (plus China), but unless Microsoft pulls its head out its **** and realises there's a much larger world out there than the US, then they won't be successful.

If they're not capable of providing services regardless of region, they need a flagship device to carry the can.
Exactly this.
MS have been US-centric for too long. Remember Zune players? Not if you weren't in the US you don't.
A mindset they continue to this day with Cortana (amongst other services/features etc.)
So - No. Cortana won't give MS a halo effect. It might have a small impact in the saturated US market. But in the other, larger, more populous, less saturated markets, it won't matter one jot.
 

emark858

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If I don't see a better phone to upgrade my 920 on att, I will ride it till it coughs up blood. I don't want to change carriers, I don't want a 6 inch phone, and I don't want a low end phone just to get new.
 

Laura Knotek

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If I don't see a better phone to upgrade my 920 on att, I will ride it till it coughs up blood. I don't want to change carriers, I don't want a 6 inch phone, and I don't want a low end phone just to get new.
How many average customers who don't read these forums will wait, though?

They'd be more inclined to use their upgrades on a flagship device available this fall, even if that means switching to an iPhone 6 or a new Samsung.
 

dgaust

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It's a hero feature in the US to start. Not being in all other countries does not negate it's HERO aspect in US. I don't get your logic.

Oh well then, that's ok I guess. I forgot the US was the center of the universe and features that are limited to the US drive sales in all other countries.

The logic is simple, I shouldn't have to step it out. Flagship phones are universal (i.e. like the current 930). Cortana is not.

Cortana provides nothing outside the US. Flagship phones do.
 

Laura Knotek

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Re: With Cortana as a HERO FEATURE Does Windows Phone Really NEED a Flagship Device?

So what do you expect people with current high end phones to upgrade too? A 635 or 530

The 635 also lacks a front-facing camera. Selfies are extremely popular in the US. The 920 has a front-facing camera. Not many US customers will use their upgrade to downgrade to a device that doesn't do selfies.
 

Jason Ward

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The 635 also lacks a front-facing camera. Selfies are extremely popular in the US. The 920 has a front-facing camera. Not many US customers will use their upgrade to downgrade to a device that doesn't do selfies.

Oh we're DEFINITELY getting high-end hero devices! That's pretty much confirmed by reports here at WPCentral as well.

"Finally, Jo Harlow, who heads up the phone business under Microsoft devices, notes in the memo that they will shift "...flagship engineering efforts towards new flagship products timed with the next release of Windows and Windows Phone," referring to the Spring 2015 'Threshold' update. In the meantime, the company is focusing on the Lumia 930, Lumia 1520 and "and other high-end products that we will be announcing very soon."

That's great news for all of us WP users and enthusiasts. We'll have an upgrade path!
The challenge is we've ALWAYS had hero devices and flagships and upgrade paths but sadly very little mass market MINDSHARE.(the 1020 almost got us there:) )
People generally don't talk about or even worse THINK about Windows Phone as a option!
The question here is given the popularity, the Mindshare and the fame of HALO, with past and coming games, productions and The Stephen Spielberg produced ShowTime TV Show, all of which will bring Halo, Cortana's world, before the general smartphone buying public, I posit, could that massive franchise be used to leverage Cortana as a hero feature to create mindshare for Windows Phone?
We need MINDSHARE. We need something that fundamentally establishes Windows Phone in the mind of a buyer as an option alongside iPhones and Android devices. Does that something necessarily HAVE to be a High-end device?

Daniel Rubino:
"High-end Windows Phones so far have not earned their due in terms of market share for Microsoft. Although devices like the Lumia 1520, Lumia 1020 and the newer Lumia 930 are elegant, impressive and competitive, shoppers instead opt for entry-level Lumias. Microsoft desperately needs to turn that around, especially in the United States, and it looks like Microsoft is going to pick up the torch from Nokia and aggressively brave that path. "
 

N_LaRUE

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Here's the thing.

Where MS has failed is that they initially released an OS with very limited functions. They have now released an update, finally, but still behind in functions.

Where Nokia has failed is they did their usual thing, bringing out a multitude of phones, confusing customers and not really releasing an attractive flagship phone.

So with those two failures that's why you have the situation you have now. For things to move forward they need to produce eye catching phones and get the feature list up. Get the devs, because games and apps that people want are still missing or in beta or require third party. People want and demand a phone to match what is already out there. The common consumer does not care about Cortana or Halo. I don't game and had no idea who Cortana was so focusing on that would lose a large part of the market. Let's not forget that we should have a male voice option as well for those who want it, which is why focusing on Cortana as female only is probably a mistake.

If MS wants to be in the game they need a device that people like me and has already been pointed out, many others want. If you're not going to deliver a flagship phone I'll go elsewhere. It's that simple.
 
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Geddeeee

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Using the phrases 'hero device' or 'hero feature' should be banned from ever being uttered. They are even worse than the term 'phablet'...
 

Great deal

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If MS want to make their own Hardware and their own software they are going to have to get into the property business AKA opening stores world wide. Apple has many stores which become the focal point at each launch, its in every news channel - Apple probably pay people to camp outside for 1 week, even if they don't the stories hit the headlines, the videos hit YouTube and more hype is created = even more phone sales + crazed following. MS has a bigger market share outside of the US and they need to focus on that. Look at Lenovo, they pulled the 8inch Thinkpad tablet due to poor demand in the US and shipped the devices to Europe and Far East.
 

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