The other part of MS's new WP strategy, doesn't focus on consumers

FindleInClev

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I saw two articles yesterday - and sorry, it's too late here for me to go dig up the links, but they, along with the highlight video of the MS MWC presentation, leads me to believe the real strategy is now- sell directly to businesses.

And I think most, if not all, of their focus will be on doing that for next year. Quotes from both Elop and the woman who is the 'VP of WP marketing' both indicated to me that they aren't even going to try creating something to compete with the S6 or IP6, because those features aren't what businesses will be counting on. When asked about what a WP10 flagship would look like, he pointed at a surface pro 3, which is a excellent device (I'm writing this post on one), but isn't the kind of thing that is designed to show off flashy new consumer features or tech. In addition, the presentation for the 640/640XL really targeted businesses, talking about productivity, getting work done, and device control/security.

When asked about a successor for the 1020, the VP of marketing talked about the 1020 being 'polarizing', and that they didn't want to have that kind of position again. It really sounds to me like they are preparing us for the fact that at least for the foreseeable future, there isn't going to be a dedicated OMG camera-featured phone.

And this ties in with the new 'We make for Doers' campaign. This is a campaign that works best for businesses and professionals. Not for people who want the latest phone gadgetry chock full of features, specs, and tech.

Everything I'm hearing in their messaging is leading me to believe that whatever flagship(s) are announced, it won't be designed around the best consumer or phone geek experience. It will have new features that include handwriting and other office tie-ins. But if I'm honest with myself, and I see how nice the S6 looks, and I see that my 1020 is over a year old and I'm on the Next plan, I'd have to think that whatever unicorn phone everyone here will build in their minds will never be presented by MS. It's a new company, new leadership, and new strategies. And I think that new strategy doesn't include really trying to convince people in a ATT store to buy WP10. They want to do mass deals to businesses, and if that works, they can go back to the consumer side, if they think it can be profitable for the overall 'Productivity' mantra later on.

I hope I'm wrong about this, and that I can hold out and they surprise us all with a great announcement at build. But right now, I don't think I can pass up a S6.
 

Alain_A

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leads me to believe the real strategy is now- sell directly to businesses

yes, which is a good thing. As of now not too much money was made from consumer side..So getting more into business, is the right move, money wise.


the presentation for the 640/640XL really targeted businesses, talking about productivity, getting work done, and device control/security.

yes and for consumer also


there isn't going to be a dedicated OMG camera-featured phone.

I never had a 1020. I heard the camera was super...But here the thing; how well did it go at selling those..Did they made millions with it?
And I remember reading a post somewhere that the L830 take good picture in low light


Everything I'm hearing in their messaging is leading me to believe that whatever flagship(s) are announced, it won't be designed around the best consumer or phone geek experience

We don't know that just yet. When he was talking about the 640+XL, he did mention the consumer too.


And I think that new strategy doesn't include really trying to convince people in a ATT store to buy WP10.

AT&T will have the 640 and 640 XL which they are pretty cheap.

What do you need from a phone? How do you use it?
 

Robinsonmac

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The real problem for MS on the consumer side is they cant get the same phone on all the carriers. The carriers really don't care what Windows Phone needs because its market share is nothing. So this if true is MS way of getting their phone in the hands of professionals that will hopefully lead to wider adoption, which will lead to better market share which will lead them back to the consumer side and get the "Halo" phone on all carriers with no exclusives. This coupled with flooding the market with low & mid range phone people can afford is a good strategy for the current situation. Why keep doing the same thing and expect a different result, isn't that the definition of crazy?
 

TheCudder

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I would prefer Microsoft take this approach myself --- targeting the business side. Because success on the business front will eventually spill over to success in the consumer space. Because let's face it,at this point, fighting to win over the consumer directly just isn't going to happen. Upper IT management makes the call on which device you're going to use at work --- simple as that. Win them over with enterprise features, functionality and great security and you've boosted your market share by thousands instantly. All by impressing a small group of people.

Microsoft really needs to take the "One Microsoft" & "cloud first, mobile first" mindset ---- and go all out with the idea of making phones, tablets & PC's interact with one another in enterprise environments.
 

FindleInClev

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What do you need from a phone? How do you use it?

That's a great question, and after thinking about it, I guess after 5 years, the thing is - and this is for someone who lives in the US and privileged and can afford a nice phone yadda hadda - something that makes being irrelevant when it comes to the mobile space worth while. I mean when you buy into the WP world right now, you are accepting that when it comes to the overall mobile tech world, you are really not going to mean much, if anything. Which is fine, but if you are, then you really need something you love about your particular phone to offset that. And I can trace mine over 5 years:

1. Got a Focus, was my first real 'modern' smartphone', Loved the idea of WP.
2. Lumia 900, 920, loved the design and the poly-carbonite and colors, nice cameras, etc
3. Lumia 1020 - amazing camera, could replace a dslr in common circumstances

So each of those I think something that made me go 'wow', and that made me happy to own them and use WP. But now on the verge of essentially a new OS, with no flagship anywhere near reality, for many people will getting a 'eh' phone - is that really going to make up for dealing with the WP downside? And how can it help get over the challenges right now? I guess we'll see.

Look, it's nice that France had such a sales surge, and that the market share in Europe is holding. Unfortunately I don't live there, and none of my friends do either. And more importantly, neither do the people or companies that make the apps for my banks, or other services like museums, stores, board games, and all the other services that I have to forgo having access to by staying with WP.

So I guess that's just my personal bout of WP ennui. :smile:

And another nagging thought I've had recently is, with the new company strategy at MS, if I did leave, but on any new phone I get still used all of the MS services and apps, would MS consider that a 'loss' at all at this point? And if that's the case, how much do they really care about getting WP to a point where it is relevant? I know - Universal Apps will do that and all that, maybe someday.
 

Alain_A

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That's a great question, and after thinking about it, I guess after 5 years, the thing is - and this is for someone who lives in the US and privileged and can afford a nice phone yadda hadda - something that makes being irrelevant when it comes to the mobile space worth while. I mean when you buy into the WP world right now, you are accepting that when it comes to the overall mobile tech world, you are really not going to mean much, if anything. Which is fine, but if you are, then you really need something you love about your particular phone to offset that. And I can trace mine over 5 years:

1. Got a Focus, was my first real 'modern' smartphone', Loved the idea of WP.
2. Lumia 900, 920, loved the design and the poly-carbonite and colors, nice cameras, etc
3. Lumia 1020 - amazing camera, could replace a dslr in common circumstances

So each of those I think something that made me go 'wow', and that made me happy to own them and use WP. But now on the verge of essentially a new OS, with no flagship anywhere near reality, for many people will getting a 'eh' phone - is that really going to make up for dealing with the WP downside? And how can it help get over the challenges right now? I guess we'll see.

Look, it's nice that France had such a sales surge, and that the market share in Europe is holding. Unfortunately I don't live there, and none of my friends do either. And more importantly, neither do the people or companies that make the apps for my banks, or other services like museums, stores, board games, and all the other services that I have to forgo having access to by staying with WP.

So I guess that's just my personal bout of WP ennui. :smile:

And another nagging thought I've had recently is, with the new company strategy at MS, if I did leave, but on any new phone I get still used all of the MS services and apps, would MS consider that a 'loss' at all at this point? And if that's the case, how much do they really care about getting WP to a point where it is relevant? I know - Universal Apps will do that and all that, maybe someday.


Same thing for Canada...windows phones are not very popular, hard to find what you want. It all depends of the carrier...

MS need to open its online store WORLWIDE. So we can buy the phone that we really want and UNLOCK.
That way more people like me could buy MS phone...
And a phone, it is sold to its apps>>>another words; a lot of people buy IOS and Android cause they have more apps....No apps for some = deal breaker..For me, I have all I need

Also, for me, good working software is way much more important than the physical look of a phone
 

Lee B

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Writing from the Mobile World Congress in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/t...-smartphone-makers-shift-strategies.html?_r=0 ), Molly Wood offered the following observations:

"[T]he iPhone seems unstoppable. A little over a month ago, in what is becoming a familiar pattern, Apple reported record iPhone sales, including an 83 percent increase in sales in China versus the same period last year. According to a report from Canaccord Genuity, an investment firm, Apple might earn as much as 93 percent of the profit in the entire handset industry.

So, what does that leave for everyone else? A dogfight over scraps."

If Apple is pulling in more than 90% of the profits in a market where MS has a tiny share, we shouldn't be surprised that we're not being flooded with flagships. Wood adds later in her piece:

"Analysts say the iPhone is too expensive for every business to offer it to every employee. . But one other giant company may be making some inroads: Microsoft.


?That?s a space where, interestingly, Microsoft has a massive opportunity,? Mr. Wood said. He said chief information officers ?say they can buy three or four highly capable mid- or low-tier Windows phones for the price of one iPhone.?

I know that a lot of the folks on this board hunger for a really great flagship Windows phone, and I'm pretty sure MS will offer us something this year. But the current market reality is that MS has no chance of making real money or gaining significant market share with a flagship. Their best opportunity at this point is the mid-range business market where MS can compete on a combination of price and integration with the whole Windows ecosystem, as well as the low-to-mid-price consumer market in countries outside the US. We can hope that they can gain enough share there to build up toward the high end. But that's going to take a while.
 

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