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.
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.