Whats it going to take to convert IPhone/Android users to Windows Phone

[mYth]

#1 the app count is bogus. It's gone from 10-45K in just 12 months that is amazing growth. Can't you just say that it's not enough apps and leave it that instead of lying?

#2 - the UI. Take it or leave it. It's fundamentally different from the iOS/Android rows of icons and chrome UI and UX. Maybe that's what you miss, the gloss.

#1 i said nothing about app count. I don't how care how exponential it is. Without updates it makes them worthless. The development process doesn't stop once its created. Don't accuse me of lying if you don't even read my sentence right.

#2 I didn't say i missed anything. I just said it feels like something is missing. It needs a little extra kick to wow someone. Yeah livetiles are great, but they are few in number.

Just coming from a 4S I'll list some things I've noticed.
Gaming would be first. Its limited, even with xbox live. Besides racing, nothing really seems to be pushing the boundaries. All of the games seem like the short addicting games like angry birds and plants vs zombies. Its really lacking in other genres.
Two is the limited storage. Only one phone has expandable memory. Music and videos don't go far on these phones. I need at least 32gb just to fit all my music. Adding videos is a whole other story.
Three app development seems slow. I see a lot of the apps on the marketplace are always asking for a update.
Last is the UI, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels like something is missing.

I'll expand this a some more when I get home.

I don't want to expand this on a page before. Then no one see's it. Even if its worthless haha.

Nothing beats iTunes. I understand that its hard to compete with as well. The largest collection of music (and movies for all i know). Its got a pretty standard quality at 256kbps AAC. Which is fine because most newer phones cover M4A. But what about things that aren't M4A? I being an audiophile use a lot of lossless. Apple has the only phone (again to my knowledge) that supports a lossless codec by standard. Anyways what I'm getting at is codec supports. A lot of people who have invested money into music it becomes harder for them to switch. I don't want to convert all of my music into .flac or worse quality just because my phone wont support it.

Not to mention Zune isn't the best experience.

I'm never pleased with a browser experience on any mobile device. So i won't even go into that.

The things i really want to see MS push is:
- The xbox live experience. It really seems like they don't push it at all. A few games, a little customization of your avatar. Whatever. Bring more to me. Make xbox users want the phone. Exclusive halo/gow things. More synchronization with the xbox.
- The requirements for building an WP7 phone. Seems kind of silly, but having a requirement for great/mediocre phones is a very good thing. It makes all of the phone have a similar experience, it just depends on what feels the best in your hands. Of course, having all of the different manufacturers gives us different physical issues and software bugs. But as an overall experience it stays pretty general.


I still have more to say. I'm just way to tired. 6AM and i have to be back at work in 6 hours. Ugh.

 

[InfectedPhreak]

The things i really want to see MS push is:
- The xbox live experience. It really seems like they don't push it at all. A few games, a little customization of your avatar. Whatever. Bring more to me. Make xbox users want the phone. Exclusive halo/gow things. More synchronization with the xbox.

Definitely have to agree, this is huge for WP7. If they are so after Xbox and Zune, and with Xbox hub on the phone they really need to spark more interest from the gaming community. I think if there was more depth to it, it would really pick up.

Even if they did avatar stuff, like buy/download Plants vs Zombies and get an avatar item or something. Something that people really grasp their attention to. I know there are a lot of people that go for achievements, and other little things that show off a gamer. If they added more flavor to it, it could really do well.

WP7 only has so much going for it. If you take a step back you'll see things like Microsoft Office, Xbox Hub, and Zune. These are really key players (at least I think so) to WP7. If they work on making these things better well as Zune Software for desktop and continue to work on Xbox Live... Microsoft could see a huge increase to the user base. Millions of people play Xbox, and use the Xbox Live service. Once the ecosystem of Metro UI and Windows 8 comes out... we'll see how far this goes.

 

[Speebs]

I think the Live Tiles, make it a lot better looking then a grid of icons. Not many apps do take advantage of it, so I hear... but even then... You still have the same ideology. It's still a row of icons/squares/information.. just a different way to view them. A lot of people say it, Metro UI is either love it or hate it.

I'm not talking about tiles vs. icons or whatever. I like the tiles (I wish you could make the live ones rotate their info on demand without having to wait for them though). The UI is more than just the live tiles.

I don't agree.

Photos: Windows Phone 7.5 ?Mango? screenshots | The Microsoft Blog - seattlepi.com

I like the minimalism and lack of chrome/gloss. It looks like a grown-up interface to me.

Also check out this video to see how the Metro UI will point to future interfaces that go beyond mobile devices:

Productivity Future Vision (2011) - YouTube

What Microsoft is pointing towards is UX-centric rather then app-centric. Maybe that's over your head.

No need to be insulting. Being UX-centric is what I'm after (I came from WebOS so there is no need to lecture me on user experience), and that's why I'd like it to look a little nicer. Minimalism is fine, but boring just turns people off (like me) and it can even make the phone harder to use (the email list should alternate background colors so it's easier to discern one email from the next, some options, like wifi settings, should be easier to access without having to go through 3 steps to get there or downloading an app, etc). Without ANY gloss, it looks like it's made out of legos to me, which is the opposite of a grown up phone.

How it integrates with other devices is irrelevant. All I'm asking is for some gradients, font changes, and some curved edges.

 

[KingCrimson]

How it integrates with other devices is irrelevant. All I'm asking is for some gradients, font changes, and some curved edges.

No what you're saying is you want it to look like iOS with the 3D glossy rounded icons.

 

[koolkid09]

No what you're saying is you want it to look like iOS with the 3D glossy rounded icons.

I don't think that's what he is necessarily saying. I believe he is saying he would like to have the tools available to customize his phone to his specific liking.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

 

[KingCrimson]

^^^
What does that even mean and why would I care about customizing Windows Phone? It's already the correct UX.

 

[Speebs]

No what you're saying is you want it to look like iOS with the 3D glossy rounded icons.

actually, what I said was

All I'm asking is for some gradients, font changes, and some curved edges.

If you are going to troll or post without reading, or display rabid fanboyism, please don't bother doing it in response to any of my posts. Thanks in advance.

 

[mhans311]

^^^
What does that even mean and why would I care about customizing Windows Phone? It's already the correct UX.

Nothing but a troll. Just because you don't care about something doesn't mean others shouldn't. Believe it or not, your opinion isn't universal. Some people like to be individuals and customize things.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[KingCrimson]

Let's get down to the brass tax. If a Windows "superphone" doesn't come by 2012 holiday season, it's game over. I don't believe Microsoft can gain significant market share with these substandard devices.

 

[Mio_Ray]

Well I just turned 2 users (1 iP + 1 Android). The (ex) Android user is constantly switching phone anyway, so it was just a matter of time before he came across WP. But after seing my 800 he tried out a Radar and has now ordered a 900.

The iPhone user dropped her phone and I split open like a book, so no she has a 800 and is very happy about it.

Both users say that it is the actual OS that impresses the most.

A third user is considering a 800, she is just plain bored with her iPhone. She might wait until WP8

So in short, they just have to see it. Then they believe it. And in the end it is not about the apps, at least not for these 3 users




Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

 

[alvila]

I'll wait for wp8 , I tried the 900 excellent phone, but didn't keep since it was going to change shortly

 

[socialcarpet]

How it integrates with other devices is irrelevant. All I'm asking is for some gradients, font changes, and some curved edges.

 

[socialcarpet]

As a hardcore Android user it would take a lot for me to switch to Windows Phone.

They would need to to open up the OS a little more for me. Not enough to cause severe fragmentation. Bit enough to were I feel like I can call the device my own. Add ability for different keyboards, wallpapers, change transparency of the tiles, smaller ans bigger tiles, more interactive tiles, etc...

I don't really see Microsoft really changing what I need to leave Android anytime soon, so I don't really think about leaving often.

PS. They also need better hardware.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

Different keyboards I could see, though the keyboard that comes with WP is better than the iPhone keyboard and I like it better than any of the 4 keyboards I tried on my Android phones, including Swype. Sometimes if you do something extremely well in the first place, there isn't much demand for "customization" but I can't honestly think of a single example of this in Android, which is why all the choices I suppose.

Wallpapers and translucent tiles, absolutely not. There is just NO way to make that not look like a tacky, confusing mess.

Smaller tiles, different size tiles, all those are coming. More interactive? I'm not sure what you mean precisely, but I would expect to see more functionality in some tiles in the near future.

Ultimately WP is probably not going to move closer to the Android model of 25 menu choices for everything and with good reason. The people who designed it worked very hard to develop a very clear, concise UX that looks good and conveys information clearly. If I were them, I'd protect it from stupid people mucking it up too much with "customizations" too. Android to me is too much of a free for all.

It's kind of like Google said, "Meh... we made this but it's not that great, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, do whatever you want with it. Oh, and your carrier and the people who made your phone, yeah, they're free to mess with it and make it worse and you can't undo what they did unless you root your phone and expect problems. We're not particularly proud of what we've made, so we're going to let anyone who wants to crap all over it and we're not taking any responsibility for the end result."

That to me, is not the way to make the interface for a device you use on a daily basis that needs to be 110% reliable, dependable and get the job done and get out of your way. It's a good philosophy for a beta or a test product or something. Not a finished product.

 

[AzD]

"It's kind of like Google said, "Meh... we made this but it's not that great, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, do whatever you want with it."

Yeah I'm sure that's exactly what Google said...

 

[cckgz4]

But that seems to be the message they've conveyed until 4.0

Sent from Le Cyan de Lumia via Board Espresso

 

[socialcarpet]

But that seems to be the message they've conveyed until 4.0

Sent from Le Cyan de Lumia via Board Espresso

Precisely.

 

[AzD]

Maybe that's just the message as you interpret it. Market share analysis suggests that wasn't what Google was up to.

 

[based_graham]

I don't really care about iPhone and High End Android users. Its best to go after Blackberry users and low-end Android users.

I sell them using 2 things
1. Price
2. Ecosystem

 

[dwayne.williams]

Of course it'll be difficult to get someone satisfied to switch, that's the definition of satisfied isn't it? I'm sure marketing departments are aiming at dissatisfied customers... That is even if they are aiming to switch people over I posted a long paragraph about how the Windows Phone movement is going for the uninitiated that's probably the best way to get market share at this point.

Bullsh!t. Period. People that aren't techies or fanboys of a particular platform are ignorant, at least in large part they are. All it takes is for someone that works at a retail location to say that it isn't cool to sway their minds. I attribute it mainly to the fact that BECAUSE they don't know anything, they think that the people that work there do. If the people working there did their jobs correctly and took a neutral approach to sales and actually help people with correct information then chances are HIGHLY likely that people would likely choose Windows Phone, if not over an iPhone then definitely over an Android device. I have pitched Windows Phone to many people and approximately 98% of them are highly impressed.

I agree with this to a certain degree. But the reality is that the salesperson at the carrier store will push what they think that they can sell. Plus, they also have a quota to meet with accessories sold. If I'm a salesperson, I'm pushing the iPhone because I know that people are more likely to buy it and because there are a boat load of accessories for it. It doesn't mean the iPhone is a better product, but it is a higher selling and more popular product. That's what matter to sales people.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

 

[Even4steven]

I agree with this to a certain degree. But the reality is that the salesperson at the carrier store will push what they think that they can sell. Plus, they also have a quota to meet with accessories sold. If I'm a salesperson, I'm pushing the iPhone because I know that people are more likely to buy it and because there are a boat load of accessories for it. It doesn't mean the iPhone is a better product, but it is a higher selling and more popular product. That's what matter to sales people.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

I currently own and use both Android and Apple phones and tablets (used to be mostly Android, now mostly Apple) and used Windows Mobile prior to that. For the first time since owning those products, I am giving some thought to switching back to MS to Windows 8 devices. I am more a fan of technology rather than a ****** of any company. I want devices and apps/software that work easy and share everything via the cloud, the way that I want. Android is too inconsistent (love Google stuff though) Apple just works; it really does, but is confining and limiting. I will wait till the fall and get a good look at W8 and the phones and tablets that go with it.

All it would take for me to switch besides the money is a comprehensive offering across all device lines with GREAT battery time a must. That is a deal breaker for me. Besides, MS has always been like an old sweater, it just fits and I KNOW how to use most of it.