When would you consider WP to be a success?

[Jrexxx]

At what point do you think we will be able to say that windows phone has "made it"? Any market share percentage in the US or worldwide? Or should we be focusing on the number of handsets being sold, considering that Android and iOS are growing so fast?

 

[rockstarzzz]

It will have to be both mutually I guess.

More marketshare = More devs = More apps = More sales = More good review = More sales = More marketshares.

I will say the day when MSFT and Nokia release their number of handsets sold - it will be the big day. So far I am taking their silence for the sales figures as well as crawling marketshares as bad news. Nokia specially won't give up any chance it gets to boast about increased sales numbers when WP really succeeds!

My guess, March 2013.

 

[jaj324]

When it makes money for Microsoft. That's it, the end. This is business not a contest.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[mprice86]

Market share percentage is too arbitrary.

I'd call it a success when people outside of technology forums are talking about it.

 

[Los]

I'll call it a success when the average person says iPhone, android and Windows Phone. Not just iPhone and android. You ask the average person today what will be their next phone they will always say either iPhone or android. They never consider Windows Phone cause they are not aware of it's existence

 

[smapor]

windows 8.

Tablet will boost the smart phone market. Its why I am just starting with WP7

I used to use an Ipad but Windows 8 consumer addition blew me away, especially when I installed it on an HP slate. I am anxiously waiting for the final release.

 

[bilzkh]

I'll call it a success when the average person says iPhone, android and Windows Phone. Not just iPhone and android. You ask the average person today what will be their next phone they will always say either iPhone or android. They never consider Windows Phone cause they are not aware of it's existence

IMO the average person says "iPhone or Samsung" and less commonly HTC. It doesn't seem to me that a lot of first time smartphone buyers know about mobile operating systems, they simply associate with the manufacturer. Nowadays it might seem plausible for people to say "iPhone, Samsung, HTC or Nokia" in the near future.

 

[Forgewizard]

WP will become a success when they implement the basics that feature phones have and what winmo used to do which continue to be asked for in USERVOICE. If the device won't let the user make it "theirs" - then users will go elsewhere.

WP is kind of like sitting in a Ferrari while it is sitting on cinder blocks in the front yard: Oh yeah - you can brag about how you have a slick Ferrari - but if you can't go any where, so then what good is it?

 

[Los]

WP will become a success when they implement the basics that feature phones have and what winmo used to do which continue to be asked for in USERVOICE. If the device won't let the user make it "theirs" - then users will go elsewhere.

WP is kind of like sitting in a Ferrari while it is sitting on cinder blocks in the front yard: Oh yeah - you can brag about how you have a slick Ferrari - but if you can't go any where, so then what good is it?

That theory is flawed cause that hasn't stopped the iphone from doing well

 

[scottcraft]

In my opinion the iPhone does some things WP doesn't at this time, but that's a tale for another thread. I think WP has made strides tbis year, but if Apollo improves things like Mango did it should pick up quickly.

Sent from my Windows 7 phone using Board Express

 

[jimski]

WP is already a success for me. Do t really care what others think.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[Los]

In my opinion the iPhone does some things WP doesn't at this time, but that's a tale for another thread

And then again iPhone has been around for how many years? almost 6?

Let's take a trip back in time and think about how many years it took the iPhone to get simple stuff like copy and paste. Man people have forgotten that the iPhone couldn't even do MMS when it came out or even record video. In Fact, It couldn't even record video until the 3GS. That's 2 years later! Windows Phone has only been out for a year and a half and it could do far more than the iPhone could in it's first 3 years. Imagine where Windows Phone will be given the same time as iPhone

 

[steve70]

I've always considered it a success, but once the wife finally got the white Lumia 900 AND LOVES IT!. No more resets, complaints, or actually throwing her phone lol. (she can still play her beloved Angry Birds on WiFi on her old device). Also she likes be the center of attention. Even her Iphone only friends stop and woo over how good the device looks and take the time to listen how well the device works, coming from an average user, not just an obsessed phone geek like me. (they could care less if you've had WinMo, flashed custom ROMS, tried Android and fragmentation issues blah blah blah.

 

[jimski]

In my opinion the iPhone does some things WP doesn't at this time, but that's a tale for another thread.

One question. Is there anything that WP does, that iPhone doesn't. Just sayin.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[smapor]

One question. Is there anything that WP does, that iPhone doesn't. Just sayin.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

ya not being limited to 1 hardware vendor

 

[N8ter]

That theory is flawed cause that hasn't stopped the iphone from doing well

Theory makes since unless you seriously think market conditions in mid 2007 are equivalent to those in mid-2012.

And I hope you don't.

WP7 isn't competing against Palm, Symbian, WinMo, and BB OS4 or whatever. Pretty much all of those are dead or on the way out.

WP7 is competing against iOS 5.1.x, Android 4.0.x, and BB7 with BB10 on the horizon.

Smartphones are no longer "business devices" but also mainstream consumer devices. Device consolidation is at an all-time high, and with the way the ecosystems are setup users are less fickle with platforms than they used to be. They will stay where they have made decent investments on apps/media/games/etc.

Microsoft could have been a major player today, if they weren't slow as molasses and sat on their thumbs to give us the venerable (lol) Windows Mobile 6.5. Google was creating a OS that looked much like BB/WinMo and after iOS was unveiled they changed very quickly and delivered something radically different. That bode well for them. Palm, Microsoft, and RIM were not so quick to change, and they're all paying (or paid) for it.

Agility to respond to market disruptions and changes is necessary. Google had it, Microsoft and RIM still don't have it. That will continue to hurt both of them, although BB10 is looking to be a more completely product than Mango is right now so they may be able to save face given their marketshare world-wide is still respectable.

 

[N8ter]

ya not being limited to 1 hardware vendor

That's actually an advantage.

You know you won't be stuck with only a mid-range device if your carrier carries iPhones, or with only Samsung's Plastic Phones, HTC's beasts (in size, the Titan II is prolly the best WP7 device out apart form how damn big it is), or Nokia's phones that are always waiting on a patch for a software bug.

It also allows Apple to be very agile with software updates, since they simply sent it to all their devices and you don't have to worry about your OEM to release FW updates for issues they introduce to the build.

 

[sentimentGX4]

I will deem Windows Phone a success when it captures at minimum 40% marketshare.

Being the OS supported by the most major software corporation in the world, Microsoft, I don't think anyone, including Microsoft itself, will accept any less.

Microsoft's ultimate goal for WP is obviously 90% of marketshare; but, with the iPhone so strong, this will probably take decades and decades to occur even when/if Windows Phone takes off.

Agility to respond to market disruptions and changes is necessary. Google had it, Microsoft and RIM still don't have it. That will continue to hurt both of them, although BB10 is looking to be a more completely product than Mango is right now so they may be able to save face given their marketshare world-wide is still respectable.

Blackberry is in a horrible Catch 22.

It's entire brand is based off an obsoleting technology. Every Blackberry without a major keypad focus has failed and yet the market trend is steadily moving away from keypads. Regardless of how good BB10 is, the market's reception to an all touch Blackberry will very likely be negative and RIM does not have Microsoft's cash hoard. BB10's GUI will fail to be any more relevant to its success than Windows Phone's GUI and user experience.

Very soon, Windows Phone will be the last remaining alternative OS and the only reason for this is because Microsoft can afford for the OS to be distant 3rd. (Windows Phone isn't its primary source of revenue, after all.) I predict RIM is very close to being forcefully bought out.

 

[bilzkh]

If you want WP to win...then consider giving the OEMs and carriers what they want with Apollo. Open it up for excessive hardware specs, make some alloted space for bloatware and what not... These guys (Samsung, HTC, etc) will cut back on Android on their own, lessen Apollo licensing fees and things will get very interesting IMO.

As for the low-end markets, seriously consider waiving licensing fees for WP7-Tango once Apollo lands, and develop Tango further for even lower specs. Right now a bulk of Android is cheap low-end handsets, and if you want to mitigate that, then you need to make WP available to that market segment.

 

[N8ter]

Blackberry is in a horrible Catch 22.

I'm not going to entertain this comment anymore than to say you have no idea what you're talking about.