Poll: Do WP users feel Microsoft isn't providing enough reasons for people to try WP?

[KoreyTM]

The title to this post is in response to Robert Brand's article on WPcentral's front page today entitled, "Microsoft Updates iOS My Xbox Live App - Takes it to the next level"
Microsoft Updates iOS My Xbox Live App - Takes it to the next level | wpcentral | Windows Phone News, Forums, and Reviews

Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate where Microsoft is going with their cross-platform strategy - this will make sure that Microsoft stays a player in all forms of home entertainment for years to come.

What I find increasingly frustrating, however, is Microsoft's inability to make Windows Phone an operating system with "wow" factor, either through impressive app exclusivity or innovative features not found on any other mobile OS.

In my opinion, iOS's killer feature is its developer (and consumer) mindshare that brings new apps to the marketplace first and foremost before any other OS gets attention. Android (again, just one man's opinion) has so many interesting features being implemented all the time that it makes tech users forget about fragmentation due to the platform's innovative nature and customization.

I believe WP has the best OS in terms of UI and operational smoothness, but other than that WP just doesn't bring anything new to the table that would grab a potential customer's attention away from a competitor.

If Microsoft delivers a killer app, such as a video game like Halo with xbox-level graphics, on WP then this would be one example where Microsoft would be giving its OS the needed "wow" factor. Another example would be helping up-and-coming developers establish presence in the world of apps by marketing those apps which are Windows Phone exclusives. Either way, through these actions Microsoft would be making its OS a hot commodity in the world of smart phones.

Anyone care to offer their opinion as well?

 

[theefman]

Abso-fricking-lutely!!!!! WP used to be the only platform that had Xbox live, Office, and live tiles. Very soon 2 of those selling points will be gone and the only USP will be the Metro UI. Not sure that's a very compelling killer feature to attract users to the platform.

 

[anon(5344611)]

Well, Microsoft haven't announced any user-facing features of Windows Phone 8 other than the new Start screen, so there's no way to know if they're innovating or not.

However, just like Windows 8, I expect a lot of new features to come to WP8, and the integration between the two platforms will be huge, starting with sharing the same core.

Let's wait and see.

 

[jimski]

As WP8, XBox, SkyDrive, W8 and W8RT build momentum, people are going to realize that there are alternatives to their current ecosystem and that there are advantages to buying into Microsoft's.. This is a marathon, not a sprint. PCs, got it. Gaming system, done. Next up, Cloud Services. Followed by tablets and smartphones.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[based_graham]

Windows phones are very affordable that's a big selling point its a evolution of a phone it makes everything easy its about EXPERIENCE rather than a rich feature set.

It all depends on sales reps look at ATT they gave everybody Lumia 900's and look its selling pretty well over there.

T-Mobile sales staff is starting to get the hang of Windows Phone 7.5 and the Lumia 710 sales have been pretty good thus far considering its competing with a sea of Android devices

Now lets take that momentum to Verizon, Sprint, MetroPCS, US Celluar etc and add more devices then were good to go!

Windows Phone isn't going to sell itself but if staff know the true value and what the phone is good for these phones can fly off the shelves.

 

[genuine555]

Off course they are lacking, very severely, mostly due to the enduring LACK of simple features. And instead they give you stupid updates that don't really matter at all.

You'd be an idiot thinking otherwise. With all due respect.

 

[selfcreation]

WP main selling point is ALL about the METRO UI and live tiles being your notifications,
what this means is you can open your phone , look at 2-3 live tiles and be up to date. and back to listening to your wife before she hurts you.

In and out is what WP is all about ,

thats why I dont understand all the people wanting a *notification center*.
The live tiles ARE your notification center and wp7.8/WP8 will enhance them even more!!!
so you can see the txt/e-mail for example strait on the tile. ( in and out , dont need to start messing around with apps and different pages)

sure MS could work on the *marketing* side of things a little more , but they are already 100% better then what they had 2 years ago.. witch was nothing.

this is how i look at OS:

Iphone: app launcher ( has them all, even have ultrasounds with a little Iscaner .. like WTF, lol )
Android: custom and entry level device( cheap plans/phones that often dont require data or more then 1year terms)
RIM (BB) : business solution, simple and easy.
WP: IN AND OUT; dont miss your Kids first Steps! lol

in the end it comes down to preference , but I think WP's problem is simply because of BRANDING and people being hard headed when it comes to change. WP has NO reason to fail and is just a matter of time before it catches on!!

 

[12Danny123]

WP main selling point is ALL about the METRO UI and live tiles being your notifications,
what this means is you can open your phone , look at 2-3 live tiles and be up to date. and back to listening to your wife before she hurts you.

In and out is what WP is all about ,

thats why I dont understand all the people wanting a *notification center*.
The live tiles ARE your notification center and wp7.8/WP8 will enhance them even more!!!
so you can see the txt/e-mail for example strait on the tile. ( in and out , dont need to start messing around with apps and different pages)

sure MS could work on the *marketing* side of things a little more , but they are already 100% better then what they had 2 years ago.. witch was nothing.

this is how i look at OS:

Iphone: app launcher ( has them all, even have ultrasounds with a little Iscaner .. like WTF, lol )
Android: custom and entry level device( cheap plans/phones that often dont require data or more then 1year terms)
RIM (BB) : business solution, simple and easy.
WP: IN AND OUT; dont miss your Kids first Steps! lol

in the end it comes down to preference , but I think WP's problem is simply because of BRANDING and people being hard headed when it comes to change. WP has NO reason to fail and is just a matter of time before it catches on!!

agreed.

 

[eLseStudio]

As WP8, XBox, SkyDrive, W8 and W8RT build momentum, people are going to realize that there are alternatives to their current ecosystem and that there are advantages to buying into Microsoft's.. This is a marathon, not a sprint. PCs, got it. Gaming system, done. Next up, Cloud Services. Followed by tablets and smartphones.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

*nod nod*. Totally agree.

The ecosystem when Windows 8 kicks into PC and tablet/phone with sky drive are going to be huge. They just naturally works together, no tedious download or install (I have faith in Microsoft).

 

[SnailUK]

What I find increasingly frustrating, however, is Microsoft's inability to make Windows Phone an operating system with "wow" factor, either through impressive app exclusivity or innovative features not found on any other mobile OS.

Really? WP wins awards all over the shop for its innovative design, and there have been plenty of articles online about how WP has the best looking apps. WP can run rings around iOS/Android on the same hardware. Thats the WOW factor.

The problem has always been, iOS and Android have had a 5+ year development advantage, and 100s of millions of existing users. That translated to OEMs and carriers who weren't interested in WP, no matter how much money Microsoft threw at them.

WP8's shared code/kernel should be able to solve the lack of apps issue, Nokia can (and have) solve the lack of interest from OEMs, but how are Microsoft going to solve the lack if interest from Carriers, and the fact soo many people are entrenched with iOS/Android? How are they going to compete with the ultra low end Android handsets? How are they going to deal with the inherited hatred of the Microsoft name, compared to the love for Apple/Google?

WP8 can have every WOW factor ever imagined, give it 6 months, Google will have copied them (like the current project for a Metro Android front end) and WP8 will still be a distant third in the mobile OS race.

 

[theefman]

As WP8, XBox, SkyDrive, W8 and W8RT build momentum, people are going to realize that there are alternatives to their current ecosystem and that there are advantages to buying into Microsoft's.. This is a marathon, not a sprint. PCs, got it. Gaming system, done. Next up, Cloud Services. Followed by tablets and smartphones.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

Microsoft themselves are removing those advantages with Smartglass and Skydrive on other platforms. All thats left is Office and if that is also ported to other platforms what are the advantages WP8 will have apart from looks?

 

[genuine555]

in the end it comes down to preference , but I think WP's problem is simply because of BRANDING and people being hard headed when it comes to change. WP has NO reason to fail and is just a matter of time before it catches on!!

They are taking stuff away that have always been the most basic features, and you call it being hard headed to change ? I call it something else. This has nothing to do with branding, but merely that I will not settle for less, especially when they call it more.
Nore should you imo.

When I spend time with my two kids, I leave the phone in my pocket and check my mails afterwards in the first place. Don't need to miss anything I don't want to miss, regardless of what phone I use. That's just BS marketing talk.
You make your own priorities. I didn't miss my boys' first steps, and never missed an arguement with the GF, be it with an android in my pocket, a WP or an iPhone.

Something 'new' isn't always better, or a leap forward. WP proves that concept to it's full extent. Maybe it will be 'more' then the others someday, but it won't be new anymore. Not by a longshot. Sry.

 

[Verkunder]

I think they are providing enough reasons, people just don't care about them.

Office: "Ew, who uses that."
Xbox: "No WWF or Draw Something, derp."
Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn: "But I want to use an app."
Zune Pass: "Pandora, lawls."

 

[dannejanne]

I don't think they provide enough reasons. At least not here in Scandinavia.

Sure the Lumia line had its fair share of commercials on TV etc. when it launched. Thing is the commercials barely showed anything at all from the OS itself. Just different angles of the Lumia phone and pretty much only the startscreen was shown. Nothing else in the beautiful simple to use OS so people only notice the startscreen and that is not a selling point of the OS.

They could do a lot more to try to convince people to try out a Windows Phone. The reasons are there. People just don't know about them yet.

 

[11B1P]

......This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, HP in regards to webOS. We all see how well that turned out, don't we? :dry

 

[cckgz4]

Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, HP in regards to webOS. We all see how well that turned out, don't we? :dry

A billion dollar corporation is unlikely to meet the same fate

 

[jimski]

Microsoft themselves are removing those advantages with Smartglass and Skydrive on other platforms. All thats left is Office and if that is also ported to other platforms what are the advantages WP8 will have apart from looks?

Microsoft provides those features to other platforms because; 1) they are first and foremost a software company, and 2) it's like the Pied Piper leading users to their platform. Sure, these things will work, but they work better with Microsoft's ecosystem. If someone is embedded in Google's or Apple's ecosystem, but half of what they do is cross-platform, taking a full gulp of Microsoft Kool-Aid is that much easier.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[KoreyTM]

What I like most about this thread and the replies its garnered is the varied opinions regarding the original question. If we can consider this thread a microcosm representing a larger communal understanding of WP, then I think we can agree that not everyone is happy, at least currently, with Microsoft's ability to innovate with their mobile OS.

I do agree with most that WP8 should make the OS what we've come to expect from a top-tier smartphone. That is to say, WP8 will incorporate all the features that have become commonplace in the smartphone market and then some. However, until Microsoft's unveiling of these consumer features, one can only speculate for the most part.

And this amount of speculation brings on another distinct possibility, one that I know no one here wants to even acknowledge let alone consider: What if Microsoft's innovations for WP8 fall short and/or just don't take hold in the marketplace en masse? What if Microsoft's efforts are ultimately a big letdown, either through execution or market mindshare? At this point, with Windows 8 and the rest of Microsoft's ecosystem culminating soon, I'd expect WP8 will have enough "backup" here to make the fledgling mobile OS a serious consideration for both consumers and business users. But that's only if WP8 can enhance the ecosystem that Microsoft has built by offering services that outperform other competitors.

At this point, I'm on the side of the fence that believes Microsoft hasn't, up to this point, innovated upon the possibilities of its mobile OS. Yes, SnailUK and Se1fcr3ation, I do agree with you both that the UX is Windows Phone's biggest current selling point. It's the place that, I feel, they did most of their innovating. In fact, I even mentioned this in my original post. But when it comes to WP7 and WP7.5, I feel like my phone is lacking functionality that Android has had for a while (such as NFC, luckily coming in WP8) or apps that are supremely popular on iOS but won't make the plunge into the Windows Phone arena.

Again, these are my 2 cents. To be completely honest with you, I was a WebOS refugee before coming to Windows Phone. I gushed about the WebOS platform in 2009, and I stayed with it until it dived into open source territory. Even though HP and Microsoft are vastly different companies in many different ways, after WebOS I believe anything can happen in the smartphone game, so I don't leave any stone unturned when I'm considering the future of a platform.

 

[4hab]

They really could do more. Well, Google doesnt promote Android either, but they just dont have to. The Partners, like Samsung and HTC do the work and the phones speak for them selves.

MS should encourage those OEMs more to promote their Windows Phones, Nokia is the only manufacturer whose marketing is able to compete with other brands.

HTC, Samsung, LG, ZTE - they all dont give a sh*t about their WP portfolio in my eyes, I've never seen a TV ad about the Samsung Omnia 7 so far, or about the HTC Titan. All I see is Nokia, somehow they are doing the job for MS, yet MS sponsors it alot i think. But MS should do more by theirselves to promote Windows Phone in TV or newspapers. For the most people all around the world, Windows Phone is still unknown i think, while everybody knows the iPhone or Samsungs Galaxy Series.

They MUST do a better job. But marketing has never been MS's greatest hobbyhorse so far. Meanwhile they start better ad-campaigns, like the teaser for surface or the IE9 ad.

If MS would start a campaign for windows phone, like for surface or IE9 and spread it wide over all media - then people would be totally aware of the OS finally and many more would decide to buy a Windows Phone, I'm sure about that.

But as usual... they are just too dumb...

 

[jimski]

. But when it comes to WP7 and WP7.5, I feel like my phone is lacking functionality that Android has had for a while (such as NFC, luckily coming in WP8) or apps that are supremely popular on iOS but won't make the plunge into the Windows Phone arena.
.

Ok, so how many active Android handsets are currently available, or were available, say up to 6 months ago (a while). 40, 50, more? And how many of those handsets have NFC onboard? What exactly is "a while". And on a percentage basis, how many other users that your interact with in an average day have NFC enabled devices? 1%, or closer to 0.1%. How about retailers? My guess is about the same.

Point is, just because a new feature is imagined, does not mean anything without it suddenly becomes inferior. How long has Bluetooth been around? More than 12 years. And its still not built in to every portable device, or offered as an option in every car.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro