Hope Microsoft doesn't abandon Windows Phone 8 like the Zune

[BlackberryFan2009]

Microsoft always seems 2 arrive 2 the part kinda late. Anyways, i hope they don't abandon the mobile market and give up. Isn't their OS in 3rd place surpassing Blackberry in 2013?

 

[manicottiK]

Well, first, it's Windows Phone rather than Windows Mobile -- the old WM line was discontinued in favor of the WP line. They actually arrived with a mobile OS fairly early, but then did little with the platform and got passed by with the release of iOS and Android devices.

While WP market share in the U.S. is still very, very small and growing quite slowly, it is making more progress in other markets. Also, the last two months have "felt" better, with lots of popular apps coming out and firms announcing that a WP app is in the works for them.

 

[xandros9]

If one thing I saw them do, it's try, try again

but actually, they have more guts than a certain OEM which shall not be named. and the resources to make them work

hopefully no curveballs (bad ones) come our way

 

[Citizen X]

Microsoft always seems 2 arrive 2 the part kinda late. Anyways, i hope they don't abandon the mobile market and give up. Isn't their OS in 3rd place surpassing Blackberry in 2013?

It's odd that Windows Phone (not mobile) just came off their best year ever... and you decide to start this thread. I guess we can assume you have no interest in Windows Phone. Why on earth would they buy NOKIA if they were planning an exit from the phone arena? In case you haven't noticed most manufactures have abandoned the high end mp3 player market. I know Apple still sells ipods... I just can't figure out who they sell them to. I haven't seen one in the wild for years.

 

[EpidemikE1]

If one thing I saw them do, it's try, try again

but actually, they have more guts than a certain OEM which shall not be named. and the resources to make them work

hopefully no curveballs (bad ones) come our way

That is a good point about the platform, MS is trying and with the acquisition of Nokia they add a lot of beneficial patents that will keep them in the game. There are some shortcomings in which MS needs overcome (like the folks that say there are no apps on WP) and a better marketing approach.

My biggest gripe with the platform is for folks like me. I was an early adopter with WP7 and I was kind of bummed how MS created this schism between WP7 and WP8. It could potentially leave a bad taste in a consumers mouth and they may decide to go elsewhere for their mobile platform.

It's odd that Windows Phone (not mobile) just came off their best year ever... and you decide to start this thread. I guess we can assume you have no interest in Windows Phone. Why on earth would they buy NOKIA if they were planning an exit from the phone arena? In case you haven't noticed most manufactures have abandoned the high end mp3 player market. I know Apple still sells ipods... I just can't figure out who they sell them to. I haven't seen one in the wild for years.

I think maybe someone that is considering buying into the platform and has some doubts of the longevity. I know I would if I bought a Q10 device from RIM.

 

[maclancer]

I don't think Microsoft will quit, they bought in billions of dollars the mobile division of Nokia. Which means they are very serious in the business and we will see Windows Phone for years to come. Microsoft is not blackberry, one is a powerful worldwide company, the other one on life support literally.

 

[Citizen X]

I think maybe someone that is considering buying into the platform and has some doubts of the longevity. I know I would if I bought a Q10 device from RIM.

RIM's issues were obvious and easily detectable. The CEO said when Q10 hits everything will be fixed. It wasn't and their income statement was drenched in red ink. I have never been on a Blackberry forum and even I knew they were toast. MSFT could spend the next 10 years in third place and still pump money into mobile without affecting the overall companies long term survival. Anyone with half a brain knows MSFT≠RIM.

And as far as his analysis of the high end MP3 market...



I mean how hard is it to walk out the door and turn your head left then right and notice no one using a high end mp3 player? Apple is considered the king of the MP3 player world and their numbers are so terrible they go unmentioned on investor calls. And this guy is questioning why MSFT exited that market?! I mean if they were still trying to peddle high end MP3 players that would be an indictable offense.

 

[FinancialP]

^ sales should decline, especially since Apple hasn't made a new iPod in a long time. Nothing shocking about those numbers.

Well, first, it's Windows Phone rather than Windows Mobile -- the old WM line was discontinued in favor of the WP line. They actually arrived with a mobile OS fairly early, but then did little with the platform and got passed by with the release of iOS and Android devices.

While WP market share in the U.S. is still very, very small and growing quite slowly, it is making more progress in other markets. Also, the last two months have "felt" better, with lots of popular apps coming out and firms announcing that a WP app is in the works for them.

Technically speaking, and because I've been in bed with Microsoft phones for over a decade, Windows Mobile stopped at 6.5 and was renamed to Windows Phone at 6.5.X. Just a fun fact.

Any who, carry on.

 

[GrayW0lf]

It may be worth pointing out that this particular forum is for the Nokia Lumia 1520, not the Windows Phone platform, specifically. If the OP wants to ask questions about the platform's longevity, it may be more productive to post such a thing in either the WP7 or WP8 forums: http://forums.windowscentral.com/#windows-phone-operating-system

Otherwise, to stay on topic for this thread: Microsoft won't be abandoning Windows Phone anytime soon. They're "all in" on the vision of 3 screens and a cloud -- at least right now. Suggesting that Microsoft would abandon Windows Phone at this stage of the game is like suggesting that Apple or Google will abandon iOS and Android, respectively.

 

[BlackberryFan2009]

CITIZEN X is vicious in his comments towards me.

Anyway, i am such a fan of their OS and i feel 2014 is going 2 be a big year for them especially if they do an OS update because i think Windows 8 has been out for 2 years by now. I am sooo excited they just got the Fandango app and the only app they are missing is Hangouts. Once they have Hangouts and the Starbucks Cards app i can start to use my Nokia Lumia as my daily driver and ditch my Galaxy Note 2 which has been super glitchy ever since the last OS update. Android is awful with OS updates.

 

[BlackberryFan2009]

@Citizen X - In reference to your 'why would they exit the phone arena after buying Nokia'. Let me enlighten you because they brought DANGER who made those really trendy phones from 2006 with a slideup flip screen known as a Sidekick. Yeah, the one Paris Hilton use to walk around with and advertise. I wonder why Microsoft brought them and then did nothing with the Sidekick OS and brand name. That was such a wasted merger.

Microsoft wants things 2 sell and they want them to sell fast, but they are always so late to the game. However, i feel the Windows Phone 8 OS is quite compelling and it has something going for it. I really hope 2014 is their year. They did surpass Blackberry in sales, didn't they? That means they are third place in the OS game after Android. I hated their mobile OS before Windows 7 came. I like the live tiles and stuff and i think the OS is solid and runs smoothly. I am just concerned because i am a fan and was a fan of the Zune and now those got discontinued.

I dont even think the music app on the phone is branded as ZUNE anymore as it was in Windows Mobile 7.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I wouldn't be surprised if even Apple discontinues the iPod line eventually. Convergence has pretty much rendered standalone MP3 players obsolete.

 

[pveezy]

Windows PHONE (not mobile) isn't going anywhere but up in market share... and I only see that continuing, especially with the ongoing implosion of Blackberry. IMO Microsoft is in a unique and probably the best place to take over enterprise phone markets with WP considering Windows owns the enterprise computer market so interoperability will be key, not to mention holding the keys to the Office suite.

The new Windows tablets with Windows 8 and the Bay Trail processors are fantastic and are really going to take off, and I think increases in the tablet market share of the Windows ecosystem will only be a good thing for the phone side of things.

 

[unstoppablekem]

If WP decides sell well, it won't go away. The Zune, on the other hand, didn't.

 

[unstoppablekem]

I wouldn't be surprised if even Apple discontinues the iPod line eventually. Convergence has pretty much rendered standalone MP3 players obsolete.

Yeah, I just use my phone. Apple will probably still make iPod touches though.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Yeah, I just use my phone. Apple will probably still make iPod touches though.

I wouldn't be surprised if those are discontinued too, since the iPad Mini is available as a WiFi only device, so that takes care of the device that doesn't need a data plan.

 

[pveezy]

If anything I think the touch will go while the nano sticks around. The touch can be (and already is being) completely replaced by the smartphones people carry every day. The nano at least will have a continuing niche for people who want music in the smallest form factor possible (for things like the gym, running, etc).

 

[GrayW0lf]

I dont even think the music app on the phone is branded as ZUNE anymore as it was in Windows Mobile 7.

You got it! They renamed the Zune services to be "Xbox Music" and "Xbox Video".

It's worth noting that the Zune was a very competitive device that was horribly named (IMO) and was horrifically under marketed by Microsoft. MS really doesn't know how to properly "tell the story" of their products. Maybe they'll figure out sometime soon.

 

[jmshub]

I think windows Phone is more key to Microsoft’s core business than Zune ever was. Investing heavily in phones lately including the purchase of Nokia proves this.

 

[hopmedic]

I see a lot of the iPod Touch at church, generally hand-me-down devices in the hands of kids too young to have a phone. This is one of the reasons that we keep the wifi at church locked, and only those of us who use the church's tech know the key. I have been mentioning lately how the Lumia 520 can do the things that the iPod can do, and more - and at a much lower price, without a contract, so you don't even need to activate the phone to use it. I haven't "sold" any that way yet, but I'm planting the seeds. :wink:

Back to the OP, no, WP isn't going anywhere. It now outsells iPhone in 24 markets, and has taken the number two spot in market share in 14 markets.
Microsoft: Windows Phone outselling iPhones in 24 markets | Windows Phone Central