Unlike the Nokia X strategy being used in other markets the US market (high end phone driven) needs a true eyebrow raising flagship that screams WP and offers enough incentive and product differentiation to bait over some more iOS and Android users. Enter the Microsoft Surface Phone: a true WP flagship with the same build material and styling as the tablets, MS can employ the expertise of Nokia and utilize some components while still branding the phone as a Surface phone. Along with certain services MS can really leverage their flagship in ways that Android and iOS simply cannot.
Features:
-5" inch 1080p AMOLED screen from Nokia Icon (1520 size is too much of a niche size).
-2GB RAM, Snapdragon 800 and 64GB SSD internal storage (larger for product differentiation).
-Camera from Icon/1520
-Wireless Qi charging standard
Services (Where MS Can Really Make This Attractive)
-100 GB Free OneDrive storage (Or any quantity that establishes its flagship status)
-Full Microsoft Office suite from Windows RT ( when used with a stylus, bluetooth keyboard or text-to-speech MS could make the SP the premier ultraproductive and portable Office capable device.)
-Included 2year subscription of Skype and/or Xbox Live Gold with Purchase of Surface Phone with a 2 year contract.
Now remember this would be a flagship phone that's not priced to move hundreds of millions of units but to showcase the WP OS that's largely unnoticed by casual iOS and Android users. Like the Corvette is for Chevrolet, its not supposed to be for everyone it's ultimately about showcasing the company and brand's potential. Not every iOS/Android User would be able to afford to switch to one but it would create publicity and word-of-mouth marketing for the OS. People impressed by the Surface phone that can't afford one will want a close more affordable option ergo the Nokia Lumias. As excellent as these phones are they sadly get ignored or unnoticed by the casual mainstream smartphone consumer. All my iphone and Android using friends loved my Lumia 928 when I showed it to them and let them play around with it, and none of them had any idea what Windows Phone 8 was or even knew about WP in their VZW AT&T and T-Mobile stores (most guessed my phone was an Android variant). If you want people to buy more Malibus, Impalas and Camaros then you should make noise by impressing the public with your Corvette?if you will. (Not trying to say Icon,1520 and 1020 aren't high end Android rival phones, just that they lack substantial incentive and differentiation to get people to away from the Galaxy S5 display at the carrier store. A Surface flagship would get more people in the WP section of the store and allow the other WP devices to at least get a chance to make an impression on potential buyers less familiar with the 3rd largest OS.
PS: Anyone who has a smart remark for the Corvette analogy I ask to go read a few reviews for the 2014 model first to understand why it's an appropriate analogy.
Features:
-5" inch 1080p AMOLED screen from Nokia Icon (1520 size is too much of a niche size).
-2GB RAM, Snapdragon 800 and 64GB SSD internal storage (larger for product differentiation).
-Camera from Icon/1520
-Wireless Qi charging standard
Services (Where MS Can Really Make This Attractive)
-100 GB Free OneDrive storage (Or any quantity that establishes its flagship status)
-Full Microsoft Office suite from Windows RT ( when used with a stylus, bluetooth keyboard or text-to-speech MS could make the SP the premier ultraproductive and portable Office capable device.)
-Included 2year subscription of Skype and/or Xbox Live Gold with Purchase of Surface Phone with a 2 year contract.
Now remember this would be a flagship phone that's not priced to move hundreds of millions of units but to showcase the WP OS that's largely unnoticed by casual iOS and Android users. Like the Corvette is for Chevrolet, its not supposed to be for everyone it's ultimately about showcasing the company and brand's potential. Not every iOS/Android User would be able to afford to switch to one but it would create publicity and word-of-mouth marketing for the OS. People impressed by the Surface phone that can't afford one will want a close more affordable option ergo the Nokia Lumias. As excellent as these phones are they sadly get ignored or unnoticed by the casual mainstream smartphone consumer. All my iphone and Android using friends loved my Lumia 928 when I showed it to them and let them play around with it, and none of them had any idea what Windows Phone 8 was or even knew about WP in their VZW AT&T and T-Mobile stores (most guessed my phone was an Android variant). If you want people to buy more Malibus, Impalas and Camaros then you should make noise by impressing the public with your Corvette?if you will. (Not trying to say Icon,1520 and 1020 aren't high end Android rival phones, just that they lack substantial incentive and differentiation to get people to away from the Galaxy S5 display at the carrier store. A Surface flagship would get more people in the WP section of the store and allow the other WP devices to at least get a chance to make an impression on potential buyers less familiar with the 3rd largest OS.
PS: Anyone who has a smart remark for the Corvette analogy I ask to go read a few reviews for the 2014 model first to understand why it's an appropriate analogy.
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