I don't think that the real issue is problems with the OS. This is actually just like World of Warcraft, really. By that, I mean the complaints here are mostly the vocal minority. Just like in World of Warcraft, there are people who complain about every little thing like it's a cancer on the game's forums. As many point out there, those who are happy with the game are too busy playing it to go to the forums and complain. The same could be said here, that people are out using their phones, rather than complaining about them.
The other thing is that I think Windows Phone owners are less fanatical and more like realists with the platform. We aren't going to defend the platform's negatives and be fanboys and lie about the shortcomings of the platform. I can point out many things that are imperfect with Windows Phone, but I wouldn't FOR A SECOND think about leaving it for Android, let alone the nightmare that is the Apple bandwagon.
Rather than tell you everything you want to hear, we're telling you the facts of the matters at-hand so you can make an honest, informed decision. I can tell you what I dislike about Windows Phone, but I can tell you much larger things that I dislike about Android. I will NEVER recommend iOS to someone because I think that it offers nothing over the competition, but I can recommend Android to those too impatient to wait for apps like Instagram or games like Temple Run (neither of which interest me, but I get that they are popular). So while you might say that there is a lot of negativity, I think it more that it's a tendency of Android and iOS fans to put on the rose-colored glasses more.
I love Windows Phone, and my Lumia 920 is LIGHT YEARS ahead of what my HTC Droid Incredible was. My brother-in-law's Galaxy S III might be customizable (though he doesn't do that stuff), and it might have hundreds of thousands more apps, but they do nothing for me when compared to what Windows Phone offers me--full Xbox LIVE integration, a great camera, wireless charging, the best screen technology in a smartphone, great build quality, a beautiful, simplistic UI, and the ability to toss out the pre-installed crapware without rooting.
It's up to each person to get what he wants, but after using Windows Phone, I legitimately don't know if I would even want another smartphone if this OS went away, just because it's such a pleasant experience when compared to my issues with Android.
See? I can gush about it, but that doesn't tell you that this platform has growing pains to work through. The desktop software (particularly Xbox Music) could really stand to be improved. The apps obviously need to come. The other section of storage has a tendency to grow like a disease (though there are ways to fix that). The proximity sensor can be sketchy at times (compressed air can easily fix that). Those things all suck, but even combined, they don't' ruin the experience because a couple of minutes a month can keep the storage and proximity sensor working properly, and apps WILL come. Xbox Music might really need improving, but it's MUCH better than the music player(s) I experienced on Android.
Picking your OS is less about what it CAN do, and more about how bad its deficiencies will affect you. You might need Instagram or some other app not on Windows Phone. I needed to get away from an OS that was full of garbage apps I couldn't install (like Slacker, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype; I never used any of them, but they would open themselves in the background on occasion, and I couldn't uninstall them without learning to root the device).