To WP7 or not to WP7...

[hoosiercub]

Not a question in my mind, but this guy seems to believe that its going to be for quite a few people, even some of us Android fans. What do you think? I think he's blowing a lot of hot air, but I guess only time and the numbers will tell.. Unfortunately he's going on Microsoft's marketing budget as opposed to any kind of sales numbers.. Do you think this guy is right?

Smartphone wars: Analyst sees threat from WP7 - Computerworld

 

[intheb0x]

heres a story from one of our sister sites.

http://www.windowscentral.com/analyst-declares-wp7-launch-successful-sees-trouble-android

funny comments and factuals.

" Wolf bases his analysis not on current numbers, but on Microsoft’s commitment to marketing Windows Phone 7. The report further states that if Microsoft continues to grow market share, Google’s Android platform could be the big loser. Much of Android’s success is due to Verizon’s Droid line of phones, which in turn can be attributed to the lack of a Verizon iPhone. A potential iPhone launch on Verizon, coupled with Microsoft’s commitment to CDMA support, could leave Google the odd man out."

highlighted and underline all the main points stating that this is all just what one guy THINKS.

there is NO possible way that wp7 is going to hurt androids marketshare, everyone is getting a smart phone and most of the time its a android, yea the iphone on vzw MAY hurt google its not going to kill them, the market share of android NOW shows that many ppl have androids and hundreds of thousands are getting activated every day..

so regardless or not, ppl know about android or even have a android phone, so the main job is already done, its just getting ppl to stick with them and the way its going it sure seems like everyone keeps getting the newest android that comes out.

windows mobile just leaves a sour taste in ppls mouth from the last batch of windows phones,plus with samsung at the helm is it going to get the right os updates?

got a friend of mine who is a girl, she got the samsung wp7 att phone and is STILL getting the hang of it for the last 3 months now, ppl need simplistic things, not complicated things that take time to learn (for some ppl)

 

[hoosiercub]

got a friend of mine who is a girl, she got the samsung wp7 att phone and is STILL getting the hang of it for the last 3 months now, ppl need simplistic things, not complicated things that take time to learn (for some ppl)

I whole-heartedly agree with everything you said.. this throws me a little bit though. gender doesn't make a difference, but Android often falls woe of being too complicated for some, iOS was designed with those kinds of people in mind.. big & shiny with one button. WP7 looks to me like just another OS, like Palm that will hold strong for a while, then fizzle as Microsoft loses interest and doesn't gain the market share they wanted. That, or they'll beat the damn horse til they don't know its dead. Having not used a WP7 device myself yet due to lack of AT&T coverage in my area, those that do struggle with their network here have iPhones. I honestly can't say one thing about it or another, other than it looks more promising than any of the WM devices of the past, but thats not saying much.

This analyst works on Wall Street, so he thinks he's one tough cookie. I think he's full of hot air, and quite possibly has some MSFT in his stock portfolio. This guy also said that RIM wasn't going to bring anything to the table for 2011, with the Playbook being a solid contender in the tablet arena, I can again disagree with him. If the Playbook is any hint at what Blackberry devices could turn into in the next generation of devices, WP7 might have one more line of competition I think.

 

[intheb0x]

I whole-heartedly agree with everything you said.. this throws me a little bit though. gender doesn't make a difference, but Android often falls woe of being too complicated for some, iOS was designed with those kinds of people in mind.. big & shiny with one button. WP7 looks to me like just another OS, like Palm that will hold strong for a while, then fizzle as Microsoft loses interest and doesn't gain the market share they wanted. That, or they'll beat the damn horse til they don't know its dead. Having not used a WP7 device myself yet due to lack of AT&T coverage in my area, those that do struggle with their network here have iPhones. I honestly can't say one thing about it or another, other than it looks more promising than any of the WM devices of the past, but thats not saying much.

This analyst works on Wall Street, so he thinks he's one tough cookie. I think he's full of hot air, and quite possibly has some MSFT in his stock portfolio. This guy also said that RIM wasn't going to bring anything to the table for 2011, with the Playbook being a solid contender in the tablet arena, I can again disagree with him. If the Playbook is any hint at what Blackberry devices could turn into in the next generation of devices, WP7 might have one more line of competition I think.

oh i didnt mean anything about gender.

i just wanted to throw it out there that she was a girl.
shes kinda rare because she hates the iphone, but when i told her she should return the wp7 phone for a android she replied "yuck"
lol

she hates android as well...

and wp7 has no video mms like the iphone did when it first started off.

 

[wes008]

Could WP7 outsell Android in the future? Quite possibly. In 2011? No.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

I don't foresee WP7 outselling Android anytime in the near future, and I don't really think Google will be the loser here. Ultimately I think WP7 may pull some of the market away from BlackBerry. BlackBerry is in a bit of an odd position right now with the impending release of the Playbook and rumors that RIM is going to be integrating QNX onto it's future BlackBerry devices, and I think while they're in that transition period they're the ones who are most vulnerable.

Unfortunately I don't believe HP's purchase of Palm is really going to put them in a better position than before. The Pre 2 isn't anything to get THAT excited for, and Palm just doesn't have the eyes on it's webOS that Android and iOS do. Don't get me wrong, I think WP7 will absolutely be a contender going into the future, and I like a lot of what Microsoft has done with it, but I also think it's pretty safe to say that Google doesn't have to worry much about it right now.

Android is going to end up being the platform, at least in my mind (and I think they discussed this on this past weeks Podcast) that you're going to find on feature phones along with high end Smartphones. I think the future of feature phones is basically a low-end smartphone -- case in point what LG is doing with the Optimus line of Android devices. You couple that with the already exploding Smartphone market, and Google and Android both have a lot of growth left in them.

 

[wes008]

I'd like to see a WP7 tablet. Now THAT would be interesting. Before you say "off topic!" let me make my point. A WP7 tablet could outsell the Galaxy tab, or any other Android tablet on the market right now for that matter. (until moto releases whatever they're cooking up. they just have to call it the "Droidtab" and it'll sell)

 

[DroidXcon]

Totally think it will take them some time to polish things up and until then android has nothing to worry about....

Think about how long it took Android to blow up with the introduction of the Droid line of phones.

The only platform i believe that was able to blow up the smartphone scene immediately was IOS and their only REAL competitor was BB, but even that was not comp, because BB catered to a different demographic

 

[Smitty_82]

I spent a good hour playing with WP7 and was not impressed. I've never been so confused on how to use a phone that I just picked up. I guess it's all in what your used to.

 

[BSG75]

My boss was showing me his new WP7 and it's pretty. It's a nice setup. The live tiles is a cool idea as a nice, integrated method of accessing lots of things quickly. In WP7 you click a live tile to get to your data/application and in Android you click a widget or app. The live tiles scroll up and down continuously, and Android has multiple home screens you scroll between Both do a better job than iOS, as far as I'm concerned. You do have to wonder how many Windows developers could jump into the WP7 platform.I think eventually it will be WP and Android at the top, for consumer smart phones. Then further back will be iOS, then BB and Symbian. I'm sticking with Android.

Visual Studio is an awesome IDE that tens of thousands of devs already have on their home machines. Also, eclipse sucks. It's embarrassing. I'm a Windows dev and would love to use Visual Studio to make Android apps. Google needs to get on this and make a first-rate IDE. They should be able to do that since they are a company of genius engineers, as they say. We already know they build their own OSes and database software. I have to think that is coming.

I don't think WP7 will make a big impact on Android in one year. Android just has so much steam built up. Early sales numbers were not promising, but they were early numbers.

Verizon is the only manufacturer to market the Android OS as a selling point. Sprint finally started to actually mention Android in recent Evo commercials, but it's been a long time coming. That is one problem I see with Android marketing. Verizon nailed marketing (put a big robotic foot directly into Apple's hippie butt [just comparing the personas they are putting forward]) and no one else in the US even mentions Android. I just hope Verizon keeps it going if/when they get the iPhone.

Also, Verizon helped propel Android with the Droid launch, for sure, but Android is also growing like gangbusters in Europe, where it already competes head-to-head with the iPhone is stores. I don't claim to understand the "normal" consumer, but I would think you would have already picked up an iPhone in the last 5 years if you really wanted one. Verizon will get a lot of ATT defectors. I don't know how much new sales they will steal from Android. We'll see.

 

[JoseN305]

WP7 needs a droid phone. I dont mean a phone called droid with terminator-like commercials but a phone thats going to get pushed hard by the carrier and the manufacturer. Maybe the problem was the timing of the release but those phones werent that impressive.

On a good note, Microsoft does have an advantage in terms of gaming and music. Integrating Xbox live and Zune was a great idea even if they are half baked implementations of the real thing. Over time with updates it will get better.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

I definitely think WP7 has a good future, no doubt about it in my mind. The biggest problem Microsoft is going to face is getting people on board, particularly newcomers to the Smartphone industry. Advertising is such a key role in today’s world, and I think Jose nailed it on the head that Microsoft is going to need a carrier to put out a really strong push for one particular WP7 device.

 

[blopez24]

I think Windows 7 phones will be good. The intergration of xbox live and zune is good. This is more of a gimmick for microsoft to compete with the iOs more than anything. I was considering getting WM7 phone but now i read that the first line of phones for WM are being discontinued i believe im glad i waited. I think WM 7 can probably beat android later on but i dont see it happening till around 2012 or later. This is a new concept for windows android has had a few years to better their os, as well as apple. I just think for those who want to do anything on their phone android will always win out. For those who want to just do what comes out the box i think apple and wm7 will win.

 

[hoosiercub]

I got to thinkin...

What if by budget they also mean the ridiculous amount of money that Microsoft is probably willing to put forth to "buyout" loyalty from manufacturing companies like HTC/Samsung?

I'm curious just to what extent Microsoft are willing to go to make sure that WP7 doesn't turn into a Kin type situation.

Off-Topic.. Sorta..

Kin services to shut down, finally killing failed phones

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

If Microsoft had released the Kin as a feature phone from the start, I don't think it would have ever been an issue. Hopefully they have learned from that mistake once.

 

[hoosiercub]

WP7 needs a droid phone. I dont mean a phone called droid with terminator-like commercials but a phone thats going to get pushed hard by the carrier and the manufacturer. Maybe the problem was the timing of the release but those phones werent that impressive.

On a good note, Microsoft does have an advantage in terms of gaming and music. Integrating Xbox live and Zune was a great idea even if they are half baked implementations of the real thing. Over time with updates it will get better.

I agree, they need a solid, recognizable flagship. They still aren't that impressive, but they're new and Microsoft doesn't have the kind of rep in the smartphone world that Apple and Google do. By that I don't mean they don't have their foot in the door, because there are tons of Windows Mobile fanboys out there.. pre-WP7.

As far as gaming and music goes though.. I hate to say it but I know a lot more people that have iPods or some generic Mp3 Player or their phone, I don't know a whole lot of people with Zunes.. in fact I can count on way less than one hand. I'm quite inquisitive about XBL though.. I mean what more could they possibly do on the WP7 platform with your XBL Acct that you can't already do on an Android device, its not like you're actually going to be able to console game on there, and XBL isn't a social situation like Facebook or anything. So I've yet to figure out exactly what kind of advantage that XBL will put WP7 at in regards to gaming.

 

[JoseN305]

As far as gaming and music goes though.. I hate to say it but I know a lot more people that have iPods or some generic Mp3 Player or their phone, I don't know a whole lot of people with Zunes.. in fact I can count on way less than one hand. I'm quite inquisitive about XBL though.. I mean what more could they possibly do on the WP7 platform with your XBL Acct that you can't already do on an Android device, its not like you're actually going to be able to console game on there, and XBL isn't a social situation like Facebook or anything. So I've yet to figure out exactly what kind of advantage that XBL will put WP7 at in regards to gaming.

Having Zune there as an option and an impressive one for a phone is a nice feature. Its $15 a month, download all you want and you can keep 10 songs a month. I actually own a ZuneHD and its a great way to find new songs/artists since I just download full albums of related artists it auto-suggests to me. As far as gaming goes, Microsoft can leverage its ties from Xbox. Dont forget that its using the same coding software for Xbox, PC and phone so a game dev can easily port to all 3 devices with barely any code changes.

Still, they have a lot of work to do. Theres no real-time gaming yet, meaning its all turn-based or single player. No ability to voice/party chat with friends on xbox live. Also having these two features can take up a lot of space and they dont support expandable storage so 16gb can fill up quick.

 

[blopez24]

Still, they have a lot of work to do. Theres no real-time gaming yet, meaning its all turn-based or single player. No ability to voice/party chat with friends on xbox live. Also having these two features can take up a lot of space and they dont support expandable storage so 16gb can fill up quick.

Its a phone. I mean if you want to chat with friends and have the full game experience might as well stay home and play. Just me saying. I agree though having more games to appeal and use that xbox live appeal. Also some phones do support upgraded memory cards up to 32gb. the only one i think comes set at 16 was the htc surround. The samsung one could upgrade its memory.

 

[hoosiercub]

Having Zune there as an option and an impressive one for a phone is a nice feature. Its $15 a month, download all you want and you can keep 10 songs a month. I actually own a ZuneHD and its a great way to find new songs/artists since I just download full albums of related artists it auto-suggests to me. As far as gaming goes, Microsoft can leverage its ties from Xbox. Dont forget that its using the same coding software for Xbox, PC and phone so a game dev can easily port to all 3 devices with barely any code changes.

Still, they have a lot of work to do. Theres no real-time gaming yet, meaning its all turn-based or single player. No ability to voice/party chat with friends on xbox live. Also having these two features can take up a lot of space and they dont support expandable storage so 16gb can fill up quick.

Its a phone. I mean if you want to chat with friends and have the full game experience might as well stay home and play. Just me saying. I agree though having more games to appeal and use that xbox live appeal. Also some phones do support upgraded memory cards up to 32gb. the only one i think comes set at 16 was the htc surround. The samsung one could upgrade its memory.

No Real-Time gaming.. but even if there is.. I don't have my bar set very high. I'd much rather stay home and play CoD or Forza on my Xbox.. where it belongs. As for the Zune thing, I do believe you really are a minority, I mean if you love your Zune, power to ya, anything to get more people away from the iPod IMPO.. but the fact of the matter is, iTunes aside *which i manage to do with my nano* the iPod is a great portable music/media device with massive aftermarket accessory support.

The lack of support for MicroSD cards is something else that really bothers me with WP7.. I mean.. I dunno.. just seems like common sense to me.

 

[frenzy757]

uhh in 2011? No way in hell WM7 outsells Android


However, 2012 they could....

I think 2011 will be a big year for Android. With WM7 and the possibility of IP4 on Verizon, I'll be interested to see how Android is affected.