Is the End Near for Windows Phone?
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The Windows Phone peaked at just 3.4% market share, but is now in decline and down to 2.8% now and falling. Even now that Windows Mobile is a free OS for phone makers, the market for it continues to collapse. Is the end of Windows Phone here?
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I had a Windows Phone and it was really poor. The interface was only so so. The store was the worst thing ever, like it was designed to only promote malware. It would be impossible for a normal consumer to use safely. The lack of apps in general is infuriating. Nothing about the device was better than any other device but lots about it were inferior. In some ways it was nice, but it was never nice enough to justify using and the negatives were pretty big. The one stand out feature early on was WiFi calling - but iOS got that a while ago and that eliminated the only bonus feature of Windows Phone. I don't see any reason for it to exist and Microsoft must not either as even they see iOS and Android as their first priorities.
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I've been tempted to look at another Android only because there are certain tools that are only available in the Play store. I'm kind of torn between WP 8.1 and Android.
One has a super-mega-awesome-ultra store with meh level handsets in my price range, while the other has a super craptastic store and very reasonable handsets in my price range.
I like a lot of the features that are currently available but I'm not happy with how long it takes to get new features. Cortana still isn't available in my region unless you install the developer edition of WP 8.1 and while it's been good with getting updates, most of the them only add features that should have been in the OS from launch. I find myself really looking forward to each and every update to "add features" (read: play catch up) available elsewhere and have been for ages.
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@nadnerB if it helps to make a decision... I bought the top of the line Lumia and used it for about three months before I switched to an iPhone again. The Windows phone is still sitting right here and still activated. It was so bad that I bought another phone line and kept both active. Even owning the top of the line Lumia and having it ready to go it isn't worth turning on. It's not that it is "bad", it just isn't "as good" as any other phone that I could have.
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@scottalanmiller yeah, I remember you said that about 5 months or so ago.
It's a case of same crap, different bucket.You're fortunate to have bought a Lumia. I feel bad for those with non-Lumia handsets. They don't seem to get the same level of service out of Microsoft... either that or they are less loved by their creators cough Samsung Ativ cough HTC cough
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Yes, the Lumia was good hardware. But not good enough to make the phone desirable.
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The I still have a Windows phone sitting around for testing on. The newer software updates make it a bit more stable and decent. However the windows store is still sucky though :(. Really not the greatest options there.
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The store really undermines it significantly. It's hard to describe just how useless and dangerous the phone is until you try to get common software and realize the store is nothing but a way to get malware onto your phone.
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Used a Windows phone once....was very happy when I went back to my Galaxy. Took me months to get used to the WP8. Was used to my Android again after 2 days. I just need cared for the interface, which was always so backwards in so many ways. @nadnerB I would not ever go to a Windows 8 Phone again by choice.
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@thanksaj said:
Used a Windows phone once....was very happy when I went back to my Galaxy. Took me months to get used to the WP8. Was used to my Android again after 2 days. I just need cared for the interface, which was always so backwards in so many ways. @nadnerB I would not ever go to a Windows 8 Phone again by choice.
Yeah, I remember that from the last time that WP 8.1 etc was discussed.
The only good 'droids are the flagship models. I may as well buy an iPhone -
@nadnerB said:
The only good 'droids are the flagship models. I may as well buy an iPhone
Yes, that seems to be true. You need an Android phone with a ton of investment and a ton of ongoing support or they have major issues.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@nadnerB said:
The only good 'droids are the flagship models. I may as well buy an iPhone
Yes, that seems to be true. You need an Android phone with a ton of investment and a ton of ongoing support or they have major issues.
Also, at less than a moments notice, your droid can be considered "old hat" by the manufacturer and the updates stop... either that or they stuffed the design and left you stranded cough HTC Desire cough
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@scottalanmiller said:
@nadnerB said:
The only good 'droids are the flagship models. I may as well buy an iPhone
Yes, that seems to be true. You need an Android phone with a ton of investment and a ton of ongoing support or they have major issues.
I won't disagree with that. If you buy the knock-offs, you're going to get a crappy phone. But that's not really different from other products on the market.
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@thanksaj said:
I won't disagree with that. If you buy the knock-offs, you're going to get a crappy phone. But that's not really different from other products on the market.
They aren't knock offs. Android is the platform and all Androids are equally Androids.
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@nadnerB said:
Also, at less than a moments notice, your droid can be considered "old hat" by the manufacturer and the updates stop... either that or they stuffed the design and left you stranded cough HTC Desire cough
Yeah, the upgrade support on them is horrible.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@thanksaj said:
I won't disagree with that. If you buy the knock-offs, you're going to get a crappy phone. But that's not really different from other products on the market.
They aren't knock offs. Android is the platform and all Androids are equally Androids.
Except that most of them are crap
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@scottalanmiller said:
@thanksaj said:
I won't disagree with that. If you buy the knock-offs, you're going to get a crappy phone. But that's not really different from other products on the market.
They aren't knock offs. Android is the platform and all Androids are equally Androids.
It's true they all run Android, but if you put a cheap $300 Gateway machine against a $1500 HP machine and said "well they both run Windows", how is that any different? A product is good if it is strong in all ways. If you have a solid OS/firmware, but crappy hardware, then yeah, it's gonna suck. That's why people who want a good Android phone don't buy the "generic" Android phones. You buy a Samsung, Moto, HTC, etc.
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@thanksaj said:
It's true they all run Android, but if you put a cheap $300 Gateway machine against a $1500 HP machine and said "well they both run Windows", how is that any different? A product is good if it is strong in all ways. If you have a solid OS/firmware, but crappy hardware, then yeah, it's gonna suck. That's why people who want a good Android phone don't buy the "generic" Android phones. You buy a Samsung, Moto, HTC, etc.
Gateway is not a knock off of HP though. Both are fully PCs. HP is just as much a knock off of Gateway in that logic. Knock off means something specific that doesn't apply to generic devices like PCs or Android phones.
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@thanksaj said:
You buy a Samsung, Moto, HTC, etc.
Ah, no thanks. I've seen issues with those three
