Nokia, Windows Phone Bathing in Blood
Remember all the times we talked about horrible sales? With exception to the period before Windows Phone launched, Windows Phone’s most recent week is even worse than the weeks during which we had those talks. It’s worse than ever. As bad as you may have ever imagined it to have been, take that point in your mind, sort of picture it – it’s now worse than that. Sales for the year from the clues Microsoft offered in its annual report are being described with words like abysmal and disastrous. The same breed of adjectives come up with searches for Nokia.
In addition to losing their crown, Nokia lost $700m this quarter. That’s a YOY quarterly income cliff dive of $1.1b into bloody red snot. Their smartphone sales YOY change, 34% south. They’re still trying to sell phones, I checked, this is not Nokia going into Microsoft Windows hibernation mode, and the general public is still buying more and more smartphones — but a whole let less of them are Nokia-branded. Same with Windows Phone, small distinction being that essentially no one except a handful of still-so-called early adopters hopped aboard. Nokia had a solid base. Then they had a swiftly cooling base. Now they have a disturbingly rapidly eroding base.
Many of you have been under the impression that Nokia’s super global brand muscle would be Moses to Windows Phone. You’re thinking, hey, everybody buys Nokias all over the whole wide world, once they go all-in on Microsoft, bam, step aside Google and Apple! No, wrong! Firstly the brand is falling apart, secondly the loss of one platform and the introduction of another is too big a distraction for consumers for this perceived OEM brand momentum to register anywhere near the game-changer territory for either Microsoft or Nokia. Thirdly, don’t count on Nokia going all-in because they’ve been given absolutely but nothing other than negative indications of Windows Phone’s outlook since the deal. Look at you, you don’t care who makes your phone, just as long as it’s got Microsoft on it. Why do you think Nokia consumers are any different?
One of you said in an article about Nokia no longer being the biggest seller that they’ll get back in front once they “launch” Windows Phone. What is wrong with you that you actually think that? Nokia makes RIM look solid, and the 
few talking about Windows Phone, some of them are still mistakenly calling it Windows Mobile. For Windows Phone to displace Nokia’s other platforms suddenly as you expect it to and then drag Nokia, who is not in the Android business, to the top of all phone OEMs while also landing Windows Phone in first platform seat, tell me you were kidding and have a dry sense of humor that went over my head.
Got news for you champ, this time on the record: Windows Phone ain’t saving Nokia, Nokia ain’t saving Windows Phone. Nokia will end up drowning faster because of this deal than they otherwise would have. Elop hitched the wagon to a failing (or failed) experiment that Microsoft could do without (hence what reads to me as a substantial divestment to Nokia).
Here’s a thought for you Nokia (Microsoft, you already know my thoughts for you). If you’re not satisfied with Symbian and MeeGo, email Microsoft’s Shakedown Czar Horacio Gutierrez, ask him if he could cut you a deal on some Android licenses. It might have some conflicts with your current arrangement, but I assume, in spite of a series of big mistakes, both of you still want to make some money here, right? Think that would help maybe, now that you’ve had some time to wake up?
Nokia, hedge this Microsoft situation as much as you can. It’s toxic. Just be sure to let them down easy like a crazy girlfriend because they really like suing and have had tons of practice. You’ve got too much to lose on a ridiculously wild bet so bail out, get the hell away from Windows Phone. By that I only mean don’t bet the company farm on the platform — I did not mean to discourage you from using the phones yourselves because they’re actually quite nice and you should try one with this Mango thing if you haven’t already. Terrific stuff.
Doug Simmons
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About The Author
Doug Simmons
Biographical info.. hmm. I have a history of not being able to strike the balance between what is "safe" to put into these forms and what is, in my mind at least, funny. Can't do it.
SHUT YOUR FAT WRONG, “MY OPINION MATTERS BUT I DON’T KNOW A THING ABOUT BUSINESS” MOUTH! FAT HEAD
candy-ass
So your advice is to bail before they launch? Sales have plummeted but its hardly unprecedented. How about the positive chatter about the potential Microkia partnership from the same people who bailed when windows mobile was given an EOL date?
Last I checked I was on the sane side of the crazy line. Delusions does not resonate with me, hope does. And no I’m not conceding our bet.
I resisted using the word delusional.
Wow! Do you dislike Microsoft that much. Well I truly believe Nokia and Microsoft are going to the top of the game and one day your going to regret you wrote this little article. As smooth as the wp7 OS is, and as laggy and slow android is, I’ve had 7 android phones and had to reboot them at least once a day. The other day my daughter slipped and swore, I asked her what was her problem? She quickly said oops I’m sorry daddy but this daggone phone and asked me what was wrong with it and I simply replied droooiiid. Android has way to many glitches and continuously locks up my girl is trying not to come to wp7 but droid is kind of insisting with its multiple glitches everyday. People are going to eventually get a wiff of this incredibly smooth OS Microsoft has put together and they will come running.
First off, it is not a novel idea to write an article about this deal being bad, and the Windows Phone outlook being bleak. I’ve been reading them since the deal was announced. Secondly, all of the aforementioned articles seem to forget that Microsoft could give squat about Windows Phone turning a profit right now. My point is not a new one, but it is the most pertinent. Remember how Microsoft got into the gaming space? Take all that strategy, and apply it to Windows Phone. The overall strategy was pretty simple: bleed money into it until its a success. It was years before Xbox was profitable, they lost hundreds of millions on it. But they didn’t give up, and now the Xbox division is a big contributor to Microsoft’s earnings. Make no mistake, they will not give up and I would argue there are more reasons to think they’ll be successful with Windows Phone than there were to believe the Xbox a success back in 2002.
Thanks for your option champ.you are smart, super smart. Smarter than the the people at Nokia in fact. I guess that’s why you write a blog. I have my doubts too but im not so smug and absolute in my views. I’ve owned an.iPhone a nexus one and a windows phone. I’m an early adopter I guess. But out of every platform I’ve tried I like wp7 the most. And I believe people will embrace the platform over time.
What’s with this hatred towards Microsoft and it’s WP7 offspring?Or is it just me? It seems that everytime I read any of your post, you always have this one-sided notion to things, and criticize those who oppose your views. Whay can’t you be unbias when reporting stories or articles, and get of your high horse, no one likes a smug bitch. Just cause you think you know everything doesn’t make you, or your opinions any better than the rest. If I were you I would try to be less of a douche, and a bit more humble, and unbias on my articles, just a thought.
something interesting I noticed that you mentioned in the article — “failing (or failed) experiment” ..
How this asshat has a job writing for any tech blog is beyond me. He has no credibility. I only hope he doesn’t reproduce, because the world is already filled with too much stupidity.
“they lost hundreds of millions on it.”
Microsoft lost billions on the original Xbox. Now look where they stand. I might also add Android languished for an entire year before it went anywhere.
What you’re getting from Simmons is fear and insecurity. He’s terribly afraid of what Microsoft might achieve and what it means for his precious Google. If he wasn’t, or didn’t see Microsoft as a threat, he wouldn’t continue these insipid, asinine article that a 10 year old could write. He would simply ignore WP7 and Microsoft.
You are blinded by your fantasyland. Wake me up when you pull your head out of your ass!
Good job, Doug. Your credibility after this post just went below 0.
OMG here he goes again…. I dont care about Nokia…. Wp7 will be therein no time.. Windows 8 PC is around the corner… People will recognize it and buy it… Nokia is a legitimate brand.. With WP os in it its LEGITIMIZE. SO SHUT THE HELL UP AND SEE!!!!!! U GUYS NEVER LEARN
I think Doug needs a windows phone mango
“I resisted using the word delusional.” Doug Simmons..
Well I won’t, You’re delusional.
Again they said this about XBOX, now 5 years on its number one.
MS won’t give up until they have conquered, this article is just nonsense, won’t be coming back to this site.
Dumb butt mofo , with no life. Get thus guy outta here please .
omg doug your an either an idiot or you havent actually tried a wp7 out…but im gonna go with the formmer. someone get this fool a mango phone!! this OS is super smooth as it is and its only getting better. you have no idea what the hell your talking about.
Wp7 users can’t see the forest for the trees apparently… Nokia is not going to save this sinking ship. A new platform shouldn’t lose market share… That’s kind of an opposite direction…
Why exactly would they want to go android??? Its not like people LOVE android. Its not like they cant wait for it. It’s tolerated because of the amount of phones and the hardware technology the MFG’s put on the market. Most people hate the OS. There is no question a die hard band of people that like to root devices love it. But the majority of people just want a phone thats easy to use and come on a choice of hardware. Android is a place holder until we get that dream. WP7 is the answer.
Rob: To what question exactly is WP7 the answer that Android and the iPhone haven’t already answered?
Just want to point out the number of people that have replied to this post who are using IE or Vista..
You’re doing it wrong already, and you’re surprised when people say you’re doing something else wrong?
@Doug Simmons, IIRC you used to just enjoy tweaking and sharing your experience and opinion about Windows Mobile and battery conservation. Arrogant, intense and critical. Often funny and without trash talking iOS, Android, Apple, Google or anything else OT. What happened?
Android let’s you flash and tweak more than you have time for, now you can work for money again. Google and Android are doing great. Probably for some time to come. Despite the competition. Apparantly you’re quite the investor and you’ve even managed to trick some poor girl to invest in you 😉
Then why spend all this time and effort on those TLDR Windows Phone related articles and replies? To me they degrade your entertaining arrogance and intensity into this odd narcissistic and OCD behaviour. As if Windows Phone affects or even threatens you personally.
I’d think you’d be happy with your girl, work and Nexus, regardless of any succes of Windows Phone, Microsoft or Nokia..
Vanessa: Windows Phone is quite nice, I learned that well before Mango. To think of how nicer it might be with over 500 new features and TCP sockets and a solid cache of quality apps and a high consumer satisfaction rate is mind blowing.
I sort of want it to succeed you know, and by the way I’m a shareholder.
Someone take the keyboard away from this idiot. He deserves no respect or response. Sent from my Mango Focus.
Forrestall: Basically, this and this got me thinking about this, also seeing how virtually all of the articles linking to the bottom of this were wildly in support of what I see as Microsoft’s flagrantly anticompetitive behavior, I then found myself combing through this and then I wrote this.
Maybe I had the AC cranked up too high and needed some flame?
The average consumer is tech ignorant, let’s face it. The average consumer cares very little about the OS they are running. The average iphone user doesn’t know if they are running android or ios on their handset, but they know it’s an Apple product they hold. Brand, brand, brand. Nokia will only improve their own sales if they put decent money into marketing it and MS will benefit indirectly.
Thing is, here in the US, the Nokia brand is NOT a strong seller. No one here knows what SymbianOS is. It won’t help MS worth a damn. Nokia hasn’t been a big name brand in the US since that 007 movie where he had the flip open Nokia that controlled his car. People want iPhone and Android. Anything else at this point is easily dismissed as fads or fillers 😉
Anybody else who read the general terms of this deal get the impression that Microsoft was trying to divest a bit?
Here’s some code Nokia, it’s nice as you can see, why don’t you take it for a spin and see what happens (but use our branding in certain places).
Chris: Don’t you think words like fad and filler are too loaded and negative? I would have used the term perpetual fringe mobile platform market contender.
@Chris: I look at it like this: MS bought Nokia for brand recognition overseas and killer hardware in the States. Undoubtedly that overseas recognition is waning, but not gone and could easily be gotten back if the right moves are made.
Andrew: Unless I missed the memo, Microsoft didn’t buy Nokia. They’re both paying each other to give Nokia the right to do the heavy lifting. Speaking of memos:
Someone wrote that to Gates a while back. Smart man. Unfortunately, Microsoft just doesn’t have that weight to throw around in the phone game (or the tablet game). It’s becoming harder every single day for anyone to break into this market and why Microsoft isn’t trying much harder to secure something people seem to think they really want is beyond me.
Why is it surprising that WP7 sales are down? AFAIK no new handsets have been released in the US in the last few months. They’ll swing back up after new devices with Mango are released.<br
Why is it surprising that nokia sales are down? they put a bullet in the head of symbian. Who the fuck is going to buy a symbian phone now? Those sales will also kick back up once Nokia starts releasing WP7 handsets.
Doug,
Is it possible for you to write a constructive, informative android article? Since you so convinced that android is better, but all we ever get is “Android is selling like crazy.” It’s obvious that android has a bigger, better marketing campaign, more devices, but selling more of a product doesn’t necessarily mean you have a better product. And I think many will agree that probably close 75% of consumers buy is driven by marketing and those are the same people that would buy ketchup popsicles while wearing white gloves if Steve was offering or it was a droid ketchup popsicle.
But seriously I’m waiting for the article from you that convinces me why I should go android as opposed to RIM, iOS or WP. Give me real life scenarios, comparables, screen shots, heck even videos that include you not sounding stuck up land rover driver (sorry had one hit me the other day and wholly crap was ready to punch his sorry ace).
Noted Smitty, but this mess was on my mind last night, not getting you to want to switch to Android.
Though this example isn’t great as it lacks screen shots and videos and a sales pitch for Android, here’s a recent article I cranked out sort of fitting the spirit of your suggestion.
Like what I said before windows phone is here to stay… This is Msft!!! the biggest software maker im the world.. I don’t care what Google is doing, well actually they didn’t really do anything..winmo,Nokia,rim used to have the most market shares??? Correct me if im wrong!!! Wp7 will be no1 in no time… Why would I invest my money to non legitimate software maker??? Once windows8 PC os is out public awareness will be more… Goodluck Doug with ur android phone… I know you hated ot you just won’t admit it..
edwp7: illegitimate software marker…
sorry, but as much as I tend to like android theres no denying that it sells because of quantity, and how hard the carriers push it. Depsite how much soem people like to brag about how “powerful” it is, or whichever bells ‘n whistles it might have (might meaning not all of em have it) the average person, and the average droid user doesn’t give two shits about it. Of the 5 people I’ve known (and this is honest, not internet BS) with android phones ONE has a clue as to what his MIGHT be able to do. Everyone else? Can it take pictures, make calls surf the net, go on facebook.
No joke, no lie.
So yours and a few others android braggin points are weak and empty, because you KNOW the carriers are pushing it HARD. And MOST people buy things because they are told to.
Doug, you are an idiot. If you don’t like Windows Phone, don’t write about it.
Nobody give a shit about your rant.
@Doug Simmons: You have an appetite for attention and you like to spice things up? Really 😉
Thanks. However, I wasn’t talking about this particular article or Android patent issues. So this doesn’t really explain your focus shifting towards Windows Phone, since some time before you actually tried it.
Anyway, you can and should think and write about anything you want. I prefer to enjoy my smartphone and read about it. If you feel you need to defend Google and Android by trash talking Microsoft and Windows Phone, go ahead!
Although, I don’t think Google and Android need defending. If licensing deals were to have any effect on Android market share, wouldn’t that imply something’s wrong with the price/performance ratio?
Just as Windows Phone market share will increase along with it’s claim to fame as the OS, supporting platforms, hardware, availability and marketing improve. With help from Nokia, not Android.
I love wp7, I have a Samsung Focus with mango. But my primary phone is a G2X with gingerbread. Anybody who says the android experience is laggy or buggy and only for technies who want to root customize, and all that b.s is paranoid and a liar. My G2X runs perfectly smooth with official OTA gingerbread and has great battery life. However I digress; wp7 has a great UI but its feature set is seriously lacking. Don’t be blind fanboys open your eyes and you’ll see what I’m talking about. One thing that baffles me the most is how wp7 LAGS behind in the gaming section yet it claims to be a “mobile” xbox. Games sell a platform. Look at android and iPhon 3d games, unreal engine and unity-powered games. Complete with custom shaders and all. XNA has API for custom shaders. Why not implement it in xna for windows phone? Why not give game developers more power? Wp7 runs on arm and open gl is well established on that platform why not give developers the choice to use direct3d or opengl? Why not allow c++ coding for games? Locking wp7 down to microsoft only services would lead to failure. Why lock the platform so tight? Why not give the consumer to change tge search or maps provider? If I like google maps but love wp7, what I’m I supposed to do? Go jump off a cliff? Even android has an option to cha)nge search providers. Lastly I think wp7 was already set up to fail because it was released late 2010 with an outdated soc. The zune hd was released about a year before wp7 and it had a sox with a more powerful gpu (tegra). Tegra 2 and adreno 205 socs were already announced before the release of wp7. Why didn’t Microsoft give wp7 more gaming power even after tegra proved itself in the zune hd and kin2
The problem with you guys is that you live in a small box. USA is not the only market. With HTC, Samsung, LG and now Nokia WP7 will rise very soon. WHY? Android unfortunatly will be crushed because OEMs will drop google to avoid lawsuits and increase their profits by not paying royalties to Apple and Microsoft. Apple iOS has the same boring UI with nothing new except features copied from Android and WP7. Mango and Nokia will boost WP7 and then lets wait from Tango and Apollo. XBOX took 5 years to be number 1 but WP7 will not take that longer.
That boring OS with android and wp7 features is the best selling smartphone in the world with a new version coming out in a month or two… What happens to WP7 and RIM market shares then? You expect WP7 to survive through the iPhone 5 launch? Seriously?
I love wp7, I have a Samsung Focus with mango. But my primary phone is a G2X with gingerbread. Anybody who says the android experience is laggy or buggy and only for technies who want to root customize, and all that b.s is paranoid and a liar. My G2X runs perfectly smooth with official OTA gingerbread and has great battery life. However I digress; wp7 has a great UI but its feature set is seriously lacking. Don’t be blind fanboys open your eyes and you’ll see what I’m talking about. One thing that baffles me the most is how wp7 LAGS behind in the gaming section yet it claims to be a “mobile” xbox. Games sell a platform. Look at android and iPhon 3d games, unreal engine and unity-powered games. Complete with custom shaders and all. XNA has API for custom shaders. Why not implement it in xna for windows phone? Why not give game developers more power? Wp7 runs on arm and open gl is well established on that platform why not give developers the choice to use direct3d or opengl? Why not allow c++ coding for games? Locking wp7 down to microsoft only services would lead to failure. Why lock the platform so tight? Why not give the consumer to change tge search or maps provider? If I like google maps but love wp7, what I’m I supposed to do? Go jump off a cliff? Even android has an option to cha)nge search providers. Lastly I think wp7 was already set up to fail because it was released late 2010 with an outdated soc. The zune hd was released about a year before wp7 and it had a sox with a more powerful gpu (tegra). Tegra 2 and adreno 205 socs were already announced before the release of wp7. Why didn’t Microsoft give wp7 more gaming power even after tegra proved itself in the zune hd and kin2? No game on the marketplace can match some of the games on zune hd graphically. Now that qualcomm has released socs with the adreno 220 gpu why not update the minimum requirements so that oems can adopt it? Nvidia would have been a good hype machine for wp7 if tegra was used but ms chose the snapdragon which provides 0 publicity. Sometimes I wish Microsoft would make its own hardware and set the blueprint for oems. Until ms opens up the platform and gives consumers and developers more choices then failure is imminent and nokia can do nothing to save itself or wp7. R.I.p Nokia
You elegantly forgot about the fact that Apple grabs 2/3 of the profits in the whole mobile phone business and LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all produce losses, while Samsung’s profitability is also mediocre compared to its scale.. It is not only Nokia suffering now, but everybody except for Apple and HTC. So WTF bashing Windows Phone? Do you have profitability data for all WP7 OEMs selectively for their respective WP7 businesses?
Android has more apps then wp7 and that’s it. No one in their right mind can play with two operating systems and say truthfully that android is better. I was forced to go to wp7 after my 7th Android phone continuously locked up on me, my apps kept force closing on me, and these were high end devices such as the HTC evo, droid x, sgs4g, vibrant, and a few others, but when I got the the hd7 I knew right then I would never change it is just so smooth and fast. Voice command is superior compared to android wp7 is going to eventually surpass droid, now I haven’t really played with the iPhone but I know it must be better than droid. You see I must say droid is selling like crazy through good advertisement but a better system no way come on Doug you know it isn’t please be real, I hate when people don’t admit truth.
Ey martin, I dont believe u own a focus… U obviously dont know what hell your talking about!!!
First of all im awake, I know all the missing features in wp7..
But most of this crap missing i don’t need….gaming??? Have you played a game on ur focus?? Have you even bought one??? Why would you wanna play 3d games on a phone that will give u headache in the end?? Those games dont sell!!!!
The only missing thing in my hd7 is multitasking… All the crap that u think is missing i do not need…
I said it before and again android is crappy and laggy compare to wp7, if you really own a focus you will agree!!! Wp7 is smooth,fast,unique,bug free compare it to g2x that restarts by it self.. My friend own a g2x,she wanted to get the hd7 is said no and wait till October because new hardware will pop up… Went to mobile ask about hd7, she was brain washed to buy g2x, first day she had the phone.. G2x won’t turn on,even with full battery… Return it they gave her a replacement same phone and she was told to pay $50 for stocking fee…. My hd7 never had any software fixing at all, its all adding things to the software not fixing!!!!! Unlike the crappy android os.. Vzw,att,tmo,sprint.. All have the same issues with android phones….who said wp7 is a Xbox phone??? Stop reading Engadget!! Zune HD,kin, are history!!! Wp7 is the future and its only the beginning… Don’t write crappy comments that are baseless!!!
Wow, so many people took your bait Doug. Still it was a good read on how things could be in the future. I love my Focus but we’ll just have to wait and see about WP7 and Nokia.
Brianna, while I may be an idiot who writes stuff no one gives a shit about, do you have to rub my nose in it all the time? It stings when you say these things and it feels like you do it every chance you get. 🙁
The Surround has good speakers by the way.
Hi Chris,
Of course is the best selling smartphone in the world but there is only one smartphone from Apple, isnt it?. What about OS figures? Android is beginning to open up a considerable lead from iOS and it has already 50% of Market Share and this means they sold more smartphones than Apple. iOS is losing pace and Windows Phone will make a run on them. Yes I think iOS is still boring and WP7 will survive just fine to iPhone 5 launch. Really.
dotcompt: That’s a good point. More than half of our readers don’t live in the United States. A number of the writers don’t as well, which is fortunate for the site as you’ve got an eclectic array of perspectives and backgrounds attempting to inform, agitate and amuse you, and you reciprocate all the time.
That’s a beautiful thing.
Edwp7….Imo for wp7 to succeed Microsoft should open up the platform. They should give developers more choices by allowing native coding, update to minimum requirements to support the latest technology and give consumers the choice to choose their maps and search providers. If I want to use google search on my windows phone I shouldn’t have crappy bing shoved down my throat. As a consumer, more options help promote a platform. Thats why the iPhone succeeds.
Matthew C: I know, right? Wow. To be fair, I did a hell of a job taking David K’s bait. Actually one could argue that he baited me into exposing myself as a fat delusional blind hateful head-in-ass idiot with zero credibility.
On the other hand, I was the one who handed him the Google bit a few minutes after it was posted, so one could argue that I deserve all the credit/blame.
Not sure why more people dont get that the answer is hardware. If WP7 was on the amount of handsets that android is it would be doing fantastic as well. The current hardware is looked at as a generation behind. The glorified clerks in the carier stores are recommending against WP7 not because its bad but because they are either ignorant of it or are geeks who love the latest hardware. If WP7 can get on phones with improved looks and tech (including a front facing camera) it will take off. People are not rejecting the OS. Its not like they use it and say its bad. Almost everyone I have have heard of likes it very much. Again, its the HARDWARE.
jesus wept, what is this guy on? i’d like some please.
@Doug Simmons: Except enough to read the post and make a comment, come people, we all care a little.
rob: For what it’s worth, I get that loud and clear.
@martin… U know theres a Google search app right.. And if go is Google is the main search engine!! I think you should stay with Google… You want too much of a android on wp7… I dont get it… Why would they open up??? The Os is perfect.. If devs dont like it because they don’t have the freedom then dont… MSFT CAN fill the gaps if they wanted to… But see its business…
Dude its a windows phone of course they will use Bing maps and Bing search. And bing search is perfect for me specially bing maps…
edwp7: Don’t many of Google’s web-based services work on your phone pretty well?
@Doug. I know, I was in hurry writing that post. However, wrong choice of word aside, that doesn’t change the point of my comment. You say that with everyday this industry is getting harder to get into. I agree, but no industry is impossible to get into. For an example you can, again, look at the similarities of Microsoft’s entrance into the gaming market. Plenty of people said Microsoft would never survive against Nintendo and Sony. We both know how that turned out. Microsoft is looking for a repeat, and they can make it happen.
I would love to see Doug with a Nokia mango device!!!!
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again… if sales/numbers told the ENTIRE story then McD’s would be considered gourmet. But they sell shit, and people buy that shit because it’s easy or they feel they should. God forbid anyone want to put any genuine thought into making a decision.
IMO same can be said for iOS, and android. It has less to do with peoples true preferences and more to do with what their told, and or suggested to do.
Plain and simple. You know it, but you HATE to admit it.
The average smartphone user has no idea what the damn thing can really do. it does what they want and they are fine. They don’t care about the strength of it, or what kinds of hardware it’s packing. And most of them have no idea, nor do they give a shit about the “competition”. But this whole game, save for a few of us, is being run by the average joe, and that guy is more than likely *impressed* with the first thing he sees. And what’s the first thing he sees? Apple on commercials, and anroids as soon as he walks into his carrier. If you don’t believe that theory then please explain to me why in this new and somewhat exciting age of smartphones people are still pecking away at their 2, 3, and 4 year old BB’s?? Is it because it’s “better”, or it simply does what they want, or are accustomed to doing on it
so yeah, sorry Doug and Chris, but despite how well you may know your particular device of choice, or how close you think it is to being the holy grail of smartphones your shitty arguements regarding sales mean nothing. It really only speaks to the overall ignorance of most people.
@edwp7: He said he would revisit his article after Mango came out…
Sean: The elitist defense, I like it! Windows Phone isn’t selling because consumers are too stupid, I see. So where do you stand on consumers’ ignorance suddenly evaporating and subsequently everyone embracing WP, throwing Apple and Google to the curb?
@Doug: No I’m not saying stupid at all… if and when MS starts to sell good again it will be only because:
1) they go hard and advertise the way(s) that they probably should.
2).They keep “challenging” people to look past the first shiney thing you saw.
BTW, I’m still waiting on someone to offer up some concrete Windows MOBILE sales numbers. There’s constant BS, and regurjitation of how MS is “new” ad “late” to the game. But I have a feeling they are still somewhere toward the top if you factor in WM. They had a helluva head start on the other two, but that has been forgotten for some odd and idiotic reason.
Simmons knows this though because he used to champion for WM, didn’t he??
@Doug Simmons:
What gives rocking Epiphany 2.30.6? I know I saw the tar ball for 3.0.2 out there…
I was beginning to write my response to this, but it landed in tl:dr territory so now I’m posting it it and using it as a launching pad of my semi-monthly segment.
To the rest of the World: You’re all welcome.
P.S. Those Bunnies in that picture are evil. I’ll prove it…. Damn Bunnies…
You my sir are a tool.(broke one at that). The market will reveal the weak in time. Nokia,Windows 8, Google’s stealing of patents and issues with Oracle, & Apples non willingness to change will bring to the success of the WP7 platform. Microsoft is entirely to big to give up on mobile devices. Like the XBOX ,they will throw every dollar they have at it until it is a success.
@Doug/Sean: no matter how he words it, Sean has a good argument.
Sean: That’s true, I was, though in my defense it was my first phone and I might have gotten out quicker if I didn’t make blownfuze.
Who do you expect to offer up these numbers? I think the best you’re going to get is from Microsoft’s annual report, that it, Windows Phone, Zune and some other thing added up to about $600m in revenue for the year. Based on the Facebook scraping data that I and Surur use, for this year’s average there has been slight attrition for Windows Mobile. People are still buying it apparently, but more people are switching to something else. As for the install base, there appear to be several times as many Windows Phones on Facebook as Windows Mobile. Its share of new users signing onto Facebook for the year is tied with the Sidekick at -0.1%. While I’d call your theory refreshingly inventive, well, ..
A lot of the sales estimates you’ll run into, just like the revelation in the annual report, lumps the two together (“Microsoft-based devices”).
Or are you referring to how many devices of these platforms have been sold ever, regardless of what’s in use? Even then, I feel like you’re so way off that you’re trying to trap me somehow.
So you’re in a way saying that MS sales numbers will be ambiguous at best while the other two are accurate?
And I’m not talking about this past year I mean in total how many WM devices were sold, and how big of a sales head start did MS have before the other (big) two got into it.
The reason i say this is because of the constant poop about MS being late, or playing catch-up.
Yes Windows PHONE is different from windows MOBILE but it’s not like they were truly sitting idly by watching the game move on without them. Yes they stayed with WM too long, and yes the others did beat the hell out of em in popularity if nothing else. but when I think of all the different OEMs, and form factors that WM came in over the years (first off it reminds me a lot of Android… hmmm) I know they sold a shit-load.
Windows Mobile pocket PC’s, Smartphones, Mp3 players, Toshiba Gigabeat S line before Zune, etc.
They should not be confined to what’s happened in the past few months with WP. All you point ‘n click analyst’s need to stop looking at MS through a straw… you’re missing a lot.
Will they re-surpass the other two? Shit, who knows. I don’t really care, and in some ways I hope hey don’t. “first place” breeds complacency, and we all know just how complacent MS can be when they’re at the front.
Well stick your Android and Google paid money. You lost totaly credibility. This is the last post I am going to read on Mobility Digest and they wont be getting money out of my clicks here any more.
Thanks for letting us know Ram, I’ll forward this to accounting so they know to anticipate the loss of Ram ad revenue and dock my salary accordingly, or maybe fire me altogether which, if you weren’t in such a rush to leave, you could expedite by forming some sort of boycott or petition or letter writing campaign to get me canned for not sharing your views and writing angrily about it.
Too bad I spent all my credibility. If I had any left, I’d offer it to you for sucking purposes.
Good town, Ballwin.
@Doug good reply to ram, you are entitled to your opinion lol.
Fun thread of posts. Doug knows how to bring folks out of the woodwork
Wow.
You used to be alright. What happened?
The numbers include WM 6.x phones and WP7.
WM 6.x is declining.
WP7 growth is slow, because shortly, a whole raft of new phones running Mango will be out there.
What a non-story.
Real question is, when will the marketing start for Mango and the new phones?
All these years later, and not much has changed. Good writeup.
.: