Over the break, there’s been a bit of discussion by some of the big names regarding the reasons why Windows Phone 7 handsets haven’t been flying off the shelves this holiday season. Charlie Kindel started the debate with “Windows Phone is Superior; Why Hasn’t It Taken Off?” and largely faults the relationship between the OEMs, Microsoft and the carriers.
MG Siegler responded with a fairly weak response largely citing the mantra of “too late and not enough apps” but as can be seen from today’s news of 50,000 apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace, the latter argument really isn’t that valid.
As usual, Robert Scoble hits the nail on the head. People buy Android or iOS because it’s a safe bet and they don’t want to look stupid or uncool by buying something else. Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and RIM’s Blackberries simply don’t have the gold-plated appeal of a sure-thing.
And he’s right. I was a big Palm fan and look how that turned out. I do feel stupid. After spending years waiting for Palm to move from PalmOS to WebOS and then HP promising to do big things. I bought in with a succession of Pre phones and pre-ordered a TouchPad. Maybe I shouldn’t be so shallow and have a less of an ego, because WebOS is a great operating system and even with the smaller app selection, it does 99% of what I need a phone to do. But when everyone else is, “Have you got this app and that app” on their Galaxy S IIs and iPhone 4Ss, you do feel a bit of a chump.
So thanks, HP. I feel stupid.
No need to feel stupid. Ever since the Touchpad debacle I’ve been wanting to try a webOs phone, since I’ve read so many good things about this operating system. And you’re not alone in feeling duped by HP.
I, on the other hand, became a Symbian fan several months ago after giving a Nokia C7 a chance. It’s a terrific phone, and although Symbian has its faults and isn’t quite as smooth as ios or Android it’s still a very capable os, and with the new Symbian Belle upgrade it’s even better. So you can imagine my disappointment at Nokia’s decision to abandon Symbian and opt for Windows Phone instead. But at least I will be getting support for the next few years until it’s totally phased out.
I owned several Palm phones (Treo, Centro & Pre). I don’t feel stupid for having owned them. Mad at HP? Sure. But not stupid. Owning something other than the phone “everyone” has gives me some exposure to life outside the bubbles. After all, I’m pretty much stuck with Mac or PC on the desktop, why not experiment with a different device? Does that mean I’ll never own an iPhone? Who knows. Right now I have an Android. But maybe next time I’ll buy a Windows phone. Geeks care not for fashion and trends. We just love to experiment with tech.