The New Windows Phone Marketing: Does it Work?

[Jason Dunn]

<p>Microsoft is starting to promote Windows Mobile phones under their new moniker: "Windows Phone". Here are two commercials that are presumably airing on TV - has anyone seen them yet? Better yet, what do you think of the commercials? Do they hit the mark? Personally, I think they're pretty good - they make the connection that the things people care about the most on their computers can also be found on their Windows Phone. I think Microsoft is going to have an easier time branding the term "Windows Phone" over "Windows Mobile". Now if only Microsoft's Facebook client wasn't so awful...</p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1KWnjs0Z32A&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1KWnjs0Z32A&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18"></embed></object></p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uduyxhIdJOI&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uduyxhIdJOI&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18"></embed></object></p>

[Gerard]

Am I missing the point? Commercial 1 seems to be about hiding the fact that the guy is goofing off in a meeting, attempting to flirt with a co-worker during said meeting, by showing off a spreadsheet open on his phone. Commercial 2 seems to indicate that stealing a bicycle (and helmet!?) is perfectly okay, if one is lame enough to leave one's WM phone on a bus. Inappropriate work behavior is okay if you have a WM phone... Stealing someone's transportation is okay if you're trying to recover your (stupidly) lost WM phone... Clever marketing? Sure, it's 'catchy' in a rather uninformative (misleading - as you say, consensus has it that the WM Facebook app is terrible) way. Okay, so it shows that you can open a spreadsheet or messaging app on your phone, but those have been available for many years in WM phones and PPCs, nothing new to see here. Where's the connection to WM6.5's advantages? Where is the hook that's going to make people realise that the biggest single advantage of a WM phone is the vast library of shareware and freeware available for the platform? If these were commercials for a PPC back in 2000 I'd say sure, great, they liven things up a bit and grab attention, and potential users may be inspired to dig deeper for more information. Maybe even in 2001. But it's almost 2010, and the only updates I'm seeing are Facebook and Twitter... which aren't even Microsoft products!

[Jason Dunn]

Where is the hook that's going to make people realise that the biggest single advantage of a WM phone is the vast library of shareware and freeware available for the platform?

Do you really believe that the mainstream market understands or cares about "shareware and freeware"? I mean, come on...:) People are starting to understand that "apps" matter - thanks to Apple's ads - but toss the term "freeware" or "shareware" at the average person and they'd stare at you blankly. Frankly, the only software that's going to matter in the mainstream sense is what comes on the phones, or what's available in the Marketplace. Only a small % of people will go through the silly process we do now of downloading a setup.exe file, connecting our phones to a desktop computer, installing the app, etc. Or, even more esoteric, getting a CAB file, moving it to the device...

If these were commercials for a PPC back in 2000 I'd say sure, great, they liven things up a bit and grab attention, and potential users may be inspired to dig deeper for more information. Maybe even in 2001. But it's almost 2010, and the only updates I'm seeing are Facebook and Twitter... which aren't even Microsoft products!

The thing to remember is that the market as a whole really doesn't understand what Windows Mobile even is. Microsoft is starting, more or less, from scratch. Sure, they sold 15 million phones last year, but most people don't understand that they're buying a Microsoft operating system.

[Gerard]

Okay, I see your point on the software thing. Though frankly it's a mystery to me how tapping on a CAB file is complicated. If anything it's too simple, as evil folk could (and probably do) use CAB files as a delivery system for malware, and probably less than 1/10,000 WM users have any sort of AV software on their devices, maybe not even 1/100,000. But a CAB itself is dead simple; download, locate in File Explorer, tap. Done. Surely the average potential WM phone user is not so idiotic as to mess that up. Or maybe I over-estimate people's intelligence? Actually I have to say you're the one doing that a bit here. I have quite a few clients using iPhones, and whenever I've seen them using the things there is always a new app being used, often with quite pretty interfaces and really obvious ease of use. I've seen several musician-oriented tuning applications for instance which looked well worth using. There are similar apps for WM devices too, and they're not exactly brain-busters to install and use.

But the other point, the actual apps indicated in the ads (by giant foam rubber icons with legs), why not use the 'e' of Pocket IE? Surely that's recognisable. Is Microsoft as embarrassed about the WM6.5 version of PIE as I am? To be fair, I may have missed the 'e' in those quick flashes of video showing the icons. What about an email icon though? At least according to forum users, Messaging has improved here and there enough such that MS need not be too ashamed. It's certainly a better app than it was back a few years ago, and the integration of voicemail alerts and text messaging is somewhat useful.

[Jason Dunn]

But a CAB itself is dead simple; download, locate in File Explorer, tap. Done. Surely the average potential WM phone user is not so idiotic as to mess that up. Or maybe I over-estimate people's intelligence?

It's less about whether or not they CAN do something versus how many barriers to the end goal there is. Let's make a list:

1) Go to the developer's site
2) Find the CAB file...which will likely involve figuring out the operating system (which Microsoft does a great job of hiding), possibly the screen resolution etc.
3) Connecting the device, transferring the CAB file over
4) Open File Explorer on the device, find the CAB file, install it

Let's compare it to the way app marketplaces tend to work:

1) Open Marketplace
2) Find the app you want to install
3) Install the app

Both lists are simplified, but you can see which one is much easier - there's a reason why a CRAZY number of app downloads has happened (1+ billion I believe).

I have quite a few clients using iPhones, and whenever I've seen them using the things there is always a new app being used, often with quite pretty interfaces and really obvious ease of use. I've seen several musician-oriented tuning applications for instance which looked well worth using. There are similar apps for WM devices too, and they're not exactly brain-busters to install and use.

Again, the big thing is how stunningly easy it is to install, try out, and uninstall apps on the iPod Touch/iPhone. And here's the best part: in the 60+ apps I've installed and uninstalled, my iPod Touch is just as fast and trouble-free as the first day I bought it. I could only dream of that kind of stability on a Windows Mobile device...over the years I've actually weaned myself off of almost all third party apps because so many of them de-stabilize the phone.

It feels strange to be "defending" the iPod/iPhone, but their app store is done really, really well.

[Gerard]

You have the advantage of actually using the iPhone, something I've not done. I was trying to think more about comparing the relatively un-washed, people who are making the jump from a 'dumb' phone to a smart one. After all, this is the crowd to whom both Apple and Microsoft are aiming commmercials such as this, right? It's not quite at the Coke vs. Pepsi stage yet, competing for existing market share. We're somewhat past the early adopter phase with smart phones, and just getting into establishing initial market share, at least when using blinkers a bit and looking only at Microsoft, Apple, and Google's Android. It's no longer the wild West but it's still frontier days...

So what I'm saying is that a new user coming in does not know that it's difficult to select options when choosing the version for a particular WM phone. Microsoft and many MS partner developers (award winners like Resco and SPB and such) have already begun efforts aimed at simplifying such choices, with Resco being rather obviously good at it already once a user has a single app installed from their vast selection. Their included 'Resco Update' app, which comes with everything they sell, automagically seeks out and lists any CAB files pertinent to the device being used. It's a 'no brainer' quite literally, involving a simple decision as to whether or not to download and install with a tap or two. I'm kind of confident that Microsoft's app store will continue this effort, making it far less daunting for users who are not yet familiar with installation protocols. Uninstallations are a bit fussier, and I certainly agree that there should be much more strict requirements placed upon WM developers forcing them to delete all related registry and file data on uninstallation. It should not be necessary to have such applications as 'Remover' or any other registry cleaning application, just to keep a device running smoothly after testing and dumping apps. This is one of the several themes I'll be bringing to the next conference call amongst MVPs and WM's developers if given the chance. The registry has long been a bane of Windows users' existence. It's long overdue, making keeping it clean a priority, as we all know how bogged down a device can get...

Your step 3 is not really relevant any more. By that I mean that downloading the CAB over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection is simpler, and that many developers do offer CAB files. Or even standalone executables in some cases.

But I'll drop it, agreeing that it could be simpler, easier. I don't think it's quite as breezy as MS seems to be making out with these commercials, but perhaps that's quibbling.

[Russ Smith]

I like the commercials. Of all the things that WM offers, I think the ability to carry your stuff with you is one that translates well to all levels of tech expertise. Using the term "windows stuff" helps stick the idea that what's on your computer at home can be on your handset along with you without getting too specific and losing some potential buyers.

Apple was tremendously successful with "there's an app for that" even though we knew that there was an app for that on our phones too :) It just needs to translate into "this phone could work for me" in the heads of the viewers.

I realize that the vast majority of phone users have no loyalty and probably no actual knowledge of what OS their phone uses. They just want it to work for them.

[Sven Johannsen]

Am I missing the point? Commercial 1 seems to be about hiding the fact that the guy is goofing off in a meeting, attempting to flirt with a co-worker during said meeting, by showing off a spreadsheet open on his phone. Commercial 2 seems to indicate that stealing a bicycle (and helmet!?)
Don't know if I'd get that literal on these. First guy was playing during the meeting, but he wasn't flirting, just justifying his phone use to all the attendees with the spreadsheet. Unless the girl overpowered the messenger guy, I would guess she asked to borrow the bike. I think they are kind of cute, though I have only actually seen the original one on TV where the guy is leaving his house, initially assuming his Win stuff can't come. Seen that one twice. Seen lots of other carrier and phone platform ads LOTS. Specially that T-Mo google thing. I think these get the point across that you can take your Windows stuff along. Hopefully they evolve into showing how broad the range of stuff you can take along is. We probably have an app for that too. And if we want to adopt the old Apple/Palm philosophies, if we don't have it, you probably don't really need it.

[Gerard]

And if we want to adopt the old Apple philosophy, if we don't have it, you probably don't really need it.

Have to disagree there a bit, based on a bunch of years of browsing for and testing a LOT of WM apps. I'd say it's closer to 'If you don't need it, we probably have an app for it anyway... in fact probably a dozen variations on what you don't really need.' There are loads of programs for WM devices which perform perfectly meaningless functions, such as the many thousands of wallpaper 'apps' which are really nothing more than sets of background imagery coupled to font scaling and such. The way so many of these are broken and get in the way of proper functionality doesn't help matters. Then there are the thousands of games, most of which hardly worthy of being called games as they are close to unplayable. And so-called 'PIM replacements' which do no task better than slowing down access to PIM data - though there are certainly a few which enhance it, and those tend to be the survivors.

Okay, so maybe I'm being overly critical of the commercials. Not being a TV viewer makes me more than a little resistant to commercials generally. I've tried watching the Superbowl commercials to see what's so dang funny about them, but always quit after a few because there's a sense of being insulted by the corporate machinery.

[Jason Dunn]

Your step 3 is not really relevant any more. By that I mean that downloading the CAB over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection is simpler, and that many developers do offer CAB files. Or even standalone executables in some cases.

Please tell me though that you understand the vast, HUGE difference between:

1) Clicking on an application named Marketplace that's already on your phone to find new apps to install

versus

2) Opening up IE Mobile and browsing to a developers site - a developer that you already have to know about and already know what they offer, and hoping they actually offer a mobile site - all to find a CAB file to download

There's absolutely no comparison between the two... :confused:

[Gerard]

Oh that. Sorry Jason, guess I glossed over that in my thinking, as frankly I avoid like the plague anything where someone's trying to spoon-feed me or hold my hand too much when using a device I PAID FOR fer cryin' out loud. I don't like it from Microsoft, and from what little I have seen of Apple like it even less there. I mentioned Resco's updater... don't use it myself, as I like to keep the CAB file on hand in a couple of locations, not have it vanish. But that's me, I know lots of people want to be led along, have everything done for them. And that's why Microsoft's putting the finishing touches on their app store, right? Or so some articles here and elsewhere led me to believe. Sorry again, wasn't really paying attention, as app stores seem to me too much like an editor between me and the kinds of functionality I want. Not a barrier, just a filter, made up according to some mystical formula based on the lowest common denominator.

[Cybrid]

re: Oh that. Sorry Jason, as app stores seem to me too much like an editor between me and the kinds of functionality I want. Not a barrier, just a filter, made up according to some mystical formula based on the lowest common denominator.

Conversely Jason,
You'll have to admit if the homepage a PPC was set by default to freewareppc.com it wouldn't be all that different. Also In that market place weeding out the good from the myriad is much more time consuming.
Gerard's point seems more towards his leanings towards a lean PPC with quality tested apps.
And try hand the touch off to a kid. I'm sure he'll find a way to destabilize it. Son came back with his once which had done a spontaenous hard reset.

[Gerard]

I installed gOS (Mac-like overlay for Ubuntu) onto my wife's ancient notebook, so she could continue using the decrepit thing upstairs for browsing and nothing else. The included Tux paint app made my 3 year old very excited, he loves to draw in just about any medium, and so it gets used for that now as well. On his third use, he managed to do something weird to the Main Menu such that it appears as a small blank patch in the corner with two arrows... so one has to scroll down though a long expanse of blank menu before getting to the actual shortcuts. How? I've no idea. Can't fix it either. I've given up trying, as we don't really need the menu, but I'm just pointing out that even something as allegedly fool-proof as gOS can be messed with rather easily in un-skilled hands.

I've known a number of Mac users who have lost serious amounts of irreplaceable data due to hardware failure, and in one case software failure. Every platform demands something of a learning curve. While the iPhone is sold as being dead simple, it is really only a matter of time before many, many users get vocal about their own tragic losses of information due to some glitch or other. These devices cost next to nothing to make - $100 for hardware on the high-end phones is the figure I see most often quoted - so really, what can we expect?

A sane response to fallible software and hardware on devices is to learn a thing or two. Having it handed to you and just accepting that it will work as advertise is a foolish stance. Take the recent Sidekick or whatever data loss. Sure, they seem to have got most of it back... but why were users not even allowed to make local backups of their information? I hope the iPhone offers a backup mechanism, something external to the device. If not, there will be tears.

[iclark]

I must be missing the point on these advertisments.

These advertisments seem to be aimed at a target market who like browsing facebook instead of listening in meetings and can not live with out their phone close to them.

Hasn't that market already been lost to Apple and the iPhone.

I think that MS is spending good money chasing after the wrong market.

I love my MS phones (HTC Snap - > HTC TyTnII -> Dopod730 -> HTC730 -> HTC620 -> A couple of iMate units -> Nokia 6110i -> Jornada 680 - > Newton).

Why - because they integrate the rest of my life (work and home). Exchange is the key for me with email, contact and diary. A few other great apps (thanks who ever posted the Evernote & Dial2Go they are brilliant).

Microsoft missed the boat on securing the business market with the exchange integration a while ago. No one else had a truely robust end to end solution out of the box. You had to get sync utilities etc. Now that Gap has closed.

I know sooo many senior exec's who are now bragging about their iPhone doing stuff that I have been able to do for years...

I might be stating the obvious here but Microsoft need a kick arse hardware design (perhaps they should buy HTC (rumour??). Without it they will struggle to achieve the full potential of MS Mobile. They will depend on HTC, Samsung etc to give direction to the sales. How many different MS phones have been launched since Apple released the iPhone ? Remember that Apple have seized its share of the phone market effectively with ONE product - iPhone. Again Microsoft had how many different versions released in how many different colours and flavours....

Common MS - Saddle up and catch up and give us a future to be excited about. If you don't I might actually stop and seriously look at an iPhone on its next release....then I might fall in love with it and then look at a MacBook and Mac's for the kids and also replacing all of the PC's in the office....

Laugh you may but I know many places where this had happened.....

Perhaps MS need non techo MVP / Evangalists who have nothing to do with technology side of things and talk in usage terms - Doctors, Teachers, Politicians, Factory workers, small business owners (I fall into this category), Policemen, Artists, Musicans etc.

Show someone what you can do with a MS phone and you don't need to sell it you just need to tell them where to buy one.

I'll stop waffling now......

[Sven Johannsen]

I know sooo many senior exec's who are now bragging about their iPhone doing stuff that I have been able to do for years...

Show someone what you can do with a MS phone and you don't need to sell it you just need to tell them where to buy one.
There are a coiuple of insightful statements the marketeers at MS need to have pounded in.

Why didn't anyone know we could do that stuff? Sounds like a marketing failure to me. I have mixed feelings about the PPC/WM/Windows Phone philosophy of selling the OS to OEMs. On one hand you (should) get broader innovation and choice in hardware, on the other you get a very diluted landscape. Seems part of the problem was letting the OEMs do all the marketing too.

Here's an ad scenario. A business man and a youngster meet at a bus stop or something, using their phones, obviously different styles. Kid is obviously listening to tunes, the business guy checking e-mail. They notice each other and go for one-ups-manship, the kid starting to check mail and the business man pulling out headphones. The kid shows Twitter, the business guy Excel. A few such exchanges go on, when one asks what kind of phone is that? It's a Windows Phone...Wow, so is mine. Hmm. Tagline, A phone for you, no matter who you are.

[Cybrid]

I hope the iPhone offers a backup mechanism, something external to the device. If not, there will be tears. As far as I can tell just to iTunes. A strategy which is prone to the same vagaries as PPC's and Activesync are.
If the phone hard resets you are back to your last iTunes sync. On the plus side, it restores beautifully.
Also, I wonder what happens when your PC fries, iPods are monogamous. no singing to two PCs.

[Gerard]

Well if a person has a grain of sense they'll not use iTunes to buy their music... unless of course they have a means of ripping high quality copies to some other off-device storage place. Otherwise a dual-hardware failure could cost an awful lot. Having experienced a couple of occasions where more than one device decided to die at the same time, this is clearly not an unlikely circumstance. Never trust only two hard drives with all your family photos for instance, as it's very easy for one drive to become corrupted (as recently happened to me when connecting it to a Linux machine, something that NTFS-formatted drive had never done before), then for the other to be the very last, and very vulnerable copy.

But this is off topic I suppose. And hey, one of Windows Mobile's strong points these days is the way user data is relatively safe on the device, not residing in RAM as it did prior to WM5.0. I've lost the odd thing thanks to software glitches and hardware failures since that change, but never on a WM device. A bit of configuration time lost is about the worst of it on this platform, and WM6.5 seems very stable generally. The devices are more solidly built too than in the old days. Very dense construction, where there used to be a lot of open space and room for flex when sat upon or dropped. Not a whole lot to complain about really, especially if one doesn't try to use Activesync, which I haven't in some time. Did about a year ago... funny really, how well it seemed to work for a little while... before it started eating some of my contacts mysteriously, duplicating others at the same time. So I ditched it from my system once and for all. never again to be installed for any reason. It's that bad. Resco Backup, PIMBackup, and once in a while a Phatware dbExplorer backup of PIM stuff, all copied to at least two locations besides my microSD, and I feel confident my most important data is secure. If an iPhone could offer that sort of peace of mind maybe I'd take it a little more seriously.

[Sven Johannsen]

Well, back to the ad campaign. Anybody actually seeing these things? I have still only seen one of them, 1 and a half times, (caught the end and saw it all the way through once) in a week or so. In about an hour of TV watching last night, two networks, saw the new Droid ad twice. Wouldn't have had any idea what it was about without having been alerted via Engadget. Probably see that Whoopie and friends T-Mobile/Google add once every hour. So, I guess there are three WinPhone ads out there, but it would be nice if they were actually shown. Guess that would enhance the effectiveness, but as I've said, I'm not a marketing guy.

[Janak Parekh]

Personally, I think they're pretty good - they make the connection that the things people care about the most on their computers can also be found on their Windows Phone. I think you accurately summarized what the ads are conveying, but that's the almost exactly problem I have with them. :) Does the average consumer care about stuff on their computers? Or that they have "Windows" in their pocket? I also find the "app characters" kinda creepy/cringeworthy, but maybe that's just me.

I understand the branding perspective, but I think Microsoft is relying too much on the Windows brand to drive sales, as opposed to catching the eye (with a flashy device) or showing what the product can do (which is what Apple's iPhone ads do so very well). I'm trying to view this from the perspective of someone who barely knows what a smartphone is (as opposed to a mobile enthusiast), and I can't help but find this confusing from that perspective. Some of the other ad ideas discussed in this thread sound a lot more compelling to me (like, the kid vs. the businessman - that's a great one!).

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Well if a person has a grain of sense they'll not use iTunes to buy their music... unless of course they have a means of ripping high quality copies to some other off-device storage place. Well, people should back up their computers, no? ;) How does that argument differ from buying from Amazon MP3, for instance?

But this is off topic I suppose. And hey, one of Windows Mobile's strong points these days is the way user data is relatively safe on the device, not residing in RAM as it did prior to WM5.0. That's true for nearly every Smartphone on the market today.

If an iPhone could offer that sort of peace of mind maybe I'd take it a little more seriously. Well, I've gone through three iPhones (deliberately, as in upgrades), and I'm using the exact same OS image I was using with my first iPhone. I've never, ever had to reinstall, including after OS upgrades. I just plugged in my new iPhone and it restored every last setting, including every app, app data, etc. My iPhone environment has migrated seamlessly every single time. It's uncanny how smooth it has been -- I almost feel like I should be reinstalling it because I'm so accustomed to it from every single other platform I've owned. So, when it comes to data integrity, Windows Mobile is definitely not the only platform with its advantages.

--janak

[Jason Dunn]

You'll have to admit if the homepage a PPC was set by default to freewareppc.com it wouldn't be all that different.

Maybe for freeware apps, but creating a smooth and simple on-device purchasing experience is no small matter. If it's a hassle, people won't buy apps. That's bad for the platform. Correct me if I'm wrong, but freewareppc.com doesn't sell any any apps, so if a person downloads a trial version of a commercial app,

Also In that market place weeding out the good from the myriad is much more time consuming.

I haven't tried it yet, but I would have thought with app ratings and sorting by popularity, it wouldn't be so difficult. Let's face it, there are so few apps there now, weeding out apps can't be THAT much of a problem. ;-)

[Jason Dunn]

Does the average consumer care about stuff on their computers?

You're asking if people care about the photos, videos, music, documents, and files on their computers? Or they things they do on their computers such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.? You're asking if people care about the stuff they interact with daily? :confused:

Your dry sense of humour has been taken to a new height Janak. :D

[Gerard]

... It's uncanny how smooth it has been -- I almost feel like I should be reinstalling it because I'm so accustomed to it from every single other platform I've owned. So, when it comes to data integrity, Windows Mobile is definitely not the only platform with its advantages.

Did not know that. Very interesting. So I'll now start taking the iPhone a bit more seriously. Guess I'll do a search for some users' input on the mechanisms involved in backing up/synching an iPhone with a Windows PC.

[Janak Parekh]

You're asking if people care about the photos, videos, music, documents, and files on their computers? Or they things they do on their computers such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.? You're asking if people care about the stuff they interact with daily? :confused: Hrm, that's a very good question :) I guess I have two problems with the way this is structured:

- "Care." The ads clearly say "take Windows with you." Do people care it's Windows, or Pocket Excel, or Pocket Word, etc. that they're taking with them? If so, why hasn't the years of Windows Mobile branding worked? What is different about this?

- The ads don't actually talk about the information I care about, so much as the programs themselves, dressed up as dancing icons. I guess that's an attempt to humanize it, but to me, it just strikes me as weird. ;)

--janak

[Jason Dunn]

"Care." The ads clearly say "take Windows with you." Do people care it's Windows, or Pocket Excel, or Pocket Word, etc. that they're taking with them?

Windows, Word, Excel, etc. all have amazingly brand recognition. "Microsoft Word" has brand recognition right up there with Coke I'd bet. It would't have made sense for them to have an icon of typed-on paper (representing a document) in the ad...the Word icon I think is quite recognizable by a lot of people.

If so, why hasn't the years of Windows Mobile branding worked? What is different about this?

What Windows Mobile branding? Microsoft has done a pathetic job over the years of promoting Windows Mobile...they've relied on the carriers to promote their phones, and the carriers end up practically hiding the fact that it's a Windows Mobile phone. You know this - we've railed at Microsoft for years about this. "Windows Phone" is the most effective attempt at brand promotion I've seen Microsoft ever do. It's a good start.

The ads don't actually talk about the information I care about, so much as the programs themselves, dressed up as dancing icons.

I agree it would have been effective for them to roll in some dancing photo and music icons to bring in the personalized element. Maybe future ads will have that, who knows.

[Janak Parekh]

What Windows Mobile branding? Microsoft has done a pathetic job over the years of promoting Windows Mobile...they've relied on the carriers to promote their phones, and the carriers end up practically hiding the fact that it's a Windows Mobile phone. You know this - we've railed at Microsoft for years about this. "Windows Phone" is the most effective attempt at brand promotion I've seen Microsoft ever do. It's a good start. Okay, let's see if they do it right this time -- as someone else mentioned, ads are nice, but will they get airtime? They did advertise WM in the past in subway stations and airports, but that was largely it.

I agree it would have been effective for them to roll in some dancing photo and music icons to bring in the personalized element. Maybe future ads will have that, who knows. No, that's my point. I don't want dancing people-icons as the metaphor, period. I want to "see my music". Apple's early iPhone ads were particularly good about this.

--janak

[griph]

Well, people should back up their computers, no? ;) How does that argument differ from buying from Amazon MP3, for instance?

That's true for nearly every Smartphone on the market today.

Well, I've gone through three iPhones (deliberately, as in upgrades), and I'm using the exact same OS image I was using with my first iPhone. I've never, ever had to reinstall, including after OS upgrades. I just plugged in my new iPhone and it restored every last setting, including every app, app data, etc. My iPhone environment has migrated seamlessly every single time. It's uncanny how smooth it has been -- I almost feel like I should be reinstalling it because I'm so accustomed to it from every single other platform I've owned. So, when it comes to data integrity, Windows Mobile is definitely not the only platform with its advantages.

--janak

Janak hits the nail on the head here!

I have to say that if WM and Activesync had offered the kind of back up, restore and upgrade facility that iTunes and iPhone do (AND without having to buy third party software) a lot of my past aggravations wouldn't have existed. I have gone through 2 iPhones (3G and 3GS) and 5 Rom upgrades and never had to worry about having to reinstall apps etc - it works and is seamlessly.

Oh and of course I back up my Mac automatically - so if in the very unlikely situation where I might have a double hardware failure I still have the back up to fall back on! I dont understand the reticence to rely on the standard iPhone back up facility and MS really should learn the lesson from Apple on this!

My son just went from a iPod Touch 2.0 to an iPhone 3GS and just restored from his last back up - all the apps and music from the Touch straight on.

Every time I bought a new WM device I couldn't restore the last Sprite back up from the last one and ended up doing a fresh install each time! What a pile of s%ite!

[andbrown]

Here's an ad scenario. A business man and a youngster meet at a bus stop or something, using their phones, obviously different styles. Kid is obviously listening to tunes, the business guy checking e-mail (http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/#). They notice each other and go for one-ups-manship, the kid starting to check mail and the business man pulling out headphones. The kid shows Twitter, the business guy Excel. A few such exchanges go on, when one asks what kind of phone is that? It's a Windows Phone...Wow, so is mine. Hmm. Tagline, A phone for you, no matter who you are.

Now that is brilliant...

[Sven Johannsen]

Now that is brilliant...Thank you, and you're welcome.:D

I have to say that if WM and Activesync had offered the kind of back up, restore and upgrade facility that iTunes and iPhone do ...
Funny you should say that. AS actually came pretty close, once upon a time. That was pre-WM5. There was a backup restore capability within AS that did your whole device. It did not do Flash cards, but that isn't an issue for iPhones since they have no such slot. It was a bit hit or miss on restoring to an upgraded device, becaus MS insisted on changing a bunch of registry stuff between revs, but it often worked fine. You could lose a device and replace it with the same model and it would restore just like it was the old guy. Couldn't restore to a diufferent model, but again iPhone doesn't have this issue. Why did it go away? Well, with flash ROM you obviously would never lose data, so such a thing wasn't needed anymore. One of the many AS/WMDC features replaced by fancy.:rolleyes: