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  #1  
Old 05-04-2011, 03:30 AM
Nelson Ocampo
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Default A Little Under 700k Windows Phone 7 Handsets Sold by the End of 2010. How Much Does It Matter?

http://wmpoweruser.com/674k-windows...(WM+Power+User)

"Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin has posted on his analysis of carrier chatter on Windows Phone 7 sales, and came to the conclusion that 674,000 Windows Phone 7 handsets ended up in the hands of consumers by the end of last year".

While Windows Phone 7 wasn't available for the full quarter, 674,000 is still a low number compared to the competition.  I haven't seen to many other people with Windows Phones in my day to day dealings, but I'm sure that will be increasing as the operating system gets more and more robust.

The huge Mango update is expected to drop this Fall.  Just in time for Microsoft to make a push for the last quarter of 2011.  I'm betting that the growth will be huge.  What do you think?

 
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  #2  
Old 05-04-2011, 04:10 AM
whydidnt
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What exactly is Mango/Microsoft bringing with this "huge" update that isn't already in the market? I just don't see any excitement being generated by WP7 at this point. It's late to market, updates are slow, and the hardware being offered is completely unexceptional.

Seriously, when you see the "super phones" being offered and announced running Android, and you know Apple has a lock on the easy to use/consumer oriented phone, where is the huge new market for Microsoft going to come from?

They either need to find some OEM partners that care to push the hardware envelope or start to build their own phones. We'll see what Nokia can bring to the table, but buy most accounts, that partnership won't really reach fruition until sometime in 2012. By the speed Microsoft is moving this platform, that probably means LATE 2012. They have completely missed the boat in the mobile space, and quite frankly it's amazing that Ballmer hasn't lost his job over this failure in completely missing the probably the current biggest trend in technology!!

I grow more and more disenchanted with Microsoft's strategy every day. It's becoming clear that they do NOT have a clue how to operate in the consumer space, and only through the luck of clueless competitors are able to succeed with their XBOX line.
 
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  #3  
Old 05-04-2011, 10:21 AM
Stinger
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I've yet to see one "out in the wild".

Let's hope that the Microsoft/Nokia deal changes that.
 
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  #4  
Old 05-04-2011, 10:58 AM
landslide
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horrible numbers if true
 
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  #5  
Old 05-04-2011, 11:23 AM
txa1265
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<700k throws into sharp relief how much of a dismal failure WP7 is thus far.

Thing to remember - Microsoft was up there touting 2010 'sales' of 1.5 million, which the press grabbed and parroted, with some even calling it 'ahead of estimates'.

That number was the typical 'shipped' number - in other words, a LIE.

Now we discover that while Microsoft was forcing their stuff down retailers throats, those retailers (already working on thin margins) were eating all of the costs. That arrangement doesn't last too long ...

Between anemic features, disarray in updates ALREADY, and so on ... it is small wonder. Microsoft had an uphill battle - but they made it worse by releasing an OS that would have been competitive in 2008, botching updates, showing fragmentation, and so on.
 
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  #6  
Old 05-04-2011, 03:02 PM
virain
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IMHO, lock of functunality holding many users from going to windows phone, then sooner we see Mango thing on it then sooner numbers will improve.
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  #7  
Old 05-04-2011, 06:09 PM
Nelson Ocampo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whydidnt View Post
What exactly is Mango/Microsoft bringing with this "huge" update that isn't already in the market? I just don't see any excitement being generated by WP7 at this point. It's late to market, updates are slow, and the hardware being offered is completely unexceptional.
The Windows Phone OS itself is pretty unique and exceptional. Mango will bring some parity when it comes to functionality. But with Windows Phone it isn't so much about what it could do, but more about how it is done.

Quote:
Seriously, when you see the "super phones" being offered and announced running Android, and you know Apple has a lock on the easy to use/consumer oriented phone, where is the huge new market for Microsoft going to come from?
Most of the "super phones" coming for Android don't end up offering much more than super specs. App developers, for the most part, can't target for these super specs because that would severely limit the amount of potential customers for them.

So other than bragging rights, the super phones don't end up offering too much more. For highly technical people it is kind of cool to have. But for the lay person, there isn't that much of an advantage.

And while Apple does have a firm grip on the regular high end easy to use consumer market, that doesn't mean that competition can't succeed. It's just going to be an uphill climb.

But generally, I believe Microsoft is aiming for something in the middle. Consumers who are looking for something quick and easy to use, while also being available in a variety of form factors and price ranges.

Quote:
They either need to find some OEM partners that care to push the hardware envelope or start to build their own phones. We'll see what Nokia can bring to the table, but buy most accounts, that partnership won't really reach fruition until sometime in 2012. By the speed Microsoft is moving this platform, that probably means LATE 2012. They have completely missed the boat in the mobile space, and quite frankly it's amazing that Ballmer hasn't lost his job over this failure in completely missing the probably the current biggest trend in technology!!
I don't believe that your assumptions will end up being correct when it comes to timelines. The update challenges have largely been about distribution rather than actually having the updates done. The updates had already been completed. But to see how Microsoft is learning from their mistakes, one just needs to look at the newest security update going out right now.

Microsoft and Nokia have a solid agreement, and Nokia is committed to creating a variety of handsets and releasing them all throughout 2012 with functionality beyond what WP7 handsets have now. They also hope to have some ready during the last quarter of this year. If that happens, then Windows Phone will gain quite a lot of visibility world-wide.

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I grow more and more disenchanted with Microsoft's strategy every day. It's becoming clear that they do NOT have a clue how to operate in the consumer space, and only through the luck of clueless competitors are able to succeed with their XBOX line.
I disagree. I think it's a lot tougher than it looks to reach success.

Many companies employ many marketing specialists, each trying to outdo the competition. Software and marketing can both be quite complex.

I do think that Microsoft is moving in the right direction. But their approach looks to be a long term. Which is smart in my opinion because long term plans leave more room for strategy shifts, learning from and fixing mistakes, and getting consumer data and responding to it.

Last edited by Nelson Ocampo; 05-04-2011 at 06:12 PM..
 
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  #8  
Old 05-05-2011, 03:48 PM
Jason Dunn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinger View Post
I've yet to see one "out in the wild".
FWIW, I saw two people using Windows Phone 7 devices on a plane I was on last month. I was a little amazed to be honest. So they are out there, but let's face it, it's an uphill battle to win mindshare and then marketshare.
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  #9  
Old 05-05-2011, 05:39 PM
Jerry Raia
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Default Microsoft=Titanic

I live in airports and I have yet to see a WM phone. Plenty of Androids and iPhones though. Did I mention iPads?

MS is acting like it's 1995 and they are going to swoop in and catch up like they did in the browser wars. That was a different world and a different time. The Nokia deal may just keep them gasping for air a bit longer in the mobile arena.

Apple rolls out updates in their sleep. MS is just sleeping. They are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is sad to watch.
 
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  #10  
Old 05-05-2011, 05:50 PM
txa1265
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I totally agree - I was pulling for MS but this is just dismal. I mean, check the latest news:

- The newest update they are trying to do is totally fragmented and not supported by some phones based on whether or not users self-applied the last update. Sorry - this type of thing this early? Broken and clueless.

- New sales numbers show WP7 with <2.5% of Q1'11 sales of smartphones, indicated by under 2.5 million *shipped* of the 101 million sold.

And again, we already saw MS inflate by 2x the ship to sales numbers for 2010, so this number is likely more like 1 million!

I won't go on again about WP7 having a 7 because MS has been at the mobile market since 1996 ... but REALLY? These are rookie mistakes, and if Microsoft at this point is THIS clueless someone needs to chop some heads in the organization. The inability to do a simple security patch on <10 phones within 6 months of launch? That is beyond broken! That is a systemic failure that makes me pity anyone who bought one of these things!
 
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