Why Do All Of You Hate Windows Phone So Much?

I have used mobile phones for two decades. I have tried nearly every single platform. I consider myself a good judge of functionality, durability, usability and value. I have spent the past six months using a Windows Phone — a Lumia 1520 — as my primary device. It is big, beautiful, intuitive, powerful. The battery, more than double the iPhone’s, actually lasts me all day long. Cortana knows my voice better than Siri. Live Tiles provide information at a glance better than any iPhone app and all my iPhone notifications. Nokia’s HERE Maps are more responsive than Google’s. The display is magic.

People stop me in public and ask me if they should buy one.

I always say yes.

A few, however, ask if I can recommend it over their iPhone or Android phone.

For this, I have no answer.

For better or worse, iPhone and Android are good enough for, well, nearly every single smartphone user on the planet. I have no reason to believe this will change soon.

Why?

Sales data, mostly. Management shifts inside Microsoft, partly. Plus, I ask people. I ask actual human beings both online and in physical space. I ask why they chose the iPhone or an Android phone. I also ask, and this is always more insightful, why they did not choose a Windows Phone.

But before that, let’s take a look at the numbers. They are unforgiving.

No One Is Using Windows Phone

The smartphone wars are far from over. The near term addressable market for smartphones is in the billions of units.

Global smartphone growth
Global smartphone growth

And yet…

As smartphones become more vital to our lives, as prices drop, as the technology spreads, as smartphones link to more devices, wearables and services, Windows Phone remains barely a blip. Tech.pinions estimates the Windows Phone install base at a mere 2%.

Smartphone install base
Smartphone install base

Love your Windows Phone? Love Nokia design, imaging, sound quality, build quality? Happy with how Windows Phone offers a clear UI alternative, a uniquely innovative means to group contacts, superior music streaming versus Beats?

It does not matter, apparently.

The market has spoken — a billion times over. It can find no valid set of reasons to choose the Lumia Icon or Lumia 920, 1020 or 1520, or any other Windows Phone instead of an iPhone 5c or every model of Android.

It gets worse.

As the Tech.pinions analysis reveals, smartphone sales are dominated by the usual suspects — Apple and Samsung, plus numerous Chinese-based vendors. Nearly all of these are exclusively focused on Android.

Screen-Shot-2014-06-08-at-8.46.07-PM

Lest you think Tech.pinions numbers are an outlier, Tomi Ahonen aggregates data from several manufacturers and industry groups. His smartphone market share numbers align closely with Tech.pinions.

Spoiler alert: Almost nobody wants Windows Phone.

Smartphone share
Smartphone share

Bad, yes. Worse — the most recent quarter offered little hope, with market share for Windows Phone actually dropping:

Smartphone share

By next quarter, Microsoft’s newly acquired Nokia division, which is responsible for the vast majority of Windows Phone sales, may not even crack the top 10:

Smartphone share

Coolpad/Yulong? Ever heard of them? They sold millions more smartphones last quarter than did Nokia. To be fair, their Samsung Galaxy Note flattery is quite nice. 

coolpad_s6

How can this be?

Why Is No One Using Windows Phone?

I want Windows Phone to succeed. I want yet another great American company to be a central part of our global, mobile, highly technological future. Plus, Microsoft can offer users a rather stunning array of uniquely valuable services and platforms. Skype, identity, Xbox, Office, OneDrive, Yammer — an unmatched range of corporate, productivity and connectivity tools that may be peerless in the computing world.

Why, then, are their phones so thoroughly rejected?

I said above I asked people why they did not choose a Windows Phone. That is a somewhat misleading statement. Because as it turns out, almost everyone I asked had not even considered a Windows Phone. They could give me no answers.

A few, however, had considered a Windows Phone. Or at least revealed awareness of its existence. Their responses to my informal survey are telling.

1. Microsoft Derangement Syndrome

If I were to state here Microsoft saved Apple from bankruptcy, the vitriolic comments would never end. Should I remark Apple is a great artist — “and great artists steal” — it would generate far more heated, angry response than could ever be justified.

And yet people have no qualms about openly hating Microsoft. The ancient slights, real and perceived, have not healed. I confess I was surprised by how many people made it clear to me they would have nothing to do with Microsoft. Ever. Whenever they have a choice.

I find this Microsoft hate odd and unproductive. I presume a change in perception will occur now Steve Ballmer, the physical manifestation of all that rage, no longer has a lead role at Microsoft.  

2. Live Tiles

In theory, live tiles should flourish on our mobile devices. They deliver timely, desired information direct to the user’s screen, available at a glance.

In reality, the static app won.

Users I spoke with prefer the pull of static apps to the push of live tiles, even if they could not fully explain why. They also did not care for the look (design) of live tiles, how they twinkle and spin, nor did they express any desire to pin an app, a site, or other information to their home screen. 

When it comes to smartphones, the look and feel of Apple’s iOS is what people expect, no matter who provides it.

3. No There There

Whether out of vision or necessity — or more likely both — Apple made the iPhone the center of our computing world. Microsoft continues to place the Windows PC at the center of our computing world.

This is not the future.

This snapshot of the US browser market is telling. On mobile, Microsoft is nearly non-existent.

mobile browser share

Should anyone still think PCs will ever again be the center of our world, take note of this Mary Meeker graphic which reveals time spent in front of our various screens.

screen time

Those I spoke with viewed Microsoft as a PC company, not a mobile one (or a cloud one, even). Satya Nadella’s “mobile first, cloud first” strategy sounds exactly right, but his words have not resonated with end users.

4. iTunes

Of course, iTunes. Children use iTunes. Grandparents use iTunes. We all use iTunes. Over and over again, people tell me — and this includes Android users — that without iTunes, or seamless access to their iTunes content, they won’t even consider the alternative device.

nokia-lumia-900

5. There’s An App For That (But Not Really)

It’s been stated a million times and it cannot be overstated. The Windows platform desperately desperately desperately needs more and better apps.

There are far fewer apps for Windows Phone, and most of those do not offer the robust experience found on the iPhone.

It is now far easier to buy far more software and content for Apple devices than for Windows devices. This is a stunning reversal. Every person I asked brought up the ‘app gap’.

6. By Any Other Name

Do customers want a Nokia? Do customers want a Lumia? Is Windows Phone high-end, low-end? Is it a premium, integrated device or an OS licensed by unknown entities such as BLU Products, Yezz, BYD, Wistron and Prestigo?

The Nokia XL, which I consider to be an amazing device for the price, runs atop Android. But it looks like a Windows Phone.

What is it?

In my regular discussions with non-technical people, primarily in the US, a smartphone is:

  • iPhone first,
  • Samsung second,
  • Android third

in that order.

Microsoft’s marketing team must gain significant traction within our already crowded heads if it hopes to ever sell Windows Phone.

And We Continue…

Now, my personal experience.

7. Separate But Unequal

I have walked into dozens of carrier retail stores in the United States. Until recently, it was difficult even to locate a Windows Phone.

It gets worse.

At multiple retail stores, as I am examining a Windows Phone, a helpful salesperson has steered me toward Android. Microsoft needs to fix this problem stat.

8. No Self Control

What can I control with my Windows Phone?

My smartwatch? My thermostat? My television? My PC? My Xbox?

The smartphone is the center of our computing world. To succeed, Windows Phone must become this. While no one brought this up, I think the lack of an obvious, flourishing ecosystem centered around Windows Phone continues to limit adoption.

9. The iPhone Box

As much as I love the beautiful, colorful, brilliantly designed polycarbonite Lumia 1520 for example, perhaps Microsoft should focus on making devices that much more closely resemble the squared, austere iPhone. This seems to be what the market wants.

Nokia-Lumia-1520

Ditch the colors, the curves and the unapologetically plastic design. The Lumia Icon mimics the boxy, metallic design of the iPhone. Perhaps that is how all Windows Phones should look. I hope I am wrong, but the world says otherwise.

10. Continuity

Apple made a splash at WWDC by promising “continuity.” That is, creating a seamless experience across devices — iPhone, iPad, Mac. Microsoft needs to show me and all its customers how Windows Phone can or will offer a seamless, integrated, multi-device experience. 

Nowhere To Go But Up

It no longer matters whether Windows Phone is better, just as good, different, or some combination of these. The iPhone and Android are everything users need, which leaves Microsoft on the outside. 

What happens next is up to Microsoft, not the public.

Apple once faced this exact same situation. They were forced to become something other than what they were, despite their abiding belief they offered a superior, or certainly equivalent, product. After a long, difficult slog, it worked out rather well for them. I hope the same for you, Microsoft. I know it will not be easy.

Published by

Brian S Hall

Brian S Hall writes about mobile devices, crowdsourced entertainment, and the integration of cars and computers. His work has been published with Macworld, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, ReadWrite and numerous others. Multiple columns have been cited as "must reads" by AllThingsD and Re/Code and he has been blacklisted by some of the top editors in the industry. Brian has been a guest on several radio programs and podcasts.

14 thoughts on “Why Do All Of You Hate Windows Phone So Much?”

  1. Not a subscriber yet, so I can only answer the question in the headline. There are literally decades of ‘bad blood’ built up around Windows. I don’t know anybody, not a single person, who ever liked Windows or Office. We all hated Windows. I’m sure some nerds and IT geeks love Windows, but I also know a lot of nerds and geeks, and they always hated Windows too. It was ugly, hard to use, broke *a lot*, it was madness. I can’t imagine Microsoft overcoming that amount of bad will. It’ll take a new generation that has no memory of that terrible Windows experience.

    Oh, it’s different and wonderful now? Well, remember that time you got soooo drunk and really sick on X type of booze? And remember how you couldn’t drink that particular booze for years after, or maybe forever? Windows is like that. I just can’t do it man.

    1. I like Windows 7.

      But Windows Phone, has no “windows”, and I really don’t like Tiles. I really don’t like the aesthetics. It just looks/feels wrong.

      Then there is the fact that it is the very distant 3rd place, which means it will really be far behind on getting applications/games.

      Then there is the total lack of carrier phone choices.

      It’s a complete non-starter, not even worth a moments consideration for me.

      1. I hear Windows 7 is nice, but I shudder every time I think about anything Microsoft makes. It’s hard to get past it, especially when I’ve got options that have given me a far better experience.

        I liked the Metro UI when I saw it, but my immediate concern was how fault tolerant it was. Sort of like Facebook Home, with well edited content and great images, FB Home looked fantastic, but most people cram their devices with junk. I like iOS especially because it can never look like my Mac desktop (a mess).

      2. I edited this out but originally noted that the Metro UI of Windows 8 and Windows Phone are diminished by the fact that nearly every Windows user is using an older version of Windows.

      1. I plan to, I’ll get there eventually. I should note that Microsoft did this to themselves, they taught users to dislike their products, by making mediocre crap. More competition probably would have been good for Microsoft, but they fell bassackward into a near monopoly and didn’t have to please consumers. At times I almost feel sorry for them.

  2. I don’t hate Microsoft but the company has literally never met my needs. I’m a software developer though I’ve never written Windows software. But have used Windows as a development workstation and it was awful beyond belief. I would beg to be able to use Linux or OS X.

    As a user, I’ve never been interested in using Windows. It just doesn’t meet my needs (which rarely includes Office.) So why would I show any interest in Windows phone? It has the least amount of software. It doesn’t really integrate with my desktop or laptop. It has nothing I want. Android at least uses a familiar development environment (fake Java.)

  3. The carriers decide which devices are available. The decision is based on the deals they can make with the device manufacturers, expected consumer demand and, perhaps most importantly, how the devices enable them to sell more services. Windows Phone devices fail on all three points: MS does not have good relationships with the carriers (and some like Ahonen would say many carriers are hostile towards MS) , there is no strong grass roots demand for Windows Phone (unlike, say, the iPhone) and, today, a Windows Phone device is no more likely to drive high priced plans as an iPhone or top of the line Android device. This also helps explain why the only market Windows Phone has had real success is in the low priced, unsubsidized market.

    Bottom line: the carriers have much better choices than Windows Phone devices and that is why Windows Phone is going nowhere.

  4. To be fair, Windows was never all that much a major player in smartphones. Before iPhone, it was Blackberry and Palm stealing all the attention, particularly enterprise, and there was Symbian, an odd OS that never saw much affect on the US market.

    If Apple had not come out with iPhone, odds are I would be a Windows Phone user today. As a matter of fact, I was (or whatever WP was called back in 2005). I was definitely lured by the promise of a computer as my phone, which Blackberry never actually attempted to do. And Palm, to me, just looked too awkward to be seen using it as a phone (which is what really strikes me as ironic about phablets). But Windows on a phone back then was too high maintenance and I was already looking for alternatives when iPhone came out.

    I do think if MS could have had the foresight to know that giving away the OS was the only hope they may have had (and also giving up a lot of the control of the OS over to the OEMs and carriers, which is anathema to them) they probably could be the Android of today. They were certainly more advanced than Android when Android first came out. But Android had nothing else to do with their time but catch up, so here they are, while MS tried to hold onto an ineffective business model.

    Android also had the advantage of not trying to keep a desktop OS relevant. Apple, in its fashion, didn’t really try to make the desktop OS relevant to the smartphone OS. MS was just too tied to what had gotten them to where they were. I understand the notion of dancing with the one who brought you. But sometimes it helps to realize that the one who brought you is at another party than everyone else.

    Why don’t I use WP now? I have no need to.

    Joe

  5. Oh god no one in the web get the point about why don’t take Windows Phone! I think it’s a very good Phone os, fast and clean design, with very good selling prices, like the Windows for PC. But guys Windows it has already it’s own pc market where, if you are ignorant like i was, you can’t understand that a pc can have a different operating system!
    The Microsoft guys make evrything they can to monopolize the system, to don’t let you now that there is another Office suite, web browser and they made it normal that you can buy a PC with only Windows preinstalled! They made a big market based on people ignorance and it’s a very dirty way to sell your product. I don’t want to see the same thing on the Phone market, where it’s “normal” to buy a Phone with Windows.
    Last but not least the Windows platform it’s closed source! I want to customize my os like i want and because the os is open i can use the latest version of custom android on my old Sony xperia that works quote well!

  6. I hate Windows phone because I have spent TWO F’ING DAYS trying to get my contacts off my old ‘stupid’ phones into this Lumia 635 and still haven’t succeeded. The Transfer My Data app can’t seem to maintain a Bluetooth connection with either of the old phones I’m trying to get data off. The truly idiotic – and unnecessary – Windows Phone app allows me to easily transfer music, photos, and other junk that I DON’T NEED. I say ‘unnecessary’ because I can EASILY transfer that crap WITHOUT the app simply by jacking the phone into a Windows computer through USB and browsing to it with Windows Explorer. The other stupid option offered is to set up an Outlook.com (Windows Live) account and get the contacts from there. I DON’T WANT those contacts on the internet – anymore than THEY want to be there without their permission. Still, in desperation, I have loaded the contacts up there only to learn I STILL CAN’T get them to the phone UNLESS, it seems, I also set the phone up to receive email from there. I DON’T WANT F’ING EMAIL ON MY IDIOTPHONE, YOU MORONS – THAT IS WHAT MY COMPUTER IS FOR.

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