What exactly is WP missing now?

[MarkizSchnitzel]

As a mostly satisfied WP user, I am wondering what does it lack to maybe break into the market in a meaningful way?
Does it even stand a chance or is it ala Don Quixote?

Is it still the apps? Games? Marketing? Or are people just not digging metro at all (metro is actually by far the biggest reason I love it)? What do you think is the most important factor?

What I noticed is the sudden surge in WP where I live (Croatia). It's definitely a strong third contender now (double digits I'd say). We even got a fully functioning bank apps from two of the biggest banks. Also a lot of people now ask me about the phone when they notice it and a lot of them know it's a Lumia.

I don't particularly care much if it's successful or not as long as they keep developing it, but I am just curious if it's possible for MS to break into the smartphone market head through the wall and what you thing would take for that to happen.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

A reason to switch away from iOS and Android.

 

[smakme7757]

I have a Lumia 920 and it's really only the apps I'm missing. I could do much more with my old Desire Z than i can with my Lumia 920 purely because of the mass availability of apps in Google Play.

As a Phone and general surfing device the Lumia is perfectly fine. It lacks VPN support which was a major let down for me. It's also a second rate citizen when it comes to new apps - Snapchat and Instagram to name a few (I don't use the services, but I'm in the minority i presume). Always relying on 3rd party hackjob apps to be able to use the services.

 

[WelshBloke]

A reason to switch away from iOS and Android.

Pretty much this.

People are comfortable with what they have.

I know that a new Android phone will do everything I need it to, I don't know if a WP will.

Android and iOS are both mature platforms where people know what to expect, WP is the new kid and it needs to do everything that the others do plus do something significantly better to make me abandon my present platform.

 

[gorcorps]

The biggest thing holding me back personally is having multiple keyboard options. Maybe they actually do have them and I haven't heard about it, but after bouncing around between Swype, Swiftkey, etc I need to be able to find the keyboard that's right for me.

Everything else is "good enough" for me to give it a try, but the keyboard is a big deal. If I could get Swiftkey exactly like it is on Android on WP8, I'd stongly consider switching. Windows phones seem to get better battery life than I'm used to so that'd be a nice perk.

 

[crashtestdummy]

My view is that it's mostly feature-complete as a core OS, but it is behind the curve in app implementation. Most of the "biggest" non-google apps are there, but if you're an up-and-coming app maker, you're going to spend your precious time working on Android and iOS, and view WP as something to work on after your product has matured. For someone like me that doesn't need a lot out of their phone, that's fine. For someone who wants leading-edge features (and those who use Google services regularly), though, it's enough to scare you off.

The biggest thing holding me back personally is having multiple keyboard options. Maybe they actually do have them and I haven't heard about it, but after bouncing around between Swype, Swiftkey, etc I need to be able to find the keyboard that's right for me.

Everything else is "good enough" for me to give it a try, but the keyboard is a big deal. If I could get Swiftkey exactly like it is on Android on WP8, I'd stongly consider switching. Windows phones seem to get better battery life than I'm used to so that'd be a nice perk.

Windows Phone will likely never let you customize the keyboard. Microsoft seems to want to take more of the iOS route of keeping all of the core systems locked down to reduce security problems.

That said, 8.1 now has a swipeable keyboard, and it's really quite nice. My experience with any of the ones on Android is limited, so I can't tell you for sure if it's as good as those, but I'd suggest you give it a shot if that's all that's keeping you away.

 

[dougp]

For me, since I was an early WP7 adopter who has since switched back to iOS and now Android, these are what I feel it lacks.

1) Applications
2) Cost to entry. No one likes to pay $200 on contract to try a device out. Can I return it? Sure, but that's a hassle. I feel like Microsoft needs a device at the Nexus level (or lower) that allows people to try WP without compromise. I'm talking the 1020 level, not the 920.

Had to revise the phone level, forgot new ones were announced.

 

[darkewaffle]

I used OneDrive as a way to move some files from my PC to my phone and found it's file management a little lacking - like it seems purpose built to only really handle photos, music, office docs and ringtones. It doesn't seem to play nice with just miscellaneous files and you don't really have an option for just "Save file to phone. That's all."

I found an app that solved it quite easily though. Or at least, it let me save it to my phone. I didn't end up playing with it for very long but 'where' it saved it and how to get it to 'where' I wanted it, I'm not sure. It was more of an experiment than anything else and I ended up just hooking my phone directly up to my PC which worked fine.

 

[Yuriman]

What I find it lacking:

Apps for my bank
Apps for my school
Apps for my local bus system
USB OTG support (can't plug my flash drive into it!)
Utility apps (inSSIDer, WiFi analyzer, screen dimmer, that type)
Government apps (national parks)
Health care apps (MyQuest)

Additionally, Android has for free what WP often has for $1-5.

I like the Google integration. Recently began using Chrome remote desktop. My primary is GMail, and I enjoy having apps in my desktop browser with notifications for apps I use on my phone, such as Motorola Connect (send SMS from Chrome), Google Keep, Calendar, Drive, Play Music, Hangouts (Skype causes horrible wakelocks).

 

[AstroManLuca]

2) Cost to entry. No one likes to pay $200 on contract to try a device out. Can I return it? Sure, but that's a hassle. I feel like Microsoft needs a device at the Nexus level (or lower) that allows people to try WP without compromise. I'm talking the 1020 level, not the 920.

The low-end market is WP's bread and butter and it's the reason why they're doing so much better overseas than in the United States (the land of phone subsidies). In most of the world, people buy their phones without a contract and without a subsidy, so a $700 superphone just isn't appealing to most people. Instead, they've been selling truckloads of Lumia 520s for ~$60 apiece (no contract). They still run the latest version of WP, they can even run the just-released WP8.1, and because WP is such a lightweight OS, they don't do a bad job of it.

Meanwhile, they're coming out with the low-midrange Lumia 630/635, which is sort of an amped-up 520 with a bigger screen and a faster CPU that still costs under $200.

The 925 is widely available for $200 off-contract.

If you do want to go for a subsidized contract phone, the 925 is free with a contract, the 1020 is $50, and the flagship 1520 phablet is $100 (prices from Amazon; AT&T probably charges more). Plus I wouldn't consider the 925 to be a "compromised" phone. It doesn't have the camera of the 1020 or the screen size of the 1520, but it's still really nice and will give you the full WP experience.

I used OneDrive as a way to move some files from my PC to my phone and found it's file management a little lacking - like it seems purpose built to only really handle photos, music, office docs and ringtones. It doesn't seem to play nice with just miscellaneous files and you don't really have an option for just "Save file to phone. That's all."

I found an app that solved it quite easily though. Or at least, it let me save it to my phone. I didn't end up playing with it for very long but 'where' it saved it and how to get it to 'where' I wanted it, I'm not sure. It was more of an experiment than anything else and I ended up just hooking my phone directly up to my PC which worked fine.

I agree on this, file access is complicated and weird. OneDrive is fine for some things but not really as a general file repository. You need a third party file manager. Isn't it basically the same on iOS though?

 

[pm]

My wife loves her WP. She vocal about how awesome WP is.

 

[McWatt]

Is there a way to get free tethering on WP yet?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Is there a way to get free tethering on WP yet?

WP8.1 added internet sharing to the list of settings. Never use it myself (on a low-data plan), but assuming your carrier allows it, it looks like it is now an official option and doesn't rely on shaky third party hacks.

 

[Red Storm]

For me it's a lot of the same things that iOS lacks. Easy and simple file management, ability to simply download any file from the web and transfer it with ease. Can you change the default apps on Windows Phone? That's another big factor for me. I like that Android functions like a computer in my pocket, compared to a closed up device that feels limiting. Also I'm not a fan of Metro, nor a fan of the hardware options for Windows Phone.

 

[zokudu]

Is there a way to get free tethering on WP yet?

Yes. http://www.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-internet-sharing

I'll be honest I'm a WP user. I have had a 920 since January of 2013. I am nearing my contract in the coming months and I don't know where I am going to go with it. I love WP. 100% but there are definitely times I feel limited on app selection. I can live with it but theres just no joy in browsing the store the way I enjoyed browsing it on my android tablet. That's really where it falls flat theres very few hidden gems on the store. Couple that with a lack of a new 920 replacement on AT&T, I find the 1520 is too large and imported 930s don't cover all of AT&T's spectrum.

I think WP is a quality OS but like other posters have said there's just no real reason to swap. My girlfriend thinks a few features are cool but not enough to leave Apple.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Feature-wise there's nothing missing now. WP still seems to lag on hardware and app selection though. Hardware will be coming along soon I'm sure, and app selection will only happen when WP gains market share. Gaining market share is a big problem now though. The way things stand with smartphones, you can't expect anyone to abandon a platform they're firmly entrenched in just because what you have is "as good" as the competition. In order to gain market share WP will have to overtake the competition in features or hardware, at least for long enough for a lot of people to switch and start getting entrenched in the windows phone ecosystem.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Apparently one of the biggest missing apps is a Tinder client. Being a happily married man, I have no need for such things, but it's been quite a roller coaster ride. Gets discussed a lot on Windows Phone boards.

Rudy Huyn, one of the best WP developers, has written apps for Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Dropbox, and he had a Tinder client up for a while before Tinder made him remove it. Tinder tweeted at him to get in touch with them and it was widely assumed that they wanted him to work on writing an official client. But that is not the case and all of the Tinder apps that exist on the platform have been pretty buggy.

It seems that while there is a lack of first party official apps for some services, there have been a lot of third party developers stepping up. But there are still some gaps.

 

[zokudu]

Apparently one of the biggest missing apps is a Tinder client. Being a happily married man, I have no need for such things, but it's been quite a roller coaster ride. Gets discussed a lot on Windows Phone boards.

Rudy Huyn, one of the best WP developers, has written apps for Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Dropbox, and he had a Tinder client up for a while before Tinder made him remove it. Tinder tweeted at him to get in touch with them and it was widely assumed that they wanted him to work on writing an official client. But that is not the case and all of the Tinder apps that exist on the platform have been pretty buggy.

It seems that while there is a lack of first party official apps for some services, there have been a lot of third party developers stepping up. But there are still some gaps.

There is actually a tinder client called Timber that is as far as I can tell a fork of sorts from Rudys app. It looks very similar but gets updated regularly. I don't know though because I am happily in a relationship and don't use tinder.

 

[shortylickens]

Nothing specific. They just came in late and couldnt grab a market share.

I was thinking maybe if they were a little more professional they could have grabbed the old blackberry market, people who were too afraid to go android and too snooty to jump on iOS.

 

[Commodus]

Some apps, particularly local ones (your bank or a favorite store) or anything that supports Google outside of email and calendars.

Also, hardware that isn't tainted by carrier and OEM politics. Nokia has been all too willing to grant US exclusives that ultimately kill its sales volume (this might change now that Microsoft owns Nokia's device biz). Meanwhile, companies like HTC and Samsung have had little incentive to support Windows Phone. It usually cost more to license until April, and there's been a chicken-and-egg situation where a lack of devices has meant little demand, which has led to few devices, which has...

Also, Microsoft may simply have momentum working against it: like BlackBerry, Nokia and Palm, it was too dismissive of the iPhone (and eventually Android). Instead of the correct "we need to rethink everything we're doing" response it needed in 2007, the company defended its existing strategy until it was obvious Apple was winning out. By the time it finally had a response, Google was also well-established. Once you have two big incumbents like that (in any field, really) it's very hard to break in; chances are that either of them will cover a typical person's needs pretty well.

 

[spaceman]

steam client is the biggie for me
official one
beyond that i heart my windows phone so much

 

[notposting]

I've been using WP since mid-2011 iirc, and am not impressed with the 8.1 Dev Preview at all. Actually pretty strongly considering jumping to iOS this year for the first time.

Alongside that, a lot of the implementations are half assed -- VPN is crippled beyond belief. Still virtually no useful file access or usage (I don't care about a file manager specifically). Quite a few changes for no discernible reason, the new phone dialer for one. Loss in functionality, unintuitive changes that result in accidental phone calls, and no benefit either! Going backwards in time to 2009 and having all games cluttering up the app list without a place to consolidate them (perhaps...a Games...HUB...of sorts???).

When WP came out it had an emphasis on design (especially veering near typography/graphic design which I love) and little things that helped define it -- I love not seeing the status icons 24/7, and I love how they drop down in order right to left...and a few seconds later go back in reverse order.

Heck, half this stuff, if they keep the SmokedByWindowsPhone challenges going, they will need to screen out WP7/8 devices against the 8.1 models.

But they've been going backwards in many ways since WP7.5 and playing in MS-world is just starting to feel like some sort of self-inflicted bizarro world torture session.

/incoherent-burned-by-MS-too-many-times-rambling-rant

EDIT: THE WORST PART is that Cortana is spot on awesome, natural language, understand follow on actions, etc etc. Decoupling of some things from core OS to allow easier updating. But I still feel like too many of the creative types who had a hand in some of the UI/UX of Zune, WMC, WP7, Courier-concept, etc have all moved on one way or another. W8 was a debacle and a lot of reinventing the wheel pointlessly.

/more-old-man-grumbling

 

[Bateluer]

A reason to switch away from iOS and Android.

This. Granted, my Lumia 521 is still on 8.0, but there's nothing in 8.1 that would convince me to switch to the platform as my daily driver. Especially when it means getting in bed with Microsoft when the rest of the industry is leaving them behind across the board.

 

[notposting]

This. Granted, my Lumia 521 is still on 8.0, but there's nothing in 8.1 that would convince me to switch to the platform as my daily driver. Especially when it means getting in bed with Microsoft when the rest of the industry is leaving them behind across the board.

You know what's frustrating? They are *so* close, everything is right there and they just consistently screw the pooch on the last 5-10%. They just can't do it. And it's been years of this. :hmm:



Off the top of my head:
Zune hardware/software/music pass - dumb name but some sweet stuff. And then throw it all away and start over.
Windows Media Center - this pisses me off to no end. They could have (and have had FOR YEARS) a little box with Cable Card slot and integrated tuners, great network discovery, robust codec support, well documented plugin architecture, and one of the best damn 10' UI/UX and instead their big idea is going backwards with fucking IR blasters? The hell is this shit? Not to mention never adding softsled, household guide/record, web access, blah blah *punches something*
Windows Home Server - RIP v1 you beautiful creature based on ancient code. No thanks though MS, not paying $500 for Server 2012 Essentials. I hate you.
Windows Phone - 8.1 is going to finish me and I'll go back to a flip phone :awe:

 

[IeraseU]

My bank lets me deposit checks via an iOS or Android app. It's essential for my business.