[d4nt]

This is good news for Microsoft, and I really do hope they do well, but there's still a mountain to climb: tech reviewers are not the same as normal consumers and impressing them for the limited period of time it takes to write a review does not necessarily translate onto having a successful product. Here are a few challenges Microsoft still face:

1. Getting the mobile networks to take handsets running Windows Phone.

2. Training handset retailers on this new platform and promoting it enough to ensure that these handsets are actively sold to consumers.

3. Their advertising and PR must not be lame, like Microsoft advertising sometimes is.

4. The UX must be consistently slick enough over a long period of time that word of mouth among non-technical people really takes hold and the phone moves beyond the early adopter segment of the market. Phones must run for several days without a reboot. Calls must not be dropped because of crashes. UI Lockups or moments where the slick facade falls away to reveal clunky technical menus are a big no no. And the inevitable bugs must be fixed and rolled out in a timely and seamless mannor. Otherwise, when Bob from accounts notices you have a Windows Phone and asks "what's it like?" he'll sense the hesitation in your voice and choose the iPhone.

5. If things start to work out, the team will need top level executive cover to prevent in-fighting or politics from ripping the team appart or forcing an unwanted technical strategy tax (think "Windows Phone - Bing/Azure/Office Edition") from destroying the product.

6. Microsoft need to make money from these things, otherwise the project will be shelved and resourced diverted to MS Office 2020.

[freehunter]

  The UX must be consistently slick

This point is useless, the entire number 4 in your post. First of all, if you're using it as a point, you've never used a Windows Phone. It's as stable as an iPhone (certainly moreso than Android), I've had one since April and have never had a crash, lockup, or misplaced UI element. You seem to be bringing that from Windows Mobile, which is hands down the biggest thing holding Windows Phone back right now. Technical people who cannot and will not distinguish between it and its unrelated predecessor.

This argument pisses me off because it's completely unfounded, yet I constantly hear people saying "Well, I have my doubts since it's a Microsoft product" without ever using it. The biggest hurdle to Windows Phone 7 is ignorant techies casting misinformation to the general consumer just because bashing Microsoft is a fun talking point.

[stcredzero]

This point is useless, the entire number 4 in your post.

I have read that there are issues with proper implementation and understanding of UI conventions with WP7. Certainly, this is true for the iPhone as well: not all iPhone apps are consistent or slick, and the UI conventions have some key differences from desktop apps. It will be even more critical for WP7, since they have a markedly different set of UI conventions.

Given that the developer pool for WP7 is much smaller at this point, a few highly visible but poorly implemented apps are going to have a disproportionate effect. That would be a pity, as Metro really is a setup up in UX design from iPhone.

[d4nt]

I used a Windows Mobile for a couple of years (two different handsets). I found that while the main screens were reasonably well skinned and looked good in the store, when used for real that often fell away to reveal a clunky UI that was impossible to work with. I also found that I had to reboot every day because of lockups and crashes, plus the phone often dropped calls and was generally very slow.

I understand that this is a complete re-write of their phone OS, but I will still be waiting for a couple of years to see how others find it before I'm willing to trust that division of Microsoft again.

EDIT: I'll give you an example, our CTO recently got one of the new Windows Phones, I asked him what it was like and his response was: "Good... but I can't seem to get it connected to our Exchange server". If a rock star techie can't get his phone talking to Exchange what hope is there for the non-techies out there.

[d4nt]

The fact that I will base my purchasing decisions on past experience of the brand and word of mouth about the product is not unusual. Many people will be like me, and this is one of the challenges that MS will have to work hard to overcome. Downvoting me for being that way is pretty immature; approach the world as it is, not how you want it to be.

[freehunter]

I don't have the ability to downvote, but your reply completely missed my point. My point was, you "past experience of the brand" doesn't mean anything here, since there is no past of Windows Phone 7. It may be named number 7, but it's brand new. There was nothing like it before. The fact that you keep comparing it to Windows Mobile shows your ignorance. We as techies should have the ability to give new technology the benefit of the doubt, especially when every reviewer and user is giving it rave reviews. The only people complaining about it are those who have never used it

Your CTO either doesn't know ho to use his phone or your Exchange server is broken, and you should be able to see through that.

[megablast]

I really hope Microsoft do not do well. I would like to see more competition in the mobile OS space, but I do not want Microsoft to be in control of anything ever again. I feel the industry really came to a halt in the decade that Microsoft owned the OS.

[jonmrodriguez]

Only because Microsoft had a near-monopoly that much resembles Apple today

[fjarlq]

Apple has a near-monopoly like Microsoft? In what way?

iPhone has only 15% of the worldwide smartphone market, and that share shrank slightly 3Q11 vs. 3Q10.

Meanwhile Android went from 25.3% 3Q10 worldwide smartphone market to 52.5% 3Q11. In one year they doubled their share and tripled their quarterly units-shipped (20.5M to 60.5M).

Source: Gartner, November 2011 http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1848514

And Microsoft still has 92% of the desktop OS market, and holding: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-shar...

[jonmrodriguez]

You're right, I should have looked up the actual stats and I was just guessing. Should I delete my above incorrect comment or leave it there?

[fjarlq]

An honest mistake...no worries, just leave it.

[megablast]

I am sorry, what? Where is Apple's monopoly, except on mobile industry profits? You have heard of Android and Samsung, right?