I've had a Windows Phone for a year now (Omnia 7) after having an iPhone for 2 years, and for me the Metro OS is slick, authentically vibrant and easy to use, even more so when Mango was relased.

It's overall market share is slowly growing month by month but with Nokia launching lower end cheaper models (610) running Tango at an estimated £99 on PAYG, the higher end 900 and Samsung and LG launching new Windows Phones at MWC.

The launch of Windows 8 is also crucial to Windows Phone as the Metro UI may swerve users to join Windows Phone after using it on their PC/Tablet. As well as the shared apps through their universal market place and the launch of Tango and Apollo (Windows Phone 8).

Will Microsoft get a firm foothold in the market In the next year? Or will it still linger in iOS and Andriods shadow? I hope not, Microsoft took some risk in Metro, I hope it gets the success that it deserves.

I think Microsoft are in a good position. It will take some time before Microsoft Windows Phone reaches Apple's iOS and Google's Android market share. With the release of Windows 8 coming this year, I think this may give Microsoft the boost needed.

I, myself have used Windows Phone (don't own one) and think its great and unique compared to the app oriented Android and iOS.

I think it's a great OS, but before Lumia the advertisment of WP7 phones was nonexistent. Hopefully WP7 position will improve this year.

I think a demand exists for simple and affordable smartphones.

Nokia have always excelled at selling low-end devices and Windows Phone is the most simple-to-use mobile OS.

If the two companies produced handsets for £150 or less and advertised the phones as being 'simple to use and great for social networking', I think they would have great appeal to the younger and older generations.

Having had a go on the Nokia Windows Phone 7 is really nice. I quite like it.

However Windows 8 OS for PC's so far has been a joke (on desktop atlest anyway). Metro is horrid to use and there's no significant change from Windows 7- which is great.
Things may change before the final and it may be better on Tablet but its the totally wrong approach. I have a feeling Windows 8 will be a flop.

I like wp7 alot but it was a year to 18 months too late. Also I think most high end smartphone users are unlikely to change over because they are invested in either iOS or android and it also lacks a good marketing presence. walk into most phone shops and there are either posters for iPhones or little green robots.

WP7 is really good for first time smart phones buyers so bringing out cheaper phones will be a good way to tap into that market.

I don't see it happening for starters Nokia or rather Elop alienated the entire userbase with the burning platform speech, if he had said WP in addition to MeeGo then maybe things would not be so bad. Secondly WP was positioned as the premium platform with S40 in the mid to lowend, to move WP down to the mid to lowend range of phone to compete with Android smells of desperation.

I did swap my N8 with a friends Lumia 800 for a day and my friend preferred my N8 and I hated the Lumia.

I have been a Nokia loyalist since the early nineties but will not consider Nokia or WP for my next phone.

I really think Microsoft would have had a better start if they hadn't used the Windows brand - people don't like Windows!

Having said that, I think finally having a manufacturer pouring all of their resources into WP phones will help Microsoft make WP the clear 3rd place ecosystem (in terms of market share) before the end of 2013.

I agree they shouldn't have used the windows brand. Windows phone 7 isnt really a catchy consumer brand name. They did try to appeal to people more by using the Xbox brand, I think they could have gone a step further by just calling the phone xphone or something to coinside with Xbox which might have been easier to market.

Nice sweeping statement there...

Perhaps, I'm sure there are a lot of people who do like windows - but I'm sure you'll agree that as a brand it is somewhat tainted by peoples bad experiences with the desktop OS.

Considering the phone OS has only a small link with the desktop OS it might have been smart to make a clean break in terms of branding. Calling it Windows Phone is akin to calling the XBox the 'Windows Games Console'

I can only give my own opinion to the Windows Phone OS after being with Android for two years.

In a nut shell - I can't wait to return to Android. I find Windows to be a little too basic for me. Yes, its looks nice but the very lack of being able to customise it is frustrating. Even without rooting an Android phone, there are a vast number of apps, home replacements and widgets to truly make it your own.
There's not even an app to back up text messages to e-mail.

Windows marketplace has a long way to go before it matches its current competitors - the basis of many apps having a price tag attached is another negative.

I love the Xbox compatibility of the phone along with its integration of social media on the Lumia 800. Nokia Drive is brilliant and so to is the Zune software (considering iTunes for the iPhone is truly awful!)

Its a great OS for those who aren't too bothered about customisation/variety of apps. However, my mother summed it up for me when I showed it to her - "oooh, I think I could use that." she said. Hmmmmmm ;-S

I seen one today, boring comes to mind, but if you want a simple smart style phone then it will be ok.

Windows Phone just does not match up to Android or iOS. They have such a long way to go that many will wonder whether they will actually get there...

Their marketshare has actually been decreasing in some markets from an already almost non-existent number relative to its competitors, it's clearly not connecting with consumers at all.

The platform may see a boost after the launch of Windows 8, but no doubt Android would have continued to make significant gains, and Google would also no-doubt be improving their OS incessantly...

I think Metro just doesn't work on a small screen. All the cut off text and bland squares looks dire to me, and so uninviting. A device is supposed to engage you, not bore you. And this is why there is a fundamental flaw in the 'get what you need then get out' ethos that MS have adopted for Windows Phone.

Users just aren't able to form their own personal connections with the platform unlike with Android and iOS. Windows Phone actually feels like it's pushing you away with the harsh lines and barren UI. It's not great, and this is reflected in the sales.

I'll switch to a W8 phone from my S2 when something really nice comes along. My son has the HD7 and its far from boring, its very slick and fast.

Skype is coming to WP7, it's available in beta, not in my region though

zune://navigate/?appid=c3f8e570-68b3...b-c0a3f4360a51

ETA: I was able to install it by clicking on the link I posted above from my phone in IE Looks nice, I could log on, I see my skype contacts, I'll see how it works with calls later.

I think Windows Phone will see a slight increase in sales but I can't imagine that they would close the year with market share above 5%. A lot of people have commented on how sleek the operating system is and how easy it is to use. While there's no denying the operating system does look appealing the drawbacks far outweigh the benefits (in my opining). Simplicity in a device is nice but that often leads users to get getting bored. It's called a smartphone and it should require a certain level of tech knowledge to be able to use it. Yes the iPhone is extremely easy to use BUT it has a lot of apps which let the user do complicated things. Not everyone uses the iPhone the same way and it is getting more complex (folders, notifications menu etc..).

Love it or loathe it, customisation is a big important factor. Not everyone is creative but everyone likes things done their way and we all like being noticed. On Android customisation is only limited by your imagination, on iOS every new update brings more customisation and enables the user to do more. It's only a matter of time before Apple bring in widgets, users have asked for them and if they can bring in a drop down menu they can introduce widgets too.

Finally, the last reason why I think Windows Phone won't do much better this year is simply because it's a Windows Phone. Yes it's fast, yes it's sleek and it can get faster and sleeker but it will never be a non-Windows phone. Most of us, myself including, don't have a particularly positive perception of Microsoft. In my opinion, they don't innovate, they will do nothing to improve user experience until a competitors threatens their position. I think they are used to monopoly in the market and that's what suites them. The fact that they had a smartphone operating system almost a decade before Apple introduced the iPhone goes to show that they thought they were untouchable and that they can continue to offer users a horrible operating system.

The way I see it, Apple will continue to offer a great mobile experience but will charge a premium price for the privilege. Android will continue to grow (but could have periods of slight shrinkage with the introduction of every new iPhone), particularly in budget phones because it is a free operating system and more and more manufacturers are starting to offer untweaked versions of the OS as it is very cost effective. Microsoft will continue to work closely with Nokia as both companies struggle to grow. Instead of targeting the business market (the idea market for Microsoft), they will try to reach the mass market but this will only alienate companies such as LG and HTC who are not seeing great sales with the Windows Phone operating system.

This is just my opinion and while you don't have to agree with it I hope you will respect it.

I'll certainly look when the time comes to change contracts. not being a power user i don't need all the bells and whistles and i do miss the ease of a Nokia for general phone use. After that all i need is a satnav and a decent camera.

I doubt i will ever go the Apple way, cost for one, and the Samsung with Android i currently have hasn't impressed me much at all.

I jumped ship from Android to Windows (Lumia 800) and haven't regretted it for a second. I love the simplicity of the OS and the Lumia is very smooth and fast. I know the market isn't as big as the others but I've found everything I need.

Well MS Windows is on more than 90% desktop computers, so they can't be that bad. They have a bad image for some reason which I can't quite understand. Apple and their super closed systems are paranoia personified, Google with their history of spying on people would give CIA and KGB run for their money, but it's MS that is a devil incarnate As for LG, HTC or Samsung and WP7, they can't really be arsed with promoting their WP7 phones. I guess they just gave it a shot if it works out by itself. Which it didn't. Only Nokia seems to be fully standing behind their Lumia phones. Maybe the problem is a different strategy of MS. They stay away from specs wars, taking a different approach of trying to maximise the usage of computing power they have. And I can understand that if they tell some that this phone has 4 processors it can give them a hardon. But I never really needed to send a text message that quickly and a 1080p video recorded through typical lens of a mobile phone is bound to look shite anyway.

i agree with Diverso, the reason MS had a bad name was because of their unreliability, you got to admit that windows have not been that reliable through the years,

Xp is better now and Windows 7 is fine, but before that. Look on a Xbox box and see if you can find Microsoft on it, you may find it in small writing, it seems MS don't want people to know it is Ms until they have got it home.


I agree that Google do spy, which is why I was a bit worried about getting a Android phone, but they all spy in certain ways, none of them are any better, maybe going back to a standard mobile is the best way and then your calls are still logged and kept.

Maybe the best way is to go and live in a cave and give up this technology stuff.

That is what I don't like, it is too simple, just click on this and it will do that, click on something else and it will do this, no customisation.


Android phones can be fast, depending on the CPU, mine is a cheap wildfire so I knew it would not be speedy, i thought I would give this smartphone thing a try,

^^^ What do you customise on your phone? I hear people talking about Android how you can customise everything, but I really would not need that. What I need I pin to start and if it has a live tile all the better. I used to have an Android phone, which I did not like UI-wise, I did not want an iPhone, so it led me to WP7. I was not sure at the beginning, but I do not regret it now, especially after Mango came.

Android is or will be the prominent platform for phones with Apple running in second for the foreseeable future so MS's battle will be to knock BB into third place and build from there. I very much like my lads HD7 phone and love my S2 but I'm so impressed with Windows 8 that I'll be switching from Android to Windows 8 as soon as 8 is launched and I can get a phone as slick as the Galaxy; all I want then is a W8 tablet and I'll be happy.

It won't be easy for MS but with 8 and Nokia they will grow strongly over the next couple of years in my opinion.

I don't get the negative aspects that Microsoft are getting for not innovating, they've just created a whole new Metro OS! Which has been branched out to their computer OS and Xbox 360! Its successful in the press but they need to connect with their potential customers through marketing which revolves around Nokia and their recent 'smoked by Windows Phone campaign.

Yes there's the arguement that MS should have shyed away with the Windows brand but it's hugely powerful to the public if it was called Metro (or something similar) I think MS would have rebranded it anyway.

I do think Windows 8 is crucial though espically in the tablet market. Android tablets get a really bad name even Google didn't want to talk about it at WMC and Samsung said their tablet sales were very poor. W8 tablets with metro could become the 2nd leading tablet OS and if people like Metro they will probably sway to Windows Phone - that's how I see it anyway.

Windows Phone has shown of some great new phones at WMC but Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony need to get behind the OS in the future to make it successful, The OS is there it just needs a killer phone/range.