I’ve read a number of comparisons between Android, Iphone and Windows Phone 7. Amazingly enough Windows Phone 7 is one of the first new and great smart phones to get negative press. Not because the phones are lacking but because people just don’t like Microsoft. They’re still the “Man” that everyone wants to rage against. Everyone has an opinion or wants to throw some numbers out there for analysis only to have 200 comments on their blog post pointing out that they’re going apples to oranges in many of their numbers. Well I have a perspective that many might find interesting as a quality show in favor of the new Windows Phone 7 phone.
The Wife Test
My wife wanted an Android phone badly. She had heard about how cool they are, seen the commercials and how easy it looked. In her mind it was awesome and yes they are incredibly awesome. I wanted a Windows Phone 7 device because I work primarily in their development environment in my day job. To me it was an opportunity to create some apps and play as a developer. So for Christmas we headed down to the Best Buy store where my brother in law works to buy our new phones. We went home with my new HTC Surround and her HTC Aria that day. I had to go back to work but left both phones at the house. Within 4 hours my wife wanted my Surround and hated her Android so the following day I brought her Android back and got her the Windows 7 Phone.
Why Did this Happen?
Microsoft isn’t stupid and clearly saw the advantage to the Iphone platform is that it’s really easy to get going and get going well on the things people worry about most. The Android is very customizable and makes sense to someone who’s experienced with smart phones. I was able to correct many of the things she had issues with and was amazed at the extra options of the Android at first however later on I figured out that the Windows Phone 7 phone set it up for you FIRST but with experience you know you can get in there and customize later. She also found the styling of the start menu and the navigation of the Windows Phone 7 to be right on and easier to pickup. Even though I was able to say “look it works now” she’d made up her mind and I feel like the “want it now” culture we have will make Microsoft products a big hit with the sweet spot of the populace.
I feel like Microsoft has put themselves in a good spot to compete and build market share with a little time. The product is solid, easy to use and fun which will create positive buzz from common users like my wife. The number of apps being built is huge and their development environment is very easy to pickup for .NET developers who haven’t done mobile development. They will compete well in 2011 and in the future.
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