Steve Ballmer to Pay $230.00 Per Phone to Beat Google

[kodiak799]

Am I the only one not getting that this "rivals $199 Android phones"? Maybe Android phones from 6-12 months ago, that now sell for like $50 (or for less on an Amazzon or Wirefly deal).

Hardware is more or less a commodity now. You still need good hardware, but MS would have been better off sinking that money into app and software development. They have a chance to leverage Windows and Live! or whatever it is, and just don't seem to get it.

Switching gears a bit - but related - seems like they dropped widget or gadget support for Win7. Again, they just don't get it.

 

[kodiak799]

They are going to try exactly what Amazon is doing with the Kindle Fire. Go for the low ball price and try to break in. Even though $199 vs $99 over a two year smartphone contract is completely negligible, people don't think like that. $100 cheaper is still cheaper and it may tempt a lot of newcomers.

That's not what Amazon is doing. Amazon has a boatload of content they are trying to monetize by giving the phones away. MS owns no content and if that's their strategy, they'll fail.

 

[sweat90lx]

Switching gears a bit - but related - seems like they dropped widget or gadget support for Win7. Again, they just don't get it.

my Win7 laptop cannot seem to connect to any device consistantly. phone, printer, or anything
Nokia has made some great phones, but MS doesnt stand a chance in the phone market. UNLESS... the tents Ive seen lately with "FREE CELL PHONES" on them in the slums and dollar stores are giving them way

 

[Josefius]

I predict this time next year Windows will be threatening to become a major player in the market. A few reasons why I believe this to be true. First, Nokia makes an EXCELLENT phone both in build quality and aesthetics. Secondly, the price point. Lastly, the $230 million Microsoft and it's partners are going to throw into advertising.

As a side note HTC is also coming out with a stellar Windows phone. The Titan II is an awesome piece of equipment for $199. To rule Windows smartphones out entirely is something I cannot do in good faith.

I kind of think they will fail just as bad as they did in the phone market before, but that's just my opinion. We'll see I guess

 

[blacksoxing]

Reading these forums make me chuckle

I promise, here are the three reasons people choose a phone (I've sold aplently in my life...)

1) It's cheap/free
2) It's pretty
3) My friend/family member has it

THAT'S IT!

Yall fine folks...yall always clammor about single processors vs dual processors and memory and qHD screens....

STOP IT!

This is why yall aren't marketing execs at these companies! Yes, there is a market for the super powerful phone...but if you notice, it's never marketed that way! If they speak about the Droid Razr, it's its thinness. If they speak about the Nexus, it's its Google features. If they speak about the Rezound, it's the earphones. Not their screens, processors, ram, locked bootloaders, open/closeness, etc....


These Nokia phones are going to live or die by these few things:

Is it pretty enough to buy?
Is it cheap/free?
Who is using it?????

Case in point: You ever walk up to a normal iPhone user? You ever ask them why they have it?

....And when you can tell they don't know nothing they're bragging about...you ever ask them if the phone has 4G?

Microsoft has a shot at making an impact, but only if consumers like how it looks, can get it cheap, and knows or seen someone using it (because only internet folk don't mind being the only people using it...)

 

[gadgetrants]

Am I the only one not getting that this "rivals $199 Android phones"? Maybe Android phones from 6-12 months ago, that now sell for like $50 (or for less on an Amazzon or Wirefly deal).

I'm reading your comment as a response to my point about Microsoft phones "rivaling" Android phones -- my apologies if I misunderstood. Anyway, I'm pretty sure we all agree the Nokia hardware we're looking at today is less than underwhelming. My comment more or less was "IF THEY can manufacture phones that ARE AS GOOD AS TODAY'S $200 (at release) phones, and HEAVILY SUBSIDIZE the cost, they will get their foot in the door." I'm betting against their long-term success but not against the initial step succeeding.

I kind of think they will fail just as bad as they did in the phone market before, but that's just my opinion. We'll see I guess

OK, now let me burn the candle from the other end! Even though I'm pessimistic about Win7/Win8 for phones gaining a long-term foothold, there is one issue we've overlooked: phone/tablet/PC integration. Again, my expectations are low, but Microsoft has a very serious chance to wow us here, IF they can develop a platform that integrates multiple devices (a) as cleanly as Apple does, but (b) WITHOUT the Apple constraints and limitations (e.g., enslavement to iTunes). I'm pretty open-minding about that -- if they do a good job, a lot of people will take Windows more seriously.

But you're right -- they've boffed their phone efforts badly so far.

-Matt

 

[gadgetrants]

Reading these forums make me chuckle

I promise, here are the three reasons people choose a phone (I've sold aplently in my life...)

1) It's cheap/free
2) It's pretty
3) My friend/family member has it

Do guys actually say "Ooooh, it's PRETTY!" or is that more a chick thing? I think your list is spot-on, but it may be a little tilted toward the lady-folk. (And I did say "a little"!)

EDIT: In hindsight, your comment is pretty thought-provoking. I wonder how you'd account for the success of the first Droid? On a related note, I was asking my son about his favorite PC games last night (e.g., Battlefield, Call of Duty, Counter Strike, etc.) and he kept emphasizing that marketing dollars and advertising highly correlate with success (which I guess feeds into your #3). Is that how the D1 made it so big?

-Matt

 

[scott craft]

Right now android owns the free/cheap market. With lower priced Windows phones coming out and the good chance Verizon and AT&T will have the iPhone 4 nearly free after the next iPhone release, that will probably change. For myself I plan on getting a Nokia Windows phone the minute Verizon releases one.
Sent from my Windows7 Phone using Board Express

 

[ConqSoft]

Yep, I definitely plan to add a new Windows phone to my collection once Verizon gets one. I like keeping up with all of the big three.