DISCLAIMER: Expressed views on this blog are my own.
I think Windows Phone, in its current state, is flopping around trying to find it's niche. I mean, realistically, why should I buy it? Why should anyone buy it over an iPhone or Android? Ease of use isn't so much of a big deal. It can't rely solely on the ease of use factor because Android and iPhone are easy enough to use. Presentation? The fact that notifications can pop in almost whenever and wherever and being able to adjust icon sizes? I don't know about that either.
The fact of the matter is that Microsoft isn't getting its message out there nor is it making Windows Phone any more attractive than an iPhone or Android. Right now, if you were to present all three OSes to a prospective consumer, they'd pick an iPhone. Why? Because their friends have one. iMessage is free, iTunes is a great marketplace to buy music. Android is also an option as I'm seeing more people with Android due to the price range.
Let's get it straight, Windows Phone can't exactly compete using social, applications, price range and music. WTF? How can it compete in this market then? Business? Enterprise? I'm starting to think Windows Phone needs to go after businesses instead of consumers because iPhone and Android have that market and there really isn't any room for improvement and they are improving their own systems with every iteration.
I really don't see much viability for Windows Phone at this point though it is slowly being improved. Needs to be improved much much faster. The lack of serious updates in Windows Phone 8 makes me think it is not a very serious competitor and is more like what Windows Phone 7.8 should have been. Windows Phone 8 should have been the OS that brought Skype integration, website to app integration, one-click share, Windows 8 to Phone integration where Windows 8 does some magic when it is put to sleep and syncs a shared space between the OS and the Phone.
At some point in the future, Windows Phone OS has to be exterminated and Windows 9 extend across desktop, tablets, and phones to achieve a singularity where we, the developers, can build once run on all. I think a future where I can transfer the Windows experience from the phone to the tablet to the desktop is ideal.
