Windows Phone from the perspective for an average user

Windows Phone is continuously trying to make ground in the smartphone market. While in most areas Windows Phone users do not have many choices of manufacturers while considering Windows Phone, India is one of the regions where we have many choices of local OEMs. Considering India as an emerging and important market for Microsoft and Windows Phone, we decided to run an informal survey to find what an average Indian user thinks about Windows Phone and why they will (or will not) choose Windows Phone as their future smartphone.

We selected three random smartphone users (Android, iOS and Windows Phone) and talked to them about the various aspects of smartphones. For privacy reasons, we won’t disclose the identities but will quote what they said exactly. So grab a coffee and head below for the full discussion.

Why did you choose a particular Operating System/Why do you like a particular Operating System?

The first question anyone will ask is why are you using a particular Operating System. Every Operating System, whether it’s Android, iOS or Windows Phone has some advantage. We tried to find out why they were using that particular Operating System or why they chose it over the other ones.

As Android leads the market, we gave this question to our Android user (Nexus 5). Below is his answer.

Android offers a great way to customize the UI. It offers many apps that can help you do a task in an easy manner. One of my favorite app is SMS Scheduler. It helps to schedule the post-dated messages and automatically sends them. It helps me in many ways. Android also has all the important apps and some amazing games.

After this, we moved to our next user who had an iPhone 5s with iOS 8.1.

iOS is all about premium finish. The Apple logo on the back makes it a perfect thing to show off to the audiences. The UI has some amazing premium looks which makes it worth for money. Also the ability to easily jailbreak the device to get nice features is worth. I liked the way Apple embedded the biometric security which works accurately.

Lastly we moved to our Windows Phone user (Lumia 535).

Windows Phone has a simple and clean easy to use UI. All though it doesn’t support much customization but still the stock UI is great. The device is lag free. The best part of Windows Phone is the amazing camera options which provide almost DSLR level of editing and controls. The platform lacks some apps but I am happy that the app of daily use are available and the Store doesn’t have spam apps.

Conclusion: While the surveyed Windows Phone user seems to be happy with the lack of customization and apps, the iOS and Android users still need customization. Android users like their platform because of customization options, iOS users want the premium look and feel of a luxury smartphone and Windows Phone users are happy because of amazing camera and the simplicity of the platform.

Do you feel your platform provides the best security/Will you consider using your smartphone for sensitive work like bank transactions?

Smartphone security features are the most important part for anyone. No one wants get exposed to malware or their data getting compromised. While some of us know that Windows Phone posses the best security measures followed by iOS, we asked our guest the same.

The following is the answer we got from our Android user:

I will prefer Android for my transactions. I always use my device for bank work. As far as security is concerned, I use Anti-Virus on my phone.

Next was the turn of our iOS folk:

iOS is pretty secure Operating System. There are less than 1% of malwares on iOS and I use my device to do all my transactions.

Lastly we went with the same question to our Windows Phone user:

As everyone knows Windows Phone provides the best security, so I will always prefer Windows Phone as my first choice to do sensitive work. I might use iOS for transactions, if needed but will never use an Android device.

Conclusion: The conclusion was a clear one. Everyone trusted their devices. We do know however that Windows Phone grabs the title of most secure platform and the stats which says that Android is most vulnerable to malware with almost 99% of the total attacks. It suggests that Microsoft needs to do some more education in this area.

Availability/How easily you were able to buy your smartphone?

Availability is one point defining sales of a smartphone. Manufacturers try to make smartphone available to as much of the public as possible. We tried to find out how Windows Phone stand against Android and iOS:

Again the first opportunity went in the hands of our Android user:

I had some difficulty in getting Nexus because not everyone kept it but for other Android smartphones you can get it anywhere. They are available easily.

Next came our iOS user:

Getting iPhone was a tough work. No one was retailing iPhone in my area. It was tough work to find someone selling the device. Also the e-commerce sites didn’t have deliveries available in my area.

Lastly we had Windows Phone user:

As Windows Phone comes from Nokia and we have Nokia present even in remote areas so I got my device very easily. I can’t comment on the availability of other OEMs but if you are looking for Nokia/Microsoft Lumia smartphones then you won’t be disappointed.

Conclusion: This point goes straight in the favor of Windows Phone. As Nokia has a great presence in India one doesn’t need to worry. As far as other Manufacturers like Micromax, LAVA and Karbonn are concerned, you can easily find them on the e-commerce websites. Apple needs to work on providing availability to more parts of this country.

Are you happy with the availability of Apps on your platform?

Apps..!! One of the biggest controversies Windows Phone faces from the beginning. According to my earlier survey, about 80% of the people stay away from Windows Phone  due to non-availability of apps on the platform. We understand the app gap on Windows Phone but what about others? Here’s what our guests think about the availability of apps.

First comes the Android user:

I am very happy with the app selection available on Android. The Play Store has apps for everything and for every work. I don’t have any complains regarding availability of apps.

Next came the iOS user:

I love the way developers support the iOS platform and make such amazing apps. I have apps for everything. There is no shortage of apps.

Lastly, we went to the Windows Phone user:

People say that the app gap exists for Windows Phone users but I don’t feel the same. All the apps one need like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are present on the platform. Moreover, Windows Phone has some amazing 3rd party apps. Also the platform poses several other options to the official apps which is amazing. We don’t need millions of apps which don’t have a solid use. Instead we can have few apps but with a good purpose.

Conclusion: After hearing everyone views, we understand that Android and iOS users are very happy with the app selection. On the other hand, the Windows Phone users understand the app gap but then Rudy Huyn came to the rescue.

What do you think about other Mobile Platforms?

Here we have another point which is equally important for everyone. What someone thinks about another platform is very important. After all, in today’s world your smartphone defines your standard. We have already read their views on their own platform so now it’s time to hear what they think about other platforms.

As usual we moved to our Android user first.

iOS: “iOS is a premium platform. It is created for the class that can afford to spend huge amount on smartphone. Moreover iOS lacks some basic features like no proper file manager and restricted Bluetooth sharing and more. It is just for the corporate class of society and not for the hardcore users like me.”

Windows Phone: “Windows Phone..Nah!! It is not for me. It is for normal people who want to just use smartphone for internet and WhatsApp. It has nothing.”

Next we moved to the iOS user.

Android: “It is definitely not perfect for me. I have a habit of using iOS and I cannot take that buggy Operating System. It just has lags and lags. Nothing else. I don’t know how people handle it.”

Windows Phone: “It is completely out of the league. Microsoft did something incredible with their platform. It just lacks the apps support but that is not Microsoft’s fault. If I want a secondary device I will definitely go for a Windows Phone.”

Lastly, we had our Windows Phone user with his opinion.

Android: “I will never get this shit in my life. It lags, has bugs and comes with free virus installed. I will never purchase it. It is just useless.”

iOS: “It is a nice choice to buy if you can afford. It is premium and gives you a luxurious feeling. I like it but I can’t afford it.”

Conclusion: I have nothing to say here. Everyone’s point of view is transparent as glass. You can decide for yourself.

What is the thing you hate about your platform?

This is one thing which no one likes to say yet for the fair discussion we told everyone to be honest and here’s what we found.

As usual we first went to Android user.

If someone else had asked then I would simply say that I hate nothing but to be honest I hate lags on my device. All though, Nexus 5 doesn’t lag much but when it does, it frustrates me. Another thing I hate is the spam apps on the store. Google needs to clean them.

Next was the turn of iOS user:

I don’t have complains with iOS but Apple seriously needs a new iPhone with some innovative features. iPhone 6 doesn’t have something amazingly new. Also please remove those restrictions from the OS. It creates problems.

Lastly we went to our Windows Phone user:

The biggest thing I hate on Windows Phone is the lack of common settings like force 3G (or 4G) only. Also there are many restrictions on the platform. I wish Microsoft does something to either remove them or implement apps like Truecaller Caller ID into the Operating System.

What will be your next Smartphone (and Operating System)?

Before winding up the discussion we asked one final question to our guests. So without much discussion head below for answers.

Again we took Android at the first place.

I will prefer Android and more specifically Nexus 6 or HTC M9. The reason is I love Android interface and I understand it quite well. I will definitely prefer Android.

Next was the turn of iOS user.

I may shift my focus to Windows Phone in future with a condition that if Microsoft brings more features and if Apple doesn’t do any innovative things with new iPhones.

Lastly, we went to our Windows Phone user.

I will stick with Windows Phone until Microsoft releases Windows Phone 10 and if it doesn’t have much interesting features then I will move to Jolla or iOS (if I can manage to buy it).

Conclusion: So here we have a shocking response. Windows Phone tend to be generally loyal to the Operating System but here we don’t have a loyal user. Rest looks good. We have a iOS user who is ready to get Windows Phone if Apple doesn’t satisfies him. Android user remains constant which is of course no surprise to us.

Final Conclusion

As we wind up the article, I just want to highlight some key points. Firstly, the users we choose had a good knowledge of smartphone market, something that is not always true for all users, and secondly we didn’t changed any of the statements. Now moving to the discussion, there were places where Windows Phone lacked and everyone knows them. The small survey does however also demonstrate opportunities for Microsoft to do better, even without a million apps. What matters here is the direct response from the users to Microsoft so that they can understand what is needed by the users and deliver it at the right time.

Lastly, we want to hear your views so grab your keyboard and let us know in the comments below.