I am in the UK and, like the rest of the world, Windowsphone was rarely promoted in retail and you struggled to buy one, I owned several models.
In Britain the Windowsphone market had reached 14%, just slightly behind the iPhone (19%), and the Lumia 1020 was released. The distinctive camera and colour meant people asked me about it. Two people in my office bought one based on the pictures I showed to them. Even salesmen in retail stores had heard of the Lumia 1020. I had the yellow model of course – just so it stood out.
I took the Lumia 1020 on holiday to San Francisco. In the UK there were no Microsoft Retail stores. So I stopped into browse the Windowsphones. There were a few low end devices in a small corner of the store with no promotion. As I was looking a sales guy approached me and I said I was expecting a couple of top class devices on display. He said they hadn’t had anything like that for months and mostly it was like the sad group of budget phones in front of me. I did pull out out my Nokia Lumia 1020 to show him what I meant. He said he had heard about great phones in Europe but this was the US and they didn’t get that stuff here.
So I had a cool Windowsphone for a while and, by accident, discovered why US market share was 3% at the time.
Bats
<p>In the United States, Microsoft advertised Windows Phone to death. Particularly during the Christmas season. Every now and then there was a Windows Phone commercial, where the camera was the central feature. Microsoft used celebrity endorsements like Gwen Stefani and Jessica Alba. They even used catchy pop music, such as Brave by Sarah Bareilles in their ads. Not just that…but Windows Phone was product-placed in so many tv shows, like Dallas and Elementary. </p><p><br></p><p>Despite ALL THAT ADVERTISING…no one bought it.</p><p><br></p><p>To be honest, it's Microsoft to blame. They simply did not improve their Microsoft App ecosystem. Unlike Google, Microsoft had no real strategy, other than wait to see what Google and Apple did and then copy it….2 years later. Had Microsoft improved their own app ecosystem, they could have had a fighting chance.</p><p><br></p><p>Not just that, but the smartphone has become much more than that now. Let's face it, even three years ago, Windows Phone….was a DUMB PHONE. Google, 3 years ago, not only sported the #1 email, browser, and map system, but they also had Youtube. Not just that, but Google also had Chromecast and the Google Play Music Service. Today, Google has tied all their services together (along with Nest, Youtube TV, and Home) to bring a lot more value to the smartphone than just a "phone" which is what Windows Phone is nothing more than that. </p><p><br></p><p>The purpose of this comment is not to boost Google up, but to highlight and showcase what Microsoft did wrong. </p><p><br></p><p>All in all, Windows Phone was just a dumb phone. Even days before Microsoft announced it's demise, it was a phone built for 2012 and NOT 2016. </p><p><br></p><p>Also let's face it….Office? No one cares for it, on the phone. If a scintilla of people did (care for Office), Continuum would be alive and kicking @$$ today. </p><p><br></p><p>One more thing. I still own a Windows Phone, the Microsoft Lumia from Verizon. I bought that phone as a backup to my Galaxy Note 4, at the time, in the even that I misplaced my Samsung device. I one time did, and using that phone for 2 hours on the commute home from work (NYC) was "treacherous." LOL…I couldn't do anything, I cared about except make phone calls. It was then, when I realized what a former co-worker told me, when she switched from a Windows Phone to an Android phone. She hated it. You know what? She worked at a Microsoft at that time!</p>