E Online Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows AskMens Entertainment channel keeps you up to date on pop culture, gadgets, movies reviews, and gear for guys. You reap what you sow Will jilted Windows phone fans buy into Microsofts mobile vision or care By Jason Ward Thursday, Sep 21, 2017 at 1200 pm EDT. We endured the platforms shortcomings and lack of developer support confident that the next update or next flagship would perhaps level the playing field. We trusted Microsoft. Losing Trust. We knew that Microsoft couldnt make the market and developers accept Windows phone, but we believed or hoped Microsoft would do all that it could to help it succeed. That expectation began fading from view as the reality of Microsofts weak commitment became apparent. Though we remained hopeful fans started giving voice to their discontent when they perceived early betrayals from Microsoft. Windows Phones 7. Windows Phone 8 stranded fans on devices that could not be upgraded. Windows Phone 7. 8, which provided Windows Phone 8 features like resizable tiles, was a bone Microsoft tossed these abandoned users. Sadly, my HTC Titan on ATT never got the 7. We understand that Microsofts move to Windows Phone 8 was a step toward One. Core and hardware requirements necessitated leaving some folks behind. Fans were angered nonetheless, and things didnt get better from there. Windows Phone 8. 1 removed most of the unique aspects of Windows Phone that won users over. For many, Microsofts progress felt either like a bait and switch or an abandonment of its own vision. Users complained that Microsoft hooked us with a unique platform only to make it more like i. Phone and Android over time. Paradise Lost. Two casualties of change were the unique social network integrated People and Photos Hubs which became more like the functional, but aesthetically bland Contacts and Picture apps for i. Phone and Android phones. Download Film A Letter To Momo. Microsoft even made systemic UI changes like hamburger menus to accommodate app developers that never came. Technically the eradication of Hubs and other features made updating separate apps easier but made Windows phones less Windows phone. Enthusiasts feelings of betrayal are rooted in a perception that Microsoft abandoned its unique approach to mobile, and by default, those of us who embraced it. If Microsoft couldnt stay true to its own unique approach to mobile, how could users remain confident in Microsofts mobile efforts No Microsoft, were not interested. Confidence inspires trust and people will follow those they trust. As Microsoft began exhibiting behavior that could be interpreted as lack of confidence in its own mobile platform the Windows phone fanbase became more vocal with its discontent. Windows 1. 0 Mobile and the Lumias 9. XL were poorly received. As the OS became less fluid and less aesthetically Windows phone as it became more one OS on its way to One. Core, fans were also wondering where the flagships were. Rivals continued their yearly cadence of flagship releases while Microsoft seemed irrationally to some committed to flooding the market with low end devices. The long term effect of Microsofts low end strategy. Where was the commitment to go head to head with high end hardwareDid Microsoft doubt its own ability to compete We must remember that for a time the Windows on phone didnt support the hardware rivals platforms supported. But what about when it did A Windows phone fan scorned. The lack of flagships resulted in Windows phones being ignored when it came time to compare the latest flagships. With Windows phones and its fans increasingly becoming the joke of the industry and Microsofts apparent lack of interest in combating the stigma, many users resolved that if Microsoft didnt care neither should they. Where was the consumer love Microsoft boasted about Why wasnt Microsoft putting its billons where its mouth is The app Bridges were built, but Microsoft has done little to encourage their use. The retrenchment strategy left fans, particularly those in regions where Windows phones had respectable share, with little to no options. Microsofts focusing of Windows Mobile on the enterprise was a slap in the face to consumers who still loved the platform. Fans wanted a phone. Microsoft responded, No phone for you, with little effort to communicate a commitment to a committed base. Microsoft Where is everybody Ive long advocated that Microsoft has a mobile strategy. Microsofts Andromeda OS, one Windows platform, on a pocketable telephony enabled PC with CSHell may be whats next. Heres the problem. Even if this device checks all the boxes, creates new boxes and checks those too, Microsoft has lost the trust of its vocal fanbase. Does Microsoft still care about Windows phone fans Goodwill and word of mouth are more powerful and organic than structured marketing. A product endorsed by family or friends is more likely to be adopted than one that has only the one sided support of a marketing campaign. Conversely a product condemned by family and friends receives a mark that is hard to erase. The condemnation that fans have laid on Microsoft and its smartphone efforts is bad not only for its future mobile efforts but for the company as a whole. These fans have lost trust in Microsoft. If Microsoft reenters mobile, it will have to work hard to prove its commitment to its own mobile vision and the consumers it has spurned.