It's a bit of a catch-22: Acer's not interested in releasing new Windows Phone 8 devices unless the marketshare of Windows Phone rises, but manufacturers like Acer joining in are part of the equation for increasing Windows Phone's marketshare. But, alas, here we are, with Acer saying that they "are having conversations with Microsoft, and if they index Windows Phone to 10 to 15 percent, we are interested."
That could be a long ways off, as optimistic projections for 2014 show Windows Phone reaching 4-5% marketshare. That would be tens of millions of phones sold, but Acer would be going up against Windows Phone titan Nokia (soon to be Microsoft), as well as the likes of Samsung and HTC.
Acer's last Windows Phone device was the Acer W4, way back from 2011. Windows Phone has come a long way since then, but according to Allen Burnes, Acer's VP for smartphones in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, there's still room for improvement, especially on the app front. As he said in an interview with The Inquirer:
"The Windows Phone Store is improving. But if there are 350,000 apps and it doesn't include the top 100, then it's no good for consumers. For example, if you don't have the local banking apps, then it is of naught to certain people. There are a whole bunch of elements around the application space which need fixing, which for us, is a a big deal."Consumer call is one of the reasons why we we have no Windows Phone plans at present. While Windows Phone indexes at around seven percent in Europe, that's not enough for us to take the risk. The fact is, until people start talking about the great experience you can have on Windows Phone, we can't go in on it."
There's no denying that not every top-100 app from Android or iOS is in the Windows Phone Store, but at 350,000 apps there's bound to be a comparable replacement available. Acer, for their part, introduced two new highly-affordable smartphones at MWC 2014, both Android powered: the Liquid Z4 and the Liquid E3.
Acer is making some decent, affordable Android hardware. Would you want them to come to Windows Phone, or is there reticence enough to turn you off to the potential of an Acer Windows Phone device? And what do you think of Acer's Windows 8 tablets?
Source: The Inquirer
