Mother turns son away from the iPhone to Windows Phone

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

This isn't exactly anything groundbreaking, but it's interesting nonetheless. Christina Tynan-Wood has published an article over at Momster where it's explained how she managed (somewhat accidentally) to turn her son away from Apple, and has bought him a Windows Phone for Christmas. The son's desire for an iPhone stems from friends and the enticing brand which is the big fruit, but this desperation for the iProduct was cut when his mother received a Samsung Focus Flash from Microsoft.

Leaving the device on the counter in the kitchen, the intrigued son picked up the Focus Flash and played around the OS, while checking out the Xbox Live integration. Blown away by how different Windows Phone is, Christina was given a revised Christmas wish list with the iPhone crossed out, replaced by "phone like yours". The main benefits for her son are Xbox Live, Facebook and Metro UI simplicity, but the lack of apps compared to other platforms is also noted.

Head on over to Momster to read the full article.

Source: Momster, thanks Aston for the tip!

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds is Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him over on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

21 Comments
  • That's the key that can keep Windows Phone in the game. Nobody (at least everyone I know) really knows about the phone, or it's OS...but anytime someone sees me "playing" with my phone, they're quick to inquire, and at that point, I might as well be a salesman for Windows Phone because I always talk about it as if I'm trying to sell it, lol. It's a great OS, but people are just oblivious to it, not to mention Microsoft, carriers, and OEMs need to step up their marketing a little more. Also, if it's one thing in people's nature, it's they're afraid of change, or just too lazy to commit to a change...I'll bet there is a sufficient amount of consumers out there that like/love Windows Phone, they're just too lazy/afraid to adapt to the change.
  • Step it up more? How much advertising do u want them to do? I'm seeing windows phone commercials of some kind almost as frequently as iPhone commercials now on both English and Spanish channels.it also even made it onto noticiero telemundo 
  • The advertisement has gotten better. But its a stretch to say its on the level of Apple. And I would like more advertisement on the phone itself. I really don't know if some chubby dude who thinks he looks like a girl gets to the point. Or if "it all starts with a Windows 7 PC" resonates.
  • You're right about the commercials being shown more. My take on the commercials they should be simple. You know like the iPhone commercials. A phone in hand showing the phones capabilities - make it straight forward.  No gimicks!  Very few of my friends and when I say few and mean none really know anything about the Windows Phone.  Instead of naming the phone Windows Phone I wish Microsoft had just gone with the name "The Metro" - The phone that takes you everywhere.  But that bridge has already been crossed. 
  • I don't know if its so much laziness as its just investment in their phone and what it offers. I'll say it once and I'll say it again, for alot of folks the availability of certain apps or at least access to them is a deal breaker. And its goes further than just having apps available that can do what you need it to do, even if its not an official one. Say what you will about iPhone. I remember when I had a 3GS, there was literally (as the ad says) an app for everything. I wanted a Citizens Bank app to do my online banking? It was there. I wanted an app to handle my Discover card? It was there. I still have an iPod Touch. I don't download many apps to it now considering its full to the brim with music. But I take a look at the App Store from time to time and its maddening the number of apps available (and I don't mean quantity, but quality) compared to the Marketplace.
  • because  iOS is absolutely nothing but an app launcher. Nothing happens until u open an app, nothing at all. With windows phone u don't need apps for about 80% of the things one does on a phone. For the banking problem just use the pageonce app and be done with it.
  • The banking issue is just one of many. And I realize the phone has alot of built in features into it. However, lets be real and not act like these features are all that comprehensive. There are still some FB things the phone can't do that you do need the app for. Same goes for the Twitter integration. Nice on the surface. But not as fully functional as an app.
    But let me make it clear that these aren't deal breakers. I love my WP. But I know for alot of my friends who are used to apps with a ton of features, some of the apps on WP are lacking some basic ones featured on the versions for other OS'.
  • My family now owns an iPod Touch, an Android Tablet (currently a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but will turn into an Asus Transformer Prime within the next month), and my Windows Phone.
    Now that I'm able to compare all there OSs, I'm still convinced that the Windows Phone is better.  Its quicker, more streamlined, and has a great look.  The only downside is that some of the major apps are still yet to come out on the WP.  But, that isn't that big of a deal for me (yet) as I haven't found anything that I felt I 'needed' but could only get on iOS or Android.
  • I 100% agree w/ you (Moto ATRIX [Android], iPhone, my HTC Titan [WP7], and my sisters HTC HD7S [WP7] (which used to be mine)  
  • Yep, it is kinda simple.  Get more choices on the carriers, get people to try it.  See Spot Run.
  • Yup, just confirms what we know. I actually got my daughter a KinII to replace her old phone and iPodTouch (stolen from her) for Christmas. The reconditioned Kin allows her to use WiFi to access integrated Facebook and Twitter and she used Zune to put all her music on the phone. She now want to claim my 10 free music downloads too but that's OK since we have simular tastes in music.
    What we really would like to see is Nokia to come out with a Windows WiFi enabled feature phone that doesn't need a data plan... I can dream can't I? My daughter loves the Os but her dad isn't ready to pony up for a data plan.
  • They kinda already have that.buy the phone off contract and u don't have to change ur plan.
  • What carrier are you using?, try Simple mobile, $40 unlimited EVERYTHING. Buy unlocked phone and slide in your simple mobile SIMcard.
  • Pretty similar to my experience, I was considering buying an Android phone to replace my aging windows mobild phone, but after some tryouts with wp7 cellphones, I immediately changed my mind, and I'm still glad I made an excellent choice.
  • Unless I tell them - it seems NO ONE knows about Windows Phone. Most that have any knowledge of a Windows mobile OS this is WM6 and loaded with bugs and crashes.
    Really MS should have changed the name. It's holding them back.
     
    At least on a positive side people who use my phone love it. Only one (die hard Android nerd) didn't like it. This story just continues that sentiment. WP7 is better - people just don't know it.
  • On Christmas, a guest was showing off a gift he received, one of the new high end Droids. There are so many I can't keep them straight, so I don't remember which one but he said it was newly released and dual core. I have my Focus S. At one point, we were talking about You Tube videos we had seen and he tried to show off his phone by calling up the video to show to our other guests. The video played for 10 seconds and then began a long series of buffering breaks. It took 3 or 4 minutes to play the 2 minute video. Kinda wrecks the experience. I took out my Focus S, called up the same video and it played without a stutter. I was really enjoying the moment. Later, I realized that I had a distinct advantage. As my phone was in my home, it was connected to my Wifi network. His Droid wasn't and was operating on the Verizon service. I haven't told my guest about this because I did enjoy seeing him struggle with his supposedly better phone. I doubt he reads this tech blog so he won't recognize this story. 
  • you might end up on his hit list lol, oh I showed my cousin the Lumia 800 and now he is interested in WP7 too :D
  • Last summer my wife really wanted a tablet, so I got her a Samsung Galaxy Tab... she diligently tries to use it, but it's been a pretty crappy user experience.  After the second time of resetting to factory, it seems to be running fairly stable.
     
    For Christmas, I got her an Arrive (I've had one since they launched) and she took right to it.  Last night she was trying to read on the Tablet, went to turn a page, and the app disappeared.  Back at the home screen.  She made a comment about how frustrating that Tablet is, and how she has the worst technology luck... so I quickly followed with "How's your phone working out for you?" and she smiled and said "It's great!  It actually works, and I haven't had a single problem!"
     
    Sure, it's only been 3 days on the phone, but the tablet was problematic out of the box...  In the background to all this was our daughter, who was so proud of her LG Android phone a few months ago, yelling that she was NEVER BUYING ANOTHER LG PHONE AGAIN!  A few questions revealed her problem to not be LG specific, but Android related... and my braniac college student daughter disgustedly says, "I should have gotten a droid."
     
    (this is the second time she's said that exact line, and the second time I've tried to educate her that she in fact, has a droid...)
    WP7 just needs to get into more hands, to create more WP7 evangelists.
     
  • I'm a pastor at a small Lutheran church just south of Lansing, MI (in Mason).  There are about 4 people (myself included) who have Windows Phones and its a congregation of about 120.  That isn't bad....
  • I've noticed a similar small but observable trend within my circles of co-workers: I've owned a WinPhone since the US launch in 2010 and I was apparently alone for some time. In the last 30 days, I've noticed via observation or from the e-mail tag line that three co-workers are now using WinPhones. A family member has one now as well and my adult daughter likes mine enough that she plans to buy one in January when her contract expires. Slow but steady progress. More marketing will certainly help.
  • My wife and I both have a focus.  My only complaint is some of the bigger name apps aren't on WP7 yet.  It really does feel like these guys are holding out on purpose to see if they can put a stranglehold on the OS.  I'm looking at you Pandora.  I'd love a Mint.com app too.  There's a thread going on over at their site with quite a few people asking when they're going to get on the ball.  The same line crops up of it being financially viable, blah blah blah.
     
    The apps will come and I look forward to saying to them "Welcome back to planet Earth.  Enjoy your stay in lala land?" :P