See Through Windows: Could Windows Phone 8 truly be a game changer?

 

Once upon a time, Windows Phone appeared on the market. It was something new, something different, but it lacked a lot of features that the kingdom wanted, and so the Microsoftians created a magical potion to turn it into a competitive beast.

This is no fairytale, but Windows Phone 8 is finally on its way, and it’s set to bring along pretty much all of the features everyone has be moaning about since the beginning. Those include USB mass storage mode, memory expansion, Bluetooth transfers, dual core processing, deeper application integration, better feature support, and more.

And so it will begin, the rein of Windows Phone, because it’s different, and different is good. 4.4 million Lumias in the second quarter of the year, growing faster than the iPhone and Galaxy S, but times have changed and sales have changed. Could Windows Phone actually make a difference in a market dominated by Android and iOS? The short answer is yes.

Nokia has suffered greatly for shifting to Windows Phone, Samsung and HTC aren’t committed enough and who’s LG and Huawei? Mango and Refresh weren’t good enough, and unlike some Android and iOS devices, previous generation Windows Phone handsets won’t support Apollo, which is clever.

Obviously there is a chance that Apollo may crash and burn, but what are the odds? Microsoft is investing a lot in Windows Phone, it’s Nokia’s only option, and HTC, Samsung, Huawei, and LG will want in on it if it really starts to bloom.

I used to own a Lumia 800, I hated it, and Mango, the hardware was good, but the software irritated me. Zune was a mess, I wanted USB mass storage mode and Bluetooth transfers. I wanted more tiles on my screen, I wanted some of the applications I normally use, but most of all I wanted something that excited me. Now, eight months later, I may just change my opinion and get excited about Apollo.

Apollo is set to bring Windows Phone onto the next level, the level that iOS and Android flagships are on, maybe even higher. Most of the concerns consumers have had, and have held potential consumers back, will be addressed. It may also surprise quite a lot of people.

iOS devices are expensive, Android devices are inefficient, Tizen and BlackBerry 10 still has a while to go. Windows Phone has a fighting chance this time around, nothing will stand in its way, because this time it will be just right. It will be what users want, but it won’t be perfect, nothing ever is.

A year from now Windows Phone will be competing with the best, carriers won’t boycott devices, and the Lumias will lead this race, because Nokia will be the only OEM that’s fully invested in it. Developers will be streaming in, and haters will continue to criticise while secretly craving the thing they once despised.

Just like 3,000 years ago, blocks (tiles) will be the trending topic. Slaves however won’t be building giant tributes, instead it will enslave people with simplicity, fluidity, speed, efficiency, and price.

Why, do you ask? Well, because we’re human and the new toy is always the toy everyone wants to play with, the old toy will be kicked to the curb. Windows Phone 8 will give Windows Phone a fighting chance.