Here a snippet from the MSPU editorial:
When it comes to the modern version of Windows Phones, I can brag that I’ve been there since the beginning. In 2010, Microsoft unveiled the next-gen operating system known as Windows Phone 7 Series. Of course, that name didn’t stick. But I dove in, purchasing a Samsung Focus for AT&T.
My thoughts on that phone then are the same as my thoughts for my Lumia 950 today. It wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty unique. While everyone I knew had the exact same iPhone or Galaxy, I had a Windows Phone. A phone, in my circles, unlike any other.
While the perceived look of the flagship Windows Phones remain unchanged, so do the tired explanations for why it is failing. Lack of apps, poor carrier support, and buggy software. Over the years there have been major purchases (Nokia), major overhauls (Windows Phone 8) and, of course, major marketing campaigns. But, through it all, Windows Phone did nothing but shrink further into obscurity.
If you own a Windows Phone right now, times are dark. The numbers show most have already switched to an iPhone or Galaxy. More are sure to follow. Some are even writing off Windows Phone as quickly as BlackBerry faded into oblivion...
...But where I’ve found strength is the ingenious Insider Program. The second that Insiders were given an early copy of Windows 10 for Phone, I jumped on board. It was terribly buggy, but the promise was certainly there. No kidding, I spent months suffering on my daily driver just to pretend that I had the next great thing. Even if that meant using far from ready for prime-time software. But, I persevered, I tried to submit complaints and suggestions whenever I could. Now, all of us who chipped in are amply rewarded. Windows 10 Anniversary Update is the polish we all created.
This is different from the Windows Phone of yesteryear, this is OUR Windows Phone, we helped shape it. By directing the team at Microsoft, focusing them on what was really important, we got the OS we deserve. So I ask you this. After all that work, all that collaboration, do you REALLY think Microsoft is ready to throw in the towel?
This is quite insightful. Unlike with iOS or Android, most people reading this will have had a direct (if small) impact on the direction Windows Phone's evolution into Windows 10 Mobile has taken. I too have submitted dozens of Feedback items through the Insiders programme, and have upvoted hundreds of others.
That's a lot of time and investment in the platform from us. And also from Microsoft, continuing to pump out mobile builds in the face of industry scepticism. Perhaps now really is the time to keep the faith. And come out the other end with a prettier and more productive OS on our phones that even the cynics can grudgingly acknowledge. Even if it still doesn't have Snapchat or Pokemon GO. Heh.
Nick Weig, the writer, carries on:
If Microsoft’s rumored strategy is to be believed, the darkest days of Windows Phone have passed. Now it’s time for Microsoft to get everyone’s attention once again. The original line of Surface products was an absolute financial disaster. But it got everyone’s attention. To Microsoft’s credit, they didn’t quit. Today, Surface is one of the biggest success stories at Microsoft.
Which is another good point. The Surface line-up was disastrous at first, but three years on, it's shaping the industry and succeeding in a big way. So hardware+Microsoft can work. Let's hope that an upcoming 'Surface Phone' is effectively a 'v3' design (following on from the Nokia era and then the 950 era) and so we're not starting from scratch with a 'v1'!
You can read the full editorial here.