Flagship phone value and Lumia.

As I stated before producing a flagship phone isn't about unit sales. It is wonderful for the companies involved if it works out that way. But that isn't what matters. Unfortunately, in the mobile landscape it seems like hardware makers can't see the forest for the trees. While I certainly know a lot of iPhone users who have the latest iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, I know MANY more who own an iPhone 5c or bought a 5S after the 6 was unveiled. The fact is, that while the majority of the sales may end up going to the lower end phones, that doesn't necessarily mean that the higher end phones should be scrapped or ignored. In fact, the opposite is true in my experience. People like cheaper models for the price, but it is the hype and features around the flagship phones that drive interest in the platform as a whole. It may sound insane, but if every Android OEM stopped producing flagship phones tomorrow, in 2-3 years you could probably expect to see a steady decline in the handsets popularity in North America. Flagship phones make the platform look good. They showcase the latest hardware along with the software features in the OS, some of which may require new hardware anyway. Perhaps more importantly, the sales reps pushing you towards one phone or another either own or get regular exposure to flagship phones and it influences their recommendations. It may be somewhat obvious how this applies to Windows Phone and the Lumia lineup. But why am I just bringing this up again now? In the past 2-ish years Microsoft has unveiled a flurry of low and mid range devices. And while I'll wager that leaks were had and discussions were made, I didn't see a single one. But, in stark contrast, the two new Windows 10 phones and a possible separate Lumia 1030 have generated a LOT of buzz which I HAVE seen. Several times a week. So, I feel it is worth noting again that if Microsoft's OEM partners aren't producing true flagship Windows Phones, that Microsoft has to do so itself with the Lumia lineup. NOT because it will sell a boat load of Lumia flagship phones, but rather because it will help bolster their sales of low to mid range phones. I love Windows Phone 8 and think it is a stellar operating system, BUT I'm not in the least bit surprised that their already paltry North American market share is now shrinking. Advertising isn't enough. Even being better isn't enough. A lot of people put a lot into specs, and in that area, none of the recent Lumia phones have even been worth batting an eye at. Bottom line is, people looking at phones, even those interested in looking at budget phones, look at the high end devices first. Sales reps also tend to talk up the higher end devices more. By the time the buyer steps back and evaluates their budget, the playing field has likely already been reduced to at least which OS if not also which OEM they want. This is one of Android's largest strengths. With a host of flagship phones (Nexus, Galaxy S, HTC One, etc...) there is a lot of hype coming from a lot of OEMs. For a lot of consumers, by the time they get the reality check on which phone is right for them if they don't have the budget for something bigger have already settled on an Android phone. The variety of phones at all price points doesn't hurt either. But most people don't start by looking at the cheap phones. The other thing Microsoft needs to try to do is to recreate buzz of the Lumia 1020. People STILL hail it as the best camera phone and no one outside of Nokia/MS has come close to either the quality or the insanity of the 41 megapixel sensor on that beast. They really need another phone which is both a flagship phone and has at least one spec that makes other handset owners drool. With the Lumia DNA incorporating a ton of stuff in their swappable shells such as the ability to upgrade/change the camera sensor, fitness sensors, wireless changing and battery via the case alone would work. In fact, that could be borderline genius. Focus on CPU/GPU, screen and front facing camera along with the "standard" sensors in a true "affordable flagship phone" with a base level shell, and then allow upgrading the rest via the shell. It wouldn't meet my dream of a truly standardized phone platform. But it does offer enough of the benefits to be a truly attractive first step in the right direction. Make the screen easily hot swappable as well and you might just start an revolution in the smartphone industry. The bottom line is that flagship phones are great. But they are also expensive. And the cream of the crop is generally more than most people are willing to pay. Even subsidized you can end up forking out a couple hundred dollars and get locked into one of the more expensive plans for two years. This is why I know more people who either buy the cheaper or the older iPhones. It isn't JUST that those phones cost less. They choose those specific cheaper phones because of the buzz generated by the more expensive phones.