The lateness is not that important since phone contracts are up in about 2 years and at the time, people shop for new phones and usually aim for the coolest one as their new phone. Phone markets renew every couple of years but clearly the iphone keeps beating the value(how many iphone's generation 1 do you see on the street?). The iphone was even late to the game but that didn't stop it from taking away the coolness and market of the motorola Razr which everybody wanted and had back then.
Another factor is the Windows phone, Android and iPhone have about the same initial and per month cost. Roughly the same price but All 3 give very different values back in terms of apps,feature,ease of use. Coping with the downsides or nuances is also a 2 year commitment so unless an option is clearly way ,way better, people will stick with an iPhone or go back.
With pcs it's a different ballpark. A macbook feels nicer than a generic Acer notebook, but one costs $1,500 and the other $499. The phones are all around $199 and plans are about 70 bucks a month. Even if the phone is "free" the per month payment is the same.
Also the iPhone sets a standard of experience which still is unmatched. If I drove a mercedez, then switched to an Acura and didn't like it as much, it doesn't mean either is bad. Acura is awesome, but I might miss the feeling,driving, status,smell, etc and hold the Acura up the Mercedez standards. Windows phone is stuck in an unconfortable situation where it doesn't give way greater value to an iphone user but doesn't cost way less either to make it into other emerging markets and grab marketshare from somewhere else.
* people shop for new phones and usually aim for the coolest one as their new phone. *
I think you're discounting the invested value of apps. I've probably got about $400 worth of paid-for apps on my iPhone. The Windows phone might be the "coolest", but my migration cost is far greater than just the hardware cost to get back to a similarly useful handset.
Android seems to have more free apps, and less overall selection. It might be easier to switch from Android to Windows phone than iPhone to Windows phone.
You are right. Apps are the new golden handcuffs for users of a current platform and are a new challenge to overcome for both android and windows phone.
Still there's millions of new users who are just about to get a new smartphone coming from candy bar phones, and when shopping they just go mostly look up for the iphone.
I stood up at an ATT store some times watching how people shopped phones. The color squares of Windows Phone and huge screens of android phones attract people initially, but as soon as they start comparing they flock to the iPhone.
Amazingly, I just got back from a vacation in Mexico where smartphones are just becoming popular, and went to the local vendors out of curiosity. The push for IOS/android is impressive, there are ads on the street, movies, everywhere. You can get an iPhone with no downpayment and 600 pesos(45 usd) a month.
Another factor is the Windows phone, Android and iPhone have about the same initial and per month cost. Roughly the same price but All 3 give very different values back in terms of apps,feature,ease of use. Coping with the downsides or nuances is also a 2 year commitment so unless an option is clearly way ,way better, people will stick with an iPhone or go back.
With pcs it's a different ballpark. A macbook feels nicer than a generic Acer notebook, but one costs $1,500 and the other $499. The phones are all around $199 and plans are about 70 bucks a month. Even if the phone is "free" the per month payment is the same.
Also the iPhone sets a standard of experience which still is unmatched. If I drove a mercedez, then switched to an Acura and didn't like it as much, it doesn't mean either is bad. Acura is awesome, but I might miss the feeling,driving, status,smell, etc and hold the Acura up the Mercedez standards. Windows phone is stuck in an unconfortable situation where it doesn't give way greater value to an iphone user but doesn't cost way less either to make it into other emerging markets and grab marketshare from somewhere else.