Note: This post originally appeared on GoWindowsGo.com, a fan site for Windows and Windows phone.
RIP Windows Phone.
One of the best things about the iOS ecosystem is the plethora of first and third party accessories for each of the devices. On Windows Phone, these accessories are close to non-existent. Sure, our friends at Windows Phone Central have a store that sells accessories like cases and a few chargers, but what’s really lacking is are accessories like docks. Especially first party accessories and docks. How will Microsoft, and by extension the mobile device makers, bring a greater breadth of accessories to Windows Phones?
First, a further explanation of the issue at hand: While accessories for mobile phones certainly aren’t necessarily the driving force behind sales of individual devices, the availability of such is a bonus for users of that platform. When I purchase an iPhone, I don’t have to wonder if there are any quality cases for it, I know there are. There are literally thousands of companies making thousands upon thousands of cases, screen protectors, and docks. One of those is bound to be quality. If not them, then Apple’s first party bumper case and their iPhone dock will suffice.
If I purchase a Lumia 900, there’s literally nothing to choose from. Sure, someone sells a cover or a case. I’m sure someone has specialty screen protectors for the 4.3 inch screen. It would be especially frustrating to bring a beautiful Lumia 900 home and not have a nice charging/sync dock (It also has the charge, sync connector at the top of the device, but I digress). What’s missing is a bigger, more robust ecosystem for accessories. Some of this will come with greater market share, but there are solutions for the here and now.
Before I detail any solutions to this issue, I’d like to point out that this may be a moot point within a couple of years. If Windows Phone 8 comes out and becomes a smash success or even a modest success, there will be many, many more accessories available for Windows Phones. The Lumia’s will lead the pack in accessories as the flagship phone of the flagship company offering Windows Phones. For the purposes of this article, let’s think about the current state of the accessories market.
Microsoft already controls a great deal of the Windows Phone experience; even with WP8, they aren’t ceding control of the experience, just expanding it to new screen sizes, more powerful hardware, and more choice. Microsoft currently doesn’t allow ‘crapware’ installs on the devices that are not user-removable, doesn’t allow modification of the main interface, and controls the hardware externally by designating the exact buttons allowed on the device. With such influence on the Windows Phone platform, why not mandate that the manufacturer must supply a set of basic accessories to go with each device sold?
Microsoft could mandate that each manufacturer produce a dock, two cases (hard and soft), and the other nominal accessories like ear buds, screen protectors, and charging cords/plugs. This would solve the issue the instant new devices are released this fall. Each and every device would be a first class experience in terms of the amount and quality of the accessories available. Note that I’m not saying that the accessories be bundled with the phones, just that they be made widely available by the manufacturer.
I’m sure there are a lot of Windows Phone users out there that would love to have a nice charging dock to stick their phone in at the end of the day. I sure do. Every time I plug in my first-gen Samsung Focus in in the evening, I think of how great it would be to have a dock to plug in to(And for the charging port to not be at the top of the device. But, once again, I digress). I can’t say definitively that the dearth of device accessories are hurting Windows Phone, but I can definitely say that it isn’t helping.
What do you think?