Re: If only
I don't like the new choices of Apple's walled Garden and Microsoft's fenced Ghetto, both greedily making our software 30% more expensive and censoring what can be offered. Those who would trade their freedom for security will end up with neither.
Thats like voting with our wallets to be patronized like children and loose all freedom we're used to having. In the new fully controlled Apple and Microsoft future, we won't really own the devices we paid for. In the name of security, we're already seeing this "secure boot" atrocity, which prevents us from booting any operating system of our choosing, unless those OS makers were able to obtain some special keys, which they have to tickle out of Intel and M$. Maybe large distributions will make it, but smaller ones probably will disappear.
And after downgrading my PC to Windows 8, I certainly know not to buy a Windphone until Windows 10 is released. Because its like starting with Windows 1.0 again, and M$ always takes 3 attempts to get it right, so it won't be till Windows 10, before it goes from barebones to actually being complete enough to be convenient. If they keep Steve "I'm the only one with a clue" Sinofski for another round, it'll probably end up 4 attempts instead of 3...
I don't blame M$ for that part, Android 1.0 wasn't as slick as it is today either. Apple was opposite there, iOS 1.0 was very slick, but from there was moving so slow, its behind the curve now. Still just rows and rows of icons pfff
Poor Nokia got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, while they originally were the best prepared shop and could have owned everything.
They could still be where Samsung is now, by doing what Samsung does: make different phones with different operating systems, so people who dislike some OS are not prevented from buying their hardware.
Nokia: sell your phones like this: on unpacking the phone and turning it on, you get a menu with four choices of what OS you want to install: Bada, Windphone8, Android, Symbian, or Tizen or whatever else strikes your fancy. Nobody would even argue at that point, they would just be buying your phones. Bang!