[Windows Phone 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] eaglesteve:
With the current WP7S features and characteristics, even many die hard MS supporters are bashing it. The chance of attracting iPhone users are extremely slim, IMO.

MS should not rush the WP7S project. The first version should be done really right. It's okay to imitate the concept of physical store, central online store, slick user interface, free firmware upgrade support throughout the life of the phone, a single firmware for all languages/countries, features for visually impaired and handicapped, etc. However, it should incorporate not just the strengths of a non-jailbroken phone but also all the strength of a jailbroken iPhone. These means it must have multitasking, access to 3G for all applications, full file download capability, quickscrolls to any part of documents/webpages/screen scroll across all applications, quick communication toggles, theme/customization, abilty to assign category title to each desktop page and quick jump to any category of applications, hardware button to bring up all active task so as to allow quick task switch, use of the phone as a wifi hotspot, hardware button to enable/disable screen rotation, file manager, ability to fully control music (skip song, repeat song, pause, play, and changing volume in FINE increment) without having to ever switch on the phone, full HD video download from youtbue/google video/dailymotion/etc, far superior browser (borrow concepts from leading iPhone third party browsers such as Atomic Browser, Mercury browser, Multitouch browser, and iCabMobile). Then it should also incorporate voice control, which is a strength of Android. It should avoid the sandbox approach to file system and provide a full feature file manager. Include some of HTC's innovation such as networking integration. All these features have been found to be feasible by users like myself on jailbroken iPhone already without noticeable performance or battery penalty as much as Steve Jobs saying otherwise. The jailbreaker community who are fed up with Apple's failure to deliver those features and yet not allowing jailbreaking is one user group with a ready heart to jump ship if these features are there.

Before the actual launch there should be a heavy and clever round of publicity demonstrating these features. This should result in lots of positive comments from opinion leaders and tech writers instead of the all the bashes that we see today. Once done, many potential developers will see why they should be investing their time on this new platform instead of just on iPhone and Android. MS should also directly approach some key developers to make critical applications available upon launch. This must include applications such as TomTom. During the launch, selected developers like TomTom should be there. That would really attract the masses of developers to commit to developing for the MS application store and catch up with Apple.

MS has assumed that just because Apple with its limitation can still be successful. It fails to observe that iPhone could be even more successful if it has all the features that I listed above without jailbreaking (I'm sure many of you here would have used iPhone that can have all the features you want without jailbreaking). Another flawed assumption that MS has made is that just because Apple could get away with not having cut and paste it means it can also get away with it. They may at the end of the day and proving every critics wrong, like iPhone had. But I think MS forgets that iPhone was released at the time where there was no real options, whereas WP7S is released into a market filled with attractive alternatives - even Symbian and Palm Pre are much more attractive. Look at Palm Pre. It is a lot more attractive than WP7S if you ask me, and yet it fails to challenge iPhone despite all the hot air, and its very survival is an issue now.

And all these are mere copycat acts which do not even require any original thinking and innovation yet. Add in some additional innovations, it will fly.

Just my 2 cents.