Microsoft needs apps and developers so they can stop getting so much negative press about the lack of apps and developers. But in order for Microsft to really

Microsoft needs apps and developers so they can stop getting so much negative press about the lack of apps and developers. But in order for Microsft to really be successful they need to get support from the carriers, and historically that's something they've failed to understand. Most of the market is made up of people who walk into a carrier store, ask for a phone that does the email and stuff, and walk out with a Samsung model they've never heard of. Microsoft needs these people to walk out of the store with a Windows Phone (they've never heard of before). But the carriers control the whole process. The carriers therefore demand control over the hardware and software, and the successful manufacturers give it to them. Nokia understands this very well, but it doesn't seem like Microsoft is giving them the freedom they need to make the carriers happy. If Microsoft goes into this trying to compete with Apple they're going to fail because every single carrier will be against them. To succeed, they need to forget about Apple and start competing with Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, and RIM. Ultimately, that means creating software that is less appealing to the tech community, and more appealing to the carriers. Give the carriers something that Samsung can't, on a device that looks good next to a poster of an iPhone, and they'll have something big. Then the apps and developers will follow.