Most of the time, when I am debating with friends on smartphones topic, they and their iPhone, me with my harmattan, they would just call me being hipster, or some idiots. Why not iPhone, why not Android. They are oblivious, in so many ways.
I am not trying to say Windows phone are bad, but just not good enough. If Symbian is a burning platform, then WP must be the sun itself. They are just burning themselves. Sure, american telco makes huge difference, and if any manufacturer could convince them, their phones can sell well, strictly in US only, though.
Why not Europe and Asia? Even South American has a larger market. But no, Elop says, if Apple can sell a phone at premium, I want, too, by firing 10000 people just so he can gives away the lumia for free. Nokia was never about premium, it is about bringing features to the people. Exception like Vertu (The bastards even sell away Vertu for one undisclosed amount, must be small) and Nokia 8800. Nokia could have patented SMS, they could have patented antenna-less design. But they did not, I am Asian myself, and I admired Europeans a lot.
As Soviets often say, Capitalist Pig, they were right.