This is so typical of the brain rot most technology reviewers suffer from.
The basic line is something like "if it has been well engineered, and someone has put a whole lot of effort into it, and its a bit different to everything else out there, then we are basically obliged to give it high marks".
They seem incapable of judging devices by the most basic and important standard: user experience. If the user experience is bad, then nothing else matters. A user interface is not brilliant if no one wants to use it.
WinPho7 is the best current example of this going round. Almost universally acclaimed by reviewers, almost totally ignored by consumers.
I like the design of the Metro UI. I can find my way around, the transitions and layout is basically informative and attractive. In my mind, it beats the tar out of Android in those dimensions. I'm not sure if I could even call it inferior to the design conventions and capabilities on iOS, which often accrues the most praise.
Although you could take "user experience" to very generalized levels ("did it get to market early enough", "do my friends have it", "are there applications I want", "is it in the mobile phone store"), these are usually considered social or business questions. One only need look at the flop of the Nexus One -- basically a well designed phone, but one that was positioned poorly with carriers -- for evidence.
I think it is sociological and business factors that blight the Windows Phone, not its design or user experience, except in the most overgeneralized sense.
Have you actually used Windows Phone for any considerable length of time and have any real criticisms of the UX or are you just armchair quarterbacking? At least all the reviewers have actually used the devices, some for a week.
The basic line is something like "if it has been well engineered, and someone has put a whole lot of effort into it, and its a bit different to everything else out there, then we are basically obliged to give it high marks".
They seem incapable of judging devices by the most basic and important standard: user experience. If the user experience is bad, then nothing else matters. A user interface is not brilliant if no one wants to use it.
WinPho7 is the best current example of this going round. Almost universally acclaimed by reviewers, almost totally ignored by consumers.