For example: My sister wanted a laptop, I recommended a Macbook even though I'd never used one; she bought one and loved it and now I do have one too. My Mum has a Samsung S3 Mini, I have a HTC One X, all the rest have iPhones. Microsoft would have to radically alter their DNA before I'd take a look at any of their software or hardware offerings.
The difference is, I bought my Apple devices for dirt cheap from my previous employer, whereas she'd be buying one retail. Spending 2x the money for the same hardware capability and an OS that's equivalent does not make economic sense to me.
Have you ever used a Windows Phone device? Probably not. Windows Phone is the most consistent mobile OS out there, and the simplest to use. I would never recommend an Android device to my parents (or any non-geek). iPhone is okay, but I'm not a fan of the skeuomorphism. Windows Phone is simple, elegant, affordable and extremely usable. It's NOTHING like Windows on PC.
I recommend Macbook Airs and Windows Phones to most people. I only recommend iPhones to "cool kids" and "early users" (those who want access to the cool new apps and games).
It's easy to say in a place like HN that there is a "social stigma" around using Windows, but for the average consumer this is clearly not the case. For a lot of typical desktop users, Windows is the computer ("reboot your Windows", "start up Windows", etc). Microsoft simply couldn't find a way to leverage that in the mobile space.
In the meantime, everyone I know working in enterprise transitioned to Android and iPhone (except some on BlackBerry) - this happened as soon as those platforms had working Exchange sync, encrypted storage and remote management. To get any significant market share Microsoft now has to pay their way to it with extreme subsidies and massive marketing, or wait for Apple and Google to stumble, something they have yet to do.
Most people do not even have a clue about which operating system their phone has. And they do not care. Just like they do not do with PC either.
If Windows Phone doesn't interest anyone. It is because they were unable to fit a niche. It is because their phone is a disaster. The operating system is irrelevant for most of phone users.
You just proved his point that no one talks about Microsoft because of the social stigma attached to it. You just proved that if you say something nice about Microsoft, your peers will make you an outcast.
1) In mainstream use, Microsoft and Windows are 'Big Business'. Nobody wants that anywhere near the photos of their kids.
2) For geeks, Microsoft is the devil because they've managed to annoy most long time geeks in some form or another.
Indeed, it really is the problem. But it's the problem Microsoft is going to have to fix - and believe me, their 'spam the forums' and 'give free things' approach is not going to cut it. They need to drop the Windows and Microsoft branding for consumer devices in the same way Lexus is not Toyota. They need to make sure that the business and consumer products look as different as possible also.
I realize Microsoft is doing the exact opposite of what I've said above - and that's the real problem. What you're complaining about is just the mis-branding and mis-management of Microsoft bleeding through into the general populace.
But I would ask that the platform be in some way open. Windows has always been open in that it will run on a variety of commodity hardware and there are no restrictions on who can develop for the platform and in how they can distribute their software. MacOS (and iOS) has always been restricted to Apple hardware. So Apple has always been more closed and walled garden-y than Microsoft with the exception that they use a load of open-source software in their OS stack once you look under the hood.
Microsoft (seeing as how they won't go the open-source model cuz it aint in their blood) could try and make the Windows Phone OS installable on a whole bunch of phones, it could allow for easy side-loading of apps and have a very low $ (perhaps even zero?) entry into their app store. That way Microsoft might eventually replicate the dominance they have on the desktop. But even then a lot of geeks are going to be wary.
Android really seems unstoppable. Nokia should never have gone exclusively with Windows Phone OS - it seems really strange back then and it seems practically suicidal now.
For most people, Windows Phone is a MUCH better experience than Android.
The problem is that no one gives Windows Phone a chance. I don't know many people that used Windows Phone and switched back to Android/iPhone. Beside the app factor (which is much less of an issue than what people think), Windows Phone is an excellent mobile OS.