Agree with CritAnime - the Zune software and general interface for Win Phone 7 phones is just god awful. After the failure of the Zune, they should have got rid of that whole Zune crap long ago. It's essentially cursed, IMHO.
Josh (the author of the OP link) has a very valid point in that article, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. This iteration of Win phone is just too little too late, at least for us guys in first world countries. We're used to iOS and Android, and quite frankly the Windows Phone 7 experience is just ****ty in comparison. It's just too late for people on this side of the pond/people in first world countries to jump ship from iOS or Android to Windows Phone 7.
That being said, MS aren't going after guys like me or you, the "Joe Poweruser"- or if they are, they are wasting their time. I had an iphone for years after many years of Blackberry handsets, now using Android. Is Win phone 7 usable? Yes, but I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.
But it does have a place: emerging markets, in countries where people are still mostly using feature phones - MS and Nokia are really gunning for these markets, but I just don't see them gaining much headway here. I can get a Samsung Nexus for a similar price as a Nokia N 800 with contract - guess which one I'd get? Actually, I got the Note over both of them.
I will give you an example of the people I do recommend Windows Phone 7 handsets to, though. TL;DR warning as usual, lol.
My mother has had a cell phone for going on 10 years now - she's a woman in her 60's. Since 2005, when I upgraded to a blackberry from my Motorola Razr, she has been using said old Razr handset that I passed down to her. 2003, first gen Motorola RAZR. Her mobile phone usage is about as complex as calling my father for a ride from the hairdressers. No emailing, no texting, no games - she uses it a few times a week as a phone. Few people are in this situation she is, in fact most people couldn't live without a more intuitive phone that does texting, photos, etc in a more modern fashion.
Her cell phone contract is coming due in 2 months, and I am trying to get her to move on to a more modern phone. I've replaced the battery in her RAZR 5 times on my dime over 10 years, and while the phone does everything she asks of it, I'm paying more for replacement batteries every few years for the old clunker than it would cost to get her a base model smartphone with new contract. Android and W7 phones are free with the 3 year renewal contract she'll be signing up for, iPhone 4S is about $159 with contract, iPhone 3 GS is free with contract. She's got no interest in the iPhone.
I took her to the cell phone store to peruse the phones. She found the iPhone "cute", but said it was far too much money and too complex for her uses, and she's 110% right on that. She found Android phones, especially with add-on interfaces outside stock Google UI configs confusing. She then picked up a Win 7 phone, a Nokia N 800. She found it simple, uncluttered and fairly intuitive. She'll likely end up getting that N 800 phone here in a month or two when we renew her contract. It's perfect for her.
Not many people have the limited tech know how or limited basic needs she does, but there are some that find the Win Phone 7 offerings great - Nokia especially make just excellent hardware, they always have. The N 800 will be just perfect for her.
The old selling point on the Windows Mobile platform (think Treo era) was Exchange integration, and they were widely adopted in enterprise for that, similar to how Blackberry is still massive in Enterprise. Everything supports Exchange server now, whether it be iOS, Android, or W Phone 7.
