Because feature phones are like mechanical wrist watches. They just don't go away.
Personally I'm using only a dumb phone, I think it's going to be at least my daily phone forever.
Longer battery life. More durable screen. Mature technology. Cheaper. Lighter and smaller. Faster to call people. You can replace keys if they go broke. Doesn't look nasty if you have greasy fingers. And the bottom line: I don't need anything but sms and calling.
OK, but that's a digression. Clearly some people like feature phones, but most prefer platforms. The discussion was about Opera being able to preserve their market share in a market where people increasingly have access to Android and iOS.
Mechanical wrist watches still exist in appreciable numbers because they've become fashion items. Feature phones aren't fashion items.
I'm sorry, but in a few years you won't be able to buy a feature phone. Smartphones will get better battery life, screens etc as costs come down (and the third world gets richer) and technology marches on.
I use opera mini on dual core 1.2Ghz Android with 4" screen because pages load faster on edge mini than on uncompressed 3g. and mini is very good at saving battery for you, which is very important on Android, unless you have a pocket nuclear reactor. and don't forget crappy internet speeds on AT&T because there are too many iphones. so much for real life usability of expensive smartphone in a developed country.
Personally I'm using only a dumb phone, I think it's going to be at least my daily phone forever.
Longer battery life. More durable screen. Mature technology. Cheaper. Lighter and smaller. Faster to call people. You can replace keys if they go broke. Doesn't look nasty if you have greasy fingers. And the bottom line: I don't need anything but sms and calling.