Opinion Making up for a missed call
Nokia lost smartphone plot when it chose to ignore the Android,now its trying make amends with Window 7
I THOUGHT my old Nokia 3100 wouldnt be the right thing to pack on a trip abroad,that too to Finland. So I commandeered my wifes new Motorola and was all set. But at the Helsinki airport,our local host seemed terribly unimpressed with my choice of phone. We could have you arrested here for not using a Nokia phone, he quipped.
The Fins are excellent people. But it seems they never expected their rubber boot maker to become the worlds largest mobile phone manufacturer. Powered by its mobile business,the company from Keilaniemi in the outskirts of Helsinki also became the largest Finnish company,significantly accounting for about a third of the market capitalisation of the Helsinki Stock Exchange as of 2007. It employs over a 132,000 workers in 120 countries,sales in more than 150 countries and global annual revenue of over 42 billion and operating profit of 2 billion as of 2010 all ideal ingredients to make anyone a wee bit arrogant.
So when the rest of the world started taking notice of an invasion by the Androids in the mobile phone sector in 2009,Nokia refused to accept that anything was afoot. It had done the same with iPhone looking the other way as Apple ate into its high-end market share in many countries.
Around July last year,when I asked Nokia if they have had any plans to make phones with the Android OS,they said they were up to something better,something called the MeeGo. Announced in February,2010,MeeGo was supposed to be a cutting edge OS,the result of a collaboration between two tech giants Nokia and Intel.
The company claimed the new OS would have the flexibility to adapt to a variety of devices,including pocketable mobile computers,netbooks,tablets,mediaphones,connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment devices and we thought we would see something new. It was also categorical in stating that the Symbian,the soul of its smartphones,would stay despite the new entrant. And,no,Nokia would not accept the Android,that would be meek surrender.
But that was over a year ago and the Android was just a baby. In the last quarter of 2010,Android had pushed Symbian from its decade-old perch as the most popular Smartphone OS,according to research firm Canalys. The challenger now had a 33% share of smartphone shipments.
Nokia could no longer ignore the Android. But it was obviously quite late. The panic was obvious in an internal memo from the Nokia CEO Stephen Elop,first put out by Engadget: I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform. And,we have more than one explosion we have multiple points of scorching heat that are fuelling a blazing fire around us. The first iPhone shipped in 2007,and we still dont have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago,and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable.
Two days later,Elop clarified what he had in mind a management revamp,job cuts and,yes,a tie-up with Microsoft for a new OS which will get them their thunder back. Despite over decade of selfless service,the Symbian would be dumped for the Windows 7. The Meego,on the other hand,would be sent back to labs,more like the deep freezer.
A Nokia press release said the broad strategic partnership would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem. Nokia said it would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy” and help drive the future of Windows Phone.
Nokia doesnt seem to mind that earlier versions of Window OS for mobile phones were not all that well received. It seems to have placed all its bets on the Windows 7 phone,which has been well received since its launch at the Mobile World Congress last February.
Elop knows what he wants: “Today,developers,operators and consumers want compelling mobile products,which include not only the device,but the software,services,applications and customer support that make a great experience. And Steven A. Ballmer,his counterpart in Microsoft,seems to think they have the answer: “Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed,innovation and scale. The partnership announced today provides incredible scale,vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.” But is Windows 7 the answer for what Apple and Google have in their stables.
If things work out as per plan,we could see Bing as the primary search engine in Nokia phones while Nokia Maps will become part of Microsofts mapping services and Ovi Store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace. We could also see what Elop calls a three-horse race. Just hope it doesnt end up as a missed call.
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