Windows to replace Symbian as Nokia's main smart phone platform

[Kari]

Friday, February 11th 2011:

Nokia Joining Forces with Microsoft

The move was announced in a joint letter from the two companies' CEOs, Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer. Windows Phone is going to replace Symbian as Nokia's main smart phone platform.

Nokia's applications store, Ovi, will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace, and there will be further collaborations in search and search advertising. Microsoft's Bing will become the search engine on Nokia devices.

The Symbian platform will remain as a "franchise platform", yielding the main position to Windows Phone. MeeGo, on the other hand, is expected to stay as a long-term development for smart phone devices and a MeeGo-based phone will come out this year.

Full story: Nokia Joining Forces with Microsoft | News | YLE Uutiset | yle.fi

Kari

 

[Bill2]

I like Symbian.

And why windows, why not android?

 

[yowanvista]

Microsoft's Bing will become the search engine on Nokia devices.

NO thanks, I prefer Google
Symbian would be killed considering the millions of Symbian powered devices out there?

 

[spinifex]

I was looking at the Nokia E7 today, to see what it had regarding features and/or apps.
Stated Symbian 3, which meant nothing as all our phones have not been as flash as what is now available.
Now reading Kari's post am totally confused. Not knowing which is best, i rely on experts comments to learn.
For personal reasons, the one pnone or pad that i will never buy is one starting with i.

 

[Kari]

Not too difficult to guess what Vic Gundotra, Vice-President of Engineering for Google meant when he tweeted this two days ago:



Kari

 

[kristalsoldier]

One of the things that I wonder about this alliance is that given that the bulk of Nokia's sales come from the non-smart phone categories (low-end, low-cost, basic features devices for the emerging markets), how does MS intend to leverage this to their benefit? As far as I know, the basic Nokia phones will not support Win Ph. 7. If Nokia is going to go to the highend of the market, they will face problems from players like HTC etc. (who are already on Android, if I am not mistaken).

Or, maybe Nokia will continue to use its Symbian OS to power their low-end phones and use Win 7 to attack the higher end of the market?

 

[Kari]

...bulk of Nokia's sales come from the non-smart phone categories (low-end, low-cost, basic features devices for the emerging markets)

Very strange comment... So Scandinavia, Europe and other parts of the world outside United States are "emerging markets"? Only America matters?

It's true Nokia has not found it's place in USA, but calling the rest of the world "emerging markets" is something I do not understand. Nokia still is the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturer with almost 40% market share.

Same thing with "low-end basic features". You call Nokia N and E series low-end? Those phones are very high-end products, bringing in over third of Nokia's sales, not to mention other high-end models.

If Nokia really moves from Symbian to Nokia, HTC and other Windows Phone makers get a really remarkable competitor.

Kari

 

[BCXtreme]

The problem with this, IMO, is that too many people seem to think Windows Phone 7 is some kind of elaborate joke. That's why their stock just dropped 8%, and thousands of their employees walked out on them. I'd imagine that Nokia's sales upon effecting this transition are just going to go down even more.

 

[kristalsoldier]

...bulk of Nokia's sales come from the non-smart phone categories (low-end, low-cost, basic features devices for the emerging markets)

Very strange comment... So Scandinavia, Europe and other parts of the world outside United States are "emerging markets"? Only America matters?

It's true Nokia has not found it's place in USA, but calling the rest of the world "emerging markets" is something I do not understand. Nokia still is the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturer with almost 40% market share.

Same thing with "low-end basic features". You call Nokia N and E series low-end? Those phones are very high-end products, bringing in over third of Nokia's sales, not to mention other high-end models.

If Nokia really moves from Symbian to Nokia, HTC and other Windows Phone makers get a really remarkable competitor.

Kari

No...that's not what I meant...I consider the Asia-Pac market (with some exceptions) as emerging markets and there generally low end phones are more common. Take India for example. Huge Nokia presence here. But generally low-level models available. In these markets the N and E series are not very common though the prices are much more reasonable than say a HTC or a Blackberry or a Sony Experia etc. Folks who can afford them generally opt for either Blackberry or something else in that category. Also, Nokia appears to be facing a lot of competition from an increasing number of local Indian brands.

 

[Kari]

The problem with this, IMO, is that too many people seem to think Windows Phone 7 is some kind of elaborate joke. That's why their stock just dropped 8%, and thousands of their employees walked out on them. I'd imagine that Nokia's sales upon effecting this transition are just going to go down even more.

The market's reaction sends IMO a very clear signal: this move is seen as plus for Microsoft, they get a quality platform to their Windows Phone OS, but as a minus for Nokia. I agree with this reaction. As much as I like, or better said love, Windows 7, IMO for mobile phones Android and Symbian simply are better.

As a very, very small private shareholder in Nokia, I have today seen my Nokia shares to drop almost 15% in NASDAQ OMX (Helsinki Stock Exchange, Finland):



BTW, it was funny to follow the Elop / Ballmer press conference today. Every journalist shown was using a MacBook and iPhone :



Kari

 

[Dinesh]

Oh my... So Nokia quietly accepted its defeat infront of iOS and android. They could have tried to develop Symbian OS but failed.

 

[yowanvista]

Oh my... So Nokia quietly accepted its defeat infront of iOS and android. They could have tried to develop Symbian OS but failed.

They won't totally kill Symbian but Nokia will continue to support it
"Symbian software will become a "franchise platform"

 

[Dinesh]

I agree, but instead of merging with Windows phone OS, they could have tried developing Meego as their main mobile OS.

Anyways, I have had some really bad experience with Nokia in the last year and would never buy a Nokia again.
​

My N97 mini screen just gave up and the side lock just fell off. When I went to the Nokia repair center, the total charge for screen and lock change is Rs. 5000/- inc taxes. I went to a local repair center and they changed the screen and lock (original parts) for just Rs. 1000/-.

 

[Everlong]

I like Symbian.

And why windows, why not android?

Nokia said if they went with Android, they'd just become another Android phone supplier and with WinMo they'd get more opportunities out of it or something like that.

Microsoft have let Nokia have a lot of customisable options with WinMo though, which is odd because they didn't let HTC even put HTC Sense overlay in to WinMo.

 

[Kari]

Microsoft have let Nokia have a lot of customisable options with WinMo though, which is odd because they didn't let HTC even put HTC Sense overlay in to WinMo.

Stephen Elop, the CEO of Nokia, was previously the head of the Business Division in Microsoft, and is a personal friend with Ballmer. I think this was agreed already before Nokia announced hiring Elop.

 

[Kari]

Microsoft have let Nokia have a lot of customisable options with WinMo though, which is odd because they didn't let HTC even put HTC Sense overlay in to WinMo.

Stephen Elop, the CEO of Nokia, was previously the head of the Business Division in Microsoft, and is a personal friend with Ballmer. I think this was agreed already before Elop came over to Nokia.

 

[yowanvista]

I agree, but instead of merging with Windows phone OS, they could have tried developing Meego as their main mobile OS.

Anyways, I have had some really bad experience with Nokia in the last year and would never buy a Nokia again.
​

My N97 mini screen just gave up and the side lock just fell off. When I went to the Nokia repair center, the total charge for screen and lock change is Rs. 5000/- inc taxes. I went to a local repair center and they changed the screen and lock (original parts) for just Rs. 1000/-.

Been using my N97mini for almost 5 months without any problems
But I'm considering to switch to a Nokia based WP7 phone when it will be released

 

[whs]

...bulk of Nokia's sales come from the non-smart phone categories (low-end, low-cost, basic features devices for the emerging markets)

Very strange comment... So Scandinavia, Europe and other parts of the world outside United States are "emerging markets"? Only America matters?

It's true Nokia has not found it's place in USA, but calling the rest of the world "emerging markets" is something I do not understand. Nokia still is the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturer with almost 40% market share.

Same thing with "low-end basic features". You call Nokia N and E series low-end? Those phones are very high-end products, bringing in over third of Nokia's sales, not to mention other high-end models. .

If Nokia really moves from Symbian to Nokia, HTC and other Windows Phone makers get a really remarkable competitor.

Kari

I think he has a point if you look at Symbian as an OS and then the total WW sales of portable devices. And yes, the bulk of those go to Asia. Here is one of the charts I show in my latest presentation on Smartphones and Tablets. Compare the OS numbers to the Total numbers. Also note that Symbian is also used by many other manufacturers, not only Nokia

 

[Kari]

Exclusive: Nokia's Windows Phone 7 concept revealed! -- Engadget

 

[JMH]

Nokia and Microsoft: good for Finland, risky for Redmond

Earlier, Ryan Paul was rather down about the announcement that Nokia and Microsoft were partnering, and that Windows Phone 7 would be Nokia's primary smartphone platform. It might work out well for Microsoft—it gives the software company a strong hardware partner with substantial international reach. But, for Nokia, he felt it meant the loss of control over its own destiny: Nokia is going from a vertically integrated supplier, building hardware, software, and online services, to just another handset builder, like HTC, Samsung, LG, or even Dell. A huge step backwards.

I'm not so sure. In fact, I think he has it backwards. I think that the advantages to Nokia are clear. Given the scant details revealed so far—perhaps no surprise given that nothing has been formalized just yet—Microsoft is the company in the more difficult position, and it has a lot of questions to answer.

Nokia needs a modern operating system

Nokia, in spite of consistent poor performance in the North American market, is a cellphone powerhouse. The biggest seller of cellphones in the world, it's a consistent technology innovator (for example, Nokia has had phones supporting NFC for several years: technology that other handset companies are only just beginning to integrate). It's also something of a smartphone pioneer; the Nokia Communicators were legendary, and even today the company's smartphone business is substantial.

Nokia and Microsoft: good for Finland, risky for Redmond