Once a mobile phone market leader and a giant Nokia is now in deep trouble. So I thought of dissecting case by case which eventually led to the current situation which is nothing more than a huge catastrophe.
The Symbian Partnership:
Nokia had used extensively Symbian OS quite extensively, which eventually led to acquisition of the same. It is a highly strategic partnership, and acquiring Symbian is a strategic and smart move by Nokia.
Google-Android doesn't it sound similar to Nokia-Symbian combo?
Much the way Google now got Android, Nokia had Symbian in it basket. But Nokia failed to improve to work upon it. Symbian OS offered a robust platform for basic mobile phone development requirements. But Symbian failed to make its mark in-terms of evolving into interesting GUI offering. This is what now distinguishes it from a more generic much more refined and organized platform like Android OS. Android GUI is so robust, and highly modular. Versus the Symbian GUI is much more confined, and had various limitations. This is one of the main goof-ups where Nokia failed to innovate, failed to evolve, and failed to adapt !
In-fact this is the biggest mistakes which Nokia never can have a solid smart-phone OS infrastructure with Symbian.
Let us recollect its old E90 Nokia Communicator phone and couple of more closely related E-Series phones which used to look like Blackberry clones. I think this is the tipping point of Nokia's smartphone technology. Where really the customers got something far too less than what they expected for.
Here is a picture of my E90-Communicator Nokia Symbian phone I got few years back. I bought it for around $700 USD. This is almost some 4-5 months before the launch of Apple's first iPhone in the market. In this picture you can make out that I really used it pretty much for a longer duration. It is made with rugged metallic alloy body. Hence it is quite heavy, but very robust construction and almost no exposed plastic surfaces.
I liked the specs. or configuration, and even mainly the screen-size and its resolution. It got a dual screen, one large internal screen and one small external screen. Also a dual keypad, one external numeric keypad, and internal fullfledged querty keypad. It is pretty reliable interms of call handling. So this is where its advantages ends. What really it failed is the integrated GUI support. You do not have even basic copy-paste like features. And other than that it lacked is the good App support. This is sometimes so annoying, when you download some app (usually those jar java apps), where you will come to know that it is partially ported to this phone, and this happens with other E-Series Nokia smart phones too. Besides it had so many loosely coupled components, and bugs with respect to its connection manager, Bluetooth interface software and the list goes on.
Frankly speaking I am never been a fan of Nokia (I mean the pre-smartphone era). Instead I used to buy Motorola phones. Motorola used to offer much more stylish elegant designed phones. They also launched their Music themed phones which are of a big hit and exceptional AD promotions. But Nokia had its edge, being a brand offering quality phones. But the quality phones ends in non-smartphone segment, but when it comes to smartphones Nokia failed the edge and innovation, and more than all, the INTEGRITY is what I can say.
So Symbian is never been a OS, fit enough to be used in a smartphone like a use-case. The integrated GUI experience matters. This is where iPhone and Android platforms made their mark and now it is a revolution.
Nokia's next move Nokia's Windows phone: Nokia Lumina
Nokia expected a huge new smartphone marketshare with its iconic Nokia Lumina series. It has got exceptional design and unique breed of its own. But this is something too little and too late. People now use Linux indirectly via the Android platform. They experience the smooth and reliable OS performance which is something we can never expect from Windows OS. The desktop Windows OS is something everyone still mostly need to use, for the App dependencies, but now things are far more changing, we have much more reliable and well maintained Linux PC distributions such as Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora, CentOS and so on. Many years ago when Windows XP, and Windows 98 dominated PC OS market-share, there used to be SuSE Linux, RedHat and Debian distributions and so on. They used to have few gaps, where there is still a strong reason to use Microsoft Windows. But these days, the scenario is fast changing. There is an increase in Firefox browser marketshare, even Chrome browser marketshare, and so a steep decline of Microsoft's flagship Internet Explorer (IE) marketshare.
So yet another Windows OS, for a smartphone is a least desirable choice anyone can imagine. Although Nokia Lumina is a good phone to a certain extent, it is not feasible and practical smartphone where everyone can think of buying it. Its build and color is highly attractive, perhaps that is the reason I found few women carrying Nokia Lumina around. But its advantages ends with that. It has very minimal App support, which is a huge risk not many people are willing to take risk. Compared to well developed Android eco-system, Microsoft Mobile phone OS, is next to nowhere.
Microsoft's future smartphones a competitor of Nokia Windows Lumina?
Microsoft got great expectations with its new upcoming Microsoft Surface Tablet product series. Microsoft really aims to make Tablet a sort of alternative to full-fledged laptops. They are focusing a device which is offering both conventional tablet specific uses, as well a device which can meet up the productive demands. Simply put, they need a tablet which is not just meant for entertainment purposes. Hence they are bundling Microsoft Office and other few useful applications catering this use-case. Due to their success with Gaming devices such as XBox we do expect some good amount of marketshare in future in their Tablet offering too. But people are also too skeptical not to take any more risks to use Microsoft Windows based tablets this time. So only time will decide. But there is a near fear lingering around the market, is the speculation of Microsoft's their own smartphones lined after their Surface Tablet release. If so, then the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft can turn bitter, since they can be competing against each other.
And now the Shutdown of Nokia Finland factory:
This is a hot news, very unfortunate that Nokia is shutting down its factories and other research facilities, has been reported in these news websites:
http://www.thfire.com/business/nokia-to-kill-10000-jobs-and-shut-down-factories-research-centers-16581
http://jcyberinux.com/rjdreyes/nokia-shutdown-finland-manufacturing-plant-and-uk-online-store.html
As one can see there is a big trail of goof-ups after goof-ups, which had led to this unfortunate situation. Samsung which is no where into Mobile phone market once, entered with few basic phones, and eventually it captured a huge marketspace via their Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Tablets. Via Android platform, they have least burden of maintaining the core operating systems all by themselves, instead Google takes care of the core development of Android OS. This is a healthy eco-system, and a lot exciting to see extensive app-stores and games in Android platform. The only alternative for a firm like Nokia is to start producing Android phones at any cost. This is the only way they can sustain in the market. Else with their basic phone offerings, they can't sustain market longer, since there is a lot of competition which exists in that market too. Also it is a saturated market, with almost zero innovation required.
I hope you enjoyed reading this deep insight, kindly feel free to post your comments/opinions.
Best Regards,
_________________________
Kiran Kankipati,
www.trafficsqueezer.org
Author/Founder: TrafficSqueezer, Aquarium.
The Symbian Partnership:
Nokia had used extensively Symbian OS quite extensively, which eventually led to acquisition of the same. It is a highly strategic partnership, and acquiring Symbian is a strategic and smart move by Nokia.
Google-Android doesn't it sound similar to Nokia-Symbian combo?
Much the way Google now got Android, Nokia had Symbian in it basket. But Nokia failed to improve to work upon it. Symbian OS offered a robust platform for basic mobile phone development requirements. But Symbian failed to make its mark in-terms of evolving into interesting GUI offering. This is what now distinguishes it from a more generic much more refined and organized platform like Android OS. Android GUI is so robust, and highly modular. Versus the Symbian GUI is much more confined, and had various limitations. This is one of the main goof-ups where Nokia failed to innovate, failed to evolve, and failed to adapt !
In-fact this is the biggest mistakes which Nokia never can have a solid smart-phone OS infrastructure with Symbian.
Let us recollect its old E90 Nokia Communicator phone and couple of more closely related E-Series phones which used to look like Blackberry clones. I think this is the tipping point of Nokia's smartphone technology. Where really the customers got something far too less than what they expected for.
Here is a picture of my E90-Communicator Nokia Symbian phone I got few years back. I bought it for around $700 USD. This is almost some 4-5 months before the launch of Apple's first iPhone in the market. In this picture you can make out that I really used it pretty much for a longer duration. It is made with rugged metallic alloy body. Hence it is quite heavy, but very robust construction and almost no exposed plastic surfaces.
I liked the specs. or configuration, and even mainly the screen-size and its resolution. It got a dual screen, one large internal screen and one small external screen. Also a dual keypad, one external numeric keypad, and internal fullfledged querty keypad. It is pretty reliable interms of call handling. So this is where its advantages ends. What really it failed is the integrated GUI support. You do not have even basic copy-paste like features. And other than that it lacked is the good App support. This is sometimes so annoying, when you download some app (usually those jar java apps), where you will come to know that it is partially ported to this phone, and this happens with other E-Series Nokia smart phones too. Besides it had so many loosely coupled components, and bugs with respect to its connection manager, Bluetooth interface software and the list goes on.
Frankly speaking I am never been a fan of Nokia (I mean the pre-smartphone era). Instead I used to buy Motorola phones. Motorola used to offer much more stylish elegant designed phones. They also launched their Music themed phones which are of a big hit and exceptional AD promotions. But Nokia had its edge, being a brand offering quality phones. But the quality phones ends in non-smartphone segment, but when it comes to smartphones Nokia failed the edge and innovation, and more than all, the INTEGRITY is what I can say.
So Symbian is never been a OS, fit enough to be used in a smartphone like a use-case. The integrated GUI experience matters. This is where iPhone and Android platforms made their mark and now it is a revolution.
Nokia's next move Nokia's Windows phone: Nokia Lumina
Nokia expected a huge new smartphone marketshare with its iconic Nokia Lumina series. It has got exceptional design and unique breed of its own. But this is something too little and too late. People now use Linux indirectly via the Android platform. They experience the smooth and reliable OS performance which is something we can never expect from Windows OS. The desktop Windows OS is something everyone still mostly need to use, for the App dependencies, but now things are far more changing, we have much more reliable and well maintained Linux PC distributions such as Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora, CentOS and so on. Many years ago when Windows XP, and Windows 98 dominated PC OS market-share, there used to be SuSE Linux, RedHat and Debian distributions and so on. They used to have few gaps, where there is still a strong reason to use Microsoft Windows. But these days, the scenario is fast changing. There is an increase in Firefox browser marketshare, even Chrome browser marketshare, and so a steep decline of Microsoft's flagship Internet Explorer (IE) marketshare.
So yet another Windows OS, for a smartphone is a least desirable choice anyone can imagine. Although Nokia Lumina is a good phone to a certain extent, it is not feasible and practical smartphone where everyone can think of buying it. Its build and color is highly attractive, perhaps that is the reason I found few women carrying Nokia Lumina around. But its advantages ends with that. It has very minimal App support, which is a huge risk not many people are willing to take risk. Compared to well developed Android eco-system, Microsoft Mobile phone OS, is next to nowhere.
Microsoft's future smartphones a competitor of Nokia Windows Lumina?
Microsoft got great expectations with its new upcoming Microsoft Surface Tablet product series. Microsoft really aims to make Tablet a sort of alternative to full-fledged laptops. They are focusing a device which is offering both conventional tablet specific uses, as well a device which can meet up the productive demands. Simply put, they need a tablet which is not just meant for entertainment purposes. Hence they are bundling Microsoft Office and other few useful applications catering this use-case. Due to their success with Gaming devices such as XBox we do expect some good amount of marketshare in future in their Tablet offering too. But people are also too skeptical not to take any more risks to use Microsoft Windows based tablets this time. So only time will decide. But there is a near fear lingering around the market, is the speculation of Microsoft's their own smartphones lined after their Surface Tablet release. If so, then the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft can turn bitter, since they can be competing against each other.
And now the Shutdown of Nokia Finland factory:
This is a hot news, very unfortunate that Nokia is shutting down its factories and other research facilities, has been reported in these news websites:
http://www.thfire.com/business/nokia-to-kill-10000-jobs-and-shut-down-factories-research-centers-16581
http://jcyberinux.com/rjdreyes/nokia-shutdown-finland-manufacturing-plant-and-uk-online-store.html
As one can see there is a big trail of goof-ups after goof-ups, which had led to this unfortunate situation. Samsung which is no where into Mobile phone market once, entered with few basic phones, and eventually it captured a huge marketspace via their Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Tablets. Via Android platform, they have least burden of maintaining the core operating systems all by themselves, instead Google takes care of the core development of Android OS. This is a healthy eco-system, and a lot exciting to see extensive app-stores and games in Android platform. The only alternative for a firm like Nokia is to start producing Android phones at any cost. This is the only way they can sustain in the market. Else with their basic phone offerings, they can't sustain market longer, since there is a lot of competition which exists in that market too. Also it is a saturated market, with almost zero innovation required.
I hope you enjoyed reading this deep insight, kindly feel free to post your comments/opinions.
Best Regards,
_________________________
Kiran Kankipati,
www.trafficsqueezer.org
Author/Founder: TrafficSqueezer, Aquarium.
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