Nokia is to start making Windows Phone 7 handsets in an attempt to seize back the initiative from iPhone and Android. The company revealed its new "strategic partnership" with Microsoft early this morning, but confirmed it won't be killing off the Symbian or MeeGo operating systems as a result.
No actual device was announced this morning. Instead, Nokia confirmed that it will adopt Windows Phone as its "principal smart-phone strategy", blending its hardware expertise -- cameras were specifically highlighted in the announcement -- with Microsoft's software and services.
The two companies are going to work together on the future roadmap of Windows Phone too, while Nokia will make use of Microsoft's Bing search across all its devices. Nokia's Ovi Store will be "integrated" with Microsoft's WinPho 7 Marketplace for apps and content. "Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an
ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale," said Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. "It's now a
three-horse race." We imagine BlackBerry-makers Research In Motion may have something to say about that comment. So what about Symbian and MeeGo? Nokia says Symbian will become "a franchise platform, leveraging previous investments to harvest additional value". Which is marvellous corporatespeak, but what does it mean? Selling 150 million more Symbian smart phones in the developing world, apparently, with Symbian users here in the west encouraged to upgrade to the new Windows Phone handsets. Meanwhile, MeeGo's future is less clear. It's becoming an "open-source, mobile operating system project", which sounds like a sideline to us. "MeeGo will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences," explains Nokia's announcement, although the company does still plan to launch a MeeGo 'product' this year. Translation: MeeGo isn't for smart phones any more, it's about tablets and other connected devices.
Still, Nokia and Windows Phone 7. It's happening, but what do you think -- are Nokia and Microsoft the dark horse in the smart phone race, or a pair of turkeys with no chance of becoming an eagle? Let us know in the comments. Meanwhile, here's Elop and Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer talking up the deal.
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Comments 6
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Anonymous 11 February, 2011 09:05
Goodnight Nokia. Lacking focus and having too many platforms, they add another one? And a poor one at that. They were almost there with Meego, but now they lose patience and jump on the new new thing that will again not be ready to ship for a long time. They will leverage, of all things, their cameras? What -- it's not like their camera modules are any different from those of anybody else, nor is that a very important selling point.
Anonymous 11 February, 2011 10:22
So it's good-bye to Symbian - at least at the top end. A sad moment for someone like me who's been using Symbian devices since the 1990s. Now it is an operating system that is almost dead if not quite forgotten, a fate which also awaits Nokia unless it learns to get new products out quickly. And talking of new products - did Nokia rush out the E7 this week in 'certain markets' just to make it slightly less embarrassing that their flagship phone for this year runs software that they have just admitted is c**p.
Mark Anderson 11 February, 2011 15:08
So they move from a platform that has aesthetic difficulties resulting in reducing sales... to one that has hardly an sales at all?
Brilliant.
Most annoyed about them reneging on the whole Symbian development thing. I must have 'mug' tattood on my forehead or something.
Ah well; ZTE Blade in pocket, N8 in sock drawer it is.
Anonymous 11 February, 2011 17:55
ZTE Blade eh?
wow.
Mark Anderson 11 February, 2011 21:30
Yes. For £100 it is indeed 'wow'.
Anonymous 2 March, 2011 05:48
Nokia didn't have a choice. Meego is still at least a year away - maybe two. Symbian doesn't work with multicore processors and will require a complete kernel rewrite - another year. And Google are really making a LOT of enemies with global carriers as they are syphoning off the operator's revenues while providing absolutely zero support. Android may be free but it rapidly becoming too expensive for the operators.
So what does that leave?