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by rbanffy
5442 days ago
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While it's clear Symbian is going nowhere in the smartphone space (it could have a temporary future in the high-volume dumbphone segment as S40 gets pushed down by better hardware) and that MeeGo took ridiculously long to mature into a non-competitive-but-cute OS, the idea to bet Nokia's future on the unlikely success of Windows Phone 7 is one of the stupidest mistakes I ever saw. The only explanation would be that this was the only way Nokia could raise the money needed to continue operating. But this whole thing looks suspicious to the point I can risk a couple predictions: - Microsoft will become immune to lawsuits for violating Nokia patents (either by eventually acquiring whatever will be left a couple years down the road or by licensing them for peanuts as part of a WP7-related deal). This may be particularly relevant with W8's new interface. - The patents will be sold to a fund that will then use those patents to extort Android phone makers (Apple is probably already immune), creating a pressure for manufacturers to endorse WP7 as a patent-safe alternative - Elop will retire or be hired by a company where Microsoft holds a stake, either directly or indirectly. |
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Why was this stupid? The Android space is way too cluttered to really make an entrance. Nokia probably couldn't get much marketshare from Samsung or HTC in either the high-end or low-end Android markets at this point. They have years of experience in getting the software to work with their hardware, and are making great phones at this point. Nokia, as a newcomer, can't really compete with them.
Symbian is basically dead, so what would they put on their phones? Win 7 makes a lot of sense in that context, especially with the discounts that they're surely getting from MS. Google doesn't have much incentive to give anything to Nokia, considering the overall success of Android with everyone else.