Nokia annuls first MeeGo smartphone before release

On 02.10.11, In Mobile, By Editor

­If reports are to be believed, Nokia has halted development on its first MeeGo based smartphone, just a few months before its anticipated release.

According to reports, the company was expected to show off the device at this Friday’s highly anticipated investor show. Leaked photos last month had shown a Nokia branded device running the MeeGo OS for the first time.

Although bound to fuel speculation about the direction the company is heading in, with an expected switch to either Android or Windows Mobile 7, it could be simply that the company’s new CEO felt the device was too much based on “old-Nokia”, and not really suitable for releasing in the post-iPhone world.

However, shortly after Stephen Elop took the top job at Nokia last September, a senior Nokia executive in charge of the MeeGo OS, Ari Jaaksi resigned from the company, citing personal reasons.

Nokia announced the MeeGo platform last February, as a merger with Intel of their respective mobile-Linux platforms, Maemo and Moblin. The MeeGo software platform is expected to be hosted by the Linux Foundation as a fully open source project.

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Nokia considering setting up a head office in the US

On 02.09.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop is considering setting up a shadow HQ in California to position it more closely amongst the growing smartphone market.

According to sources, Elop is considering shifting the executive centre of gravity to Silicon Valley, creating a virtual HQ in the United States. The move would therefore require Nokia’s Executive Board to spend most of their time outside Finland, accelerating a process of de-Finnistration, that may have started with the weekend reports of a cull of senior directors at the company.

The company is expected to announce a major shift in its handset strategy this week, which could involve starting to support either the Android of Windows Phone 7 platforms in addition to its own Symbian or MeeGo platforms.

However, mobile networks are reportedly uncomfortable with the growing domination of the Android platform and would prefer Nokia to stay aloof from the ongoing convergence so that the consumers retain some choice in the handset market and that the operators can reduce the risk of becoming dumb pipes and losing their value added revenues to Apple and Google.

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World’s smartphone shipment increases by 87.2%

On 02.08.11, In Mobile, By Editor

The data collected by International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that vendors shipped a total of 100.9 million smartphones during the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10), upto 87.2% from the 53.9 million smartphones shipped during 2009. For the full year, vendors shipped a total of 302.6 million smartphones worldwide, up 74.4%  from the 173.5 million smartphones shipped in 2009.

Android continues to gain by leaps and bounds, helping to drive the smartphone market. It has become the cornerstone of multiple vendors’ smartphone strategies, and has quickly become a challenge to the market leader Symbian. Although Symbian has the backing of market leader Nokia, Android has multiple vendors, including HTC, LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung and a growing list of companies deploying Android on their devices.

Adding to the competitive landscape is the entrance of two refreshed operating systems, Symbian3 and Windows Phone 7. In their first quarter of commercial availability, both Symbian3 and Windows Phone 7 ramped up quickly, just in time for the holidays. By the end of the quarter, Nokia had shipped five million Symbian3 units while Windows Phone 7 vendors shipped more than 1.5 million units. Now, with the holiday quarter over, both platforms will need to sustain this initial growth in the quarters to come.

IDC expect further gains for the smartphone market in 2011, as smartphone vendors deepen and broaden their offerings. The high-end of the market has been important to help grow the smartphone market in recent years. It also expects vendors to provide more mid-range and low-end smartphones at lower prices to reach the mass market. In the same manner, even high-end devices will become available at lower prices. This will result in greater competition and more selection for users.

Top Five Smartphone Vendors

Nokia noted the positive progress of its new Symbian3 smartphones during  2010: five million units combined from the N8, C7, and C601 worldwide, a strong showing given their recent introduction to the market. At the same time, Nokia’s volumes are largely comprised of older devices, while MeeGo-powered devices have yet to arrive on the market. In addition, Nokia continues to struggle in the North America market. The recent cancellation of the X7 smartphone at AT&T highlights Nokia’s challenges and a new device has yet to be revealed.

Apple’s iPhone gained more ground in the worldwide smartphone market, with shipment volume growth coming from Asia/Pacific and Japan. In addition, Apple made further inroads into the enterprise market, with more companies adding Apple to their approved smartphone list and increased development of corporate-centered applications. Rumors of an iPhone 5 have begun to heat up the blogosphere, with many expecting a new design and perhaps a mobile wallet.

Research In Motion reached a new shipment volume for a single quarter in  2010, and posted nearly identical year-over-year growth for both the quarter and the year. Driving growth was stronger interest from outside North America, with several markets posting double-digit gains. Meanwhile, RIM continued to enjoy market leadership in North America, but nonetheless saw mounting challenges from the competition. Popular devices for the quarter included the BlackBerry Torch and the BlackBerry Curve 3G.

Samsung took top honors for having the largest year-over-year improvement for both the quarter and for the year, an accomplishment largely fueled by its popular Galaxy S series smartphones. New Galaxy devices are expected to launch, including the Galaxy Fit, Ace, and Mini. Not to be overlooked are Samsung’s  big-branded smartphones, as well as its emerging Windows Phone smartphones, both of which received a warm reception. Samsung has set its sights on growing market share at least 40% in 2011.

HTC reaped triple-digit growth for both the quarter and for the year, second only to Samsung. Driving its success were its increased brand awareness, market positioning, and a series of devices that have resonated well with users and carriers alike. Following its success in 2010, the company known for being ‘quietly brilliant’ aims to become a preferred brand for smartphone users in 2011, while leveraging its scalability to drive business in Asia/Pacific and other emerging markets.

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Google’s Android surpasses Nokia’s Symbian

On 02.01.11, In Mobile, By Editor

The rapid growth of Google’s Android smartphone operating system is captured by figures showing that it overtook Nokia’s equivalent to become the most popular platform in the last three months of 2010.

Shipments of smartphones using Android surpassed those containing Nokia’s Symbian for the first time in the fourth quarter.

The data underline the challenges facing Nokia, the largest mobile maker as it rapidly loses ground in the smartphone market to rivals led by Apple and handset manufacturers using Android.

The researchers estimated that 33.3 million smartphones featuring Android were shipped by handset manufacturers in the last three months of 2010, up from 4.7 million in the same period in 2009. These figures included Chinese variants of Android.

Nokia shipped 31 million smartphones running Symbian in the fourth quarter of 2010, up by 30% on the same period in 2009.

Apple’s iOS smartphone operating system was the third largest by shipments, followed by the platform from Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry.

Two years after its launch, Android has become the most popular smartphone operating system. Its growth reflects how several smartphone makers, including Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, have switched to Google’s platform. It is believed that Nokia’s Symbian provides an inferior user experience compared with Android and Apple’s iOS.

As per Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive previous statement, the company needed to improve rapidly its position in the smartphone market.

European mobile operators would be likely to respond negatively to Nokia making an Android-based smartphone.

Some operators fear a smartphone duopoly could emerge based on the operating systems by Apple and Google, and are keen that Nokia provide a mass market alternative.

Nokia has been developing an operating system called MeeGo, but has yet to reveal devices. Android is making rapid advances in the market for tablet computers.

It captured 22% of tablet shipments in the fourth quarter, putting it second behind Apple’s iPad.

Sony Ericsson stated this month that competition between smartphone manufacturers using Android was intensifying.

Bert Nordberg, Sony Ericsson’s chief executive claimed that it had overestimated the length of time it could release a product to the market before it was then obliged to cut the price on the grounds of it ageing.

The company had thought the price cut would happen after nine to 11 months, but it had turned out to be necessary after six to seven months.

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Nokia to announce strategy shift for handsets

On 01.31.11, In Mobile, By Editor

­Nokia has hinted at a possible shift in its handset strategy that could see it embracing an alternative to its Symbian and MeeGo operating systems for future handsets.

According to Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, Nokia must compete on an ecosystem-to-ecosystem basis. In addition to great devices, we must build, catalyze, and/or join a competitive ecosystem.

The comment about joining up with another platform has sparked a flurry of speculation, which has been heightened by news that the company will announce a strategy shift in an investor presentation on11th Feb.

The company has been trying to push its Symbian platform and has an internal culture which leans towards open-source options. Developing for Windows Phone 7 could lead to some key developers being uncomfortable with the direction the company is taking, at a critical stage in its fight back against other smartphone manufacturers.

Microsoft also maintains a tighter control over how its OS is deployed in smartphones, offering Nokia more limited options for personalizing its handsets and making its products standout from the crowd.

The more relaxed Android OS would still permit Nokia to embed support for its NAVTEQ mapping subsidiary instead of relying on Google’s own maps service.

Speculation about the “strategy shift” is likely to get intense in the run up to the investor presentation.

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Nokia might develop a Windows Phone 7 Based Smartphone

On 12.21.10, In Mobile, By Editor

­Nokia is rumored to be in talks with Microsoft about launching a possible Windows Phone 7 based smartphone under the Nokia brand – marking a huge shift in attitude from the Finnish giant. Nokia is reported to have initiated the talks.

If talks with Microsoft are in progress, they might be misinterpreted as being about handset OS, but in fact be related to existing alliances between the two companies, such as the one announced late last  year to add more support for Microsoft Office services in Nokia phones.

Nokia has repeatedly denied media reports that it might consider switching to the Android OS, stating that it was happy with Symbian and its Intel joint-venture, MeeGo. However, despite opening up Symbian to the open source community it has not excited app developers in the same way that the Google backed Android platform managed.

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Nokia delays E7 shipment till Jan 2011

On 12.15.10, In Mobile, By Editor

Nokia has delayed the shipping of its Symbian 3 based mobile phone, Nokia E7 to early 2011.

As per the Finnish company, E7 has been delayed to ensure a good user experience. So, Nokia will not have new products for this Christmas holiday. Nokia E7 was announced during the Nokia Conference in Sep, 2010 in London.

Nokia E7
Nokia’s previous flagship launch, of the N8, was also delayed and some of the devices subsequently suffered a technical glitch.

Stephen Elop, Chief Executive has vowed to raise Nokia’s game but he faces a difficult balancing act between increasing the speed at which products get to market and improving their quality.

In addition to the iPhone and BlackBerry, Nokia is also under pressure from rivals such as South Korea’s Samsung and HTC of Taiwan, which have adopted Google’s increasingly popular Android operating system.

Nokia, in contrast, has stuck with its Symbian operating system in spite of criticism that users feel it is inferior.

The E7 uses a newly improved version of Symbian. Nokia is also working on a new operating system, called MeeGo, due to be introduced next year.

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Apple conquers 95% of tablet market

On 11.03.10, In Mobile, By Editor

Strategy Analytics believes that Apple’s iPad has conquered the tablet market with 95% of sales in Q3, despite the invasion of competitors.

According to the research firm, Apple shipped nearly 4.2 million of the estimated 4.4 million units sold in the quarter. Global tablet shipments grew 26% sequentially. Second-placed Android achieved just a 2.3% share of the global tablet OS market, but is expected to increase in the current quarter. The other tablet OS providers combined namely Microsoft, RIM and Nokia currently only equal Android’s share.

While the US remained undoubtedly the world’s largest tablet market during Q3, demand in Asia and Western Europe is also beginning to swell.

According to Strategy Analytics director Neil Mawston, the tablet wars are up and running. Android, Microsoft, MeeGo, webOS, Blackberry and other platforms are trailing in Apple’s wake and they already have much ground to make up.

According to Paul Carlton, Vice President of research at ChangeWave, Apple’s rivals face a tough time gaining market share because the iPad has already set the bar so very high in terms of customer expectations.

The iPad has taken a big slice out of the netbook market. US consumers’ interest in netbooks has plummeted by ten percentage points in the past year, according to a ChangeWave survey.

The research firm found just 14% of consumers who plan to buy a laptop in the next 90 days will opt for the netbook form factor, compared to 26% that said they plan to buy a tablet.

Demand for the emerging form factor is driven by Apple’s iPad. The device scored highly in satisfaction ratings among current owners, while 80% of consumers planning to buy a tablet said they would pick the Apple unit.

Other tablets grabbing consumer attention are RIM’s PlayBook desired by 8% – Samsung’s Galaxy Tab (3%), and HP’s Slate (2%).

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Nokia’s MeeGo device Chief Quits

On 10.06.10, In Mobile, By Editor

The head of Nokia’s MeeGo device, Dr Ari Jaaksi, has resigned. According to Nokia, Jaaksi had decided to pursue opportunities outside  Nokia. The company thanks him for his contribution over the years. Despite Ari’s departure, Nokia MeeGo strategy remains unchanged. MeeGo continues with its strong momentum.

Jaaksi was a Nokia experienced person, having headed up MeeGo’s forerunner, Maemo, since its first production version in 2005.

Maemo was a software platform for smartphones and Internet tablets. Maemo was based on open source code, and was developed by Maemo Devices within Nokia in collaboration with many open source projects such as the Linux kernel, Debian, and GNOME. Maemo is based on Debian GNU/Linux and draws much of its GUI, frameworks, and libraries from the GNOME project.If rumors are to be believed, Nokia intends to launch its first MeeGo handset, the N9, by the end of this year.

Nokia also continues to develop its Symbian operating system, which is a slightly more mid-range opponent to MeeGo. The next version of that OS, Symbian^4, will be the first to exercise a fully redesigned user interface since Symbian, now also open-source has became touch-enabled, and is widely seen as a final attempt for Nokia to stay pertinent in the face of competition from Android and the iPhone.

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Nokia considers Windows Phone 7

On 10.04.10, In Mobile, By Editor

If reports are to be believed, Nokia may consider Windows Phone 7 as a platform for its upcoming smartphones.

Nokia has also teamed up with Intel to develop the MeeGo mobile platform which has yet to emerge on the handsets and doesn’t show any signs of becoming a serious rival.

If they were to make a Windows Phone 7 handset they would need to strengthen the internal hardware, one  of the areas in which the N8 lacks. The 600MHz processor features may just not be enough to cut it in the existing smartphone/OS conflicts, so a more powerful option would be a necessary. Nokia has seen a steep decline in its company value since the release of the iPhone in 2007.

Microsoft’s mobile platform currently has five launch partners; HTC, Samsung, LG, Acer and Dell and is a major improvement over the previous WinMo OS.

If Rumors are to be believed, Finnish company would soon ditch the Symbian platform entirely have proven untrue and were ridiculous to begin with. This was demonstrated last week when Nokia and AT&T announced a competition to entice developers to make apps for the Ovi Store with up for US$10million in prize money up for grabs.

Pre-orders for the N8 have been the highest Nokia has had for any handset till date, though currently it is the only smartphone in its line-up which could potentially have the mass appeal that it needs.

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