Nokia and Windows Phone

   It is undeniable that the smartphone OS market is being dominated by Apple's IOS and Google's Android OS.  And it is also a fact that the smartphone market is growing bigger and faster every year.  Phone manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Sony and etc (except Nokia) have all been releasing their own lines of smartphones and coming up with better design, faster processors and graphics and bigger screens every year.  Of course they all use Android as the OS but they are not identical.  Each manufacturer has their own version of the OS since Android is fully customizable.  Then, we have the iPhone.  Since IOS is exclusive for iPhones, basically Apple has full control of the OS and also they sell their own phones too.  Whilst you cannot customize the OS to your liking, the IOS seems to be doing very well being as it is.  The fact that the iPhone is the #1 smartphone in the world is a good proof of that.
   Now we come to Nokia, the once all mighty mobile phone company that was at the top of everyone’s wish list less than a decade ago.  So what really happened? Honestly nobody really knows.  Before the iPhone, the only “smartphone” we had was from Nokia via their Symbian OS.  Phones like N95, N96, N98 and even the N7 were among the most popular Nokia Symbian smartphones at that time.  Not much of a choice but they really dominated the market and were the #1 phone manufacturer in terms of volume.  Now that crown belongs to Samsung.  Then Apple came along and turned everything upside down which is good, with their iPhone.  The whole world went crazy and having an iPhone is something that you have to do before you die.  Google saw the potential and the smartphone market and created their own smartphone software, Android.  After a few years, the market now is dominated by these two giants.  Notice that I didn’t include RIM because I feel that although it is a smartphone OS but it is too much of a niche and not really on the same page as IOS and Android. Sorry Blackberry fans.  On a personal note I think the boom of social networks also contributed to the expansion of the smartphone market.  But that’s another story.  Coming back to the case, Nokia on the other hand basically did nothing until it was all too late. 

Maybe when you are big and tall you don’t really feel threaten when something like the IOS comes into the market.  That may is actually very true.  IOS is exclusive for iPhones and iPhones are exclusive to Apple.  I do not need to remind you that the iPhone is a high end phone.  Rather expensive to many and thus not your everyday mass market phone.  So in that aspect it Nokia really paid much attention to it.  Since Nokia has phones from the high ends to the low range cheaper phones.  The market is covered.  Some healthy competition may be neglected.  Then came the Android, which is the one that actually did Nokia in. As the Android OS is basically free, any manufacturer can built a smartphone themselves.  Then suddenly the market is flooded with all sorts of Android smartphones, high end and really cheap ones.  Suddenly, everyone can afford a smartphone.  So who would want to buy a phone with a keypad when everyone is into touchscreen.  Again, with basically everyone in the planet having some sort of a social network account, the best way to get connected while on the move is via a smartphone.  With that, Nokia started to lose its market share and perhaps was a lost on what to do next for a couple of years. 

  Initially Nokia tried to develop their own smartphone software, which was actually based on the Symbian OS called Meego.  However, it was not as easy as it seems or perhaps they do not think it was good enough to challenge IOS and Android.  The only phone that ever did released with Meego was the Nokia N9.  Surprisingly it was quite a hit until Nokia decided to dump Meego and instead opt for and available OS the Windows Phone.  So suddenly something with potential was replaced with something out of the box.  I mean out of the box is because like the Android, Windows Phone is an OS available for any manufacturer for a fee.  Just like the PC version, manufacturers can install the OS in their phones for a licensing fee.  Manufacturers like Samsung and HTC have already been releasing Windows Phones and now Nokia is doing the same.  However, the risk can be too big for the company.  Unlike Samsung and HTC who also manufactures smartphones running on Android, Nokia basically only has Windows Phone.  Nokia pulled the plug on Meego (something exclusive to them) and will only produce phones running on Windows Phone.  So much for “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.  The result of the tie up is the release of the Lumia range of smartphones by Nokia. Heading the bunch are the Lumia800 and Lumia900.    So far, things seems to be positive for the time being.  Nokia has finally been consistently releasing phones in the recent months and they all run on Windows Phone.  Since Nokia need not worry about the OS part of the phone manufacturing, they seem to have focused their resources on the hardware or the phone itself.  The Lumia800 and Lumia900 is design to be very sleek and attractive.  It is made up of a single plastic mould and the glass is slightly curve for a better feel on your face when you are making phone calls. 

Whether or not this Nokia and Microsoft tie up will bear fruit and at least pose some threat to the Apple IOS and the Google Android is still too early to judge.  But I have to agree that it is the best possible combination you can get for both companies.  Nokia is a phone manufacturing company in dire for a good smartphone OS and Microsoft is software company trying to tap into the currently very lucrative and greatly expending smartphone market.