Nokia will adopt Windows Mobile as its main smartphone platform in a wide-ranging agreement with Microsoft. Today two companies announced plans for a broad strategic partnership that combines the respective strengths of our companies and builds a new global mobile ecosystem. Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader. Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
What Microsoft has on mobile sector now is Windows Phone 7. It is the successor to Windows Mobile platform. Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 on February 15, 2010, at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. Windows Phone 7 is a new platform, and older Windows Mobile applications do not run on it. Windows Phone 7 features a version of Internet Explorer Mobile with a rendering engine that is “halfway between IE7 and IE8“. Silverlight (.NET code with XAM) is the application development platform for Windows Phone 7, but also Microsoft XNA is supported. Development tools are Visual Studio ja Expression Blend. Windows Phone 7 so far hasn’t been a major hit with the application-development community.
I would have liked to see something released on Meego instead of this, but I must admit that tt was somewhat expected that this could happen when you you get a new CEO from Microsoft. Now it seems that the stock price has fallen considerably this day: European stock markets turned lower Friday, with mobile-phone giant Nokia Corp. shedding nearly 10% after it agreed to a partnership with Microsoft. Let’s see what happens in the near future and how Microsoft stock reacts to this.
It takes quite a bit of time until the first phones using this new OS will come to market and how markets react to this. Vic Gundotra from Google already commented “Two turkeys do not make an Eagle” before the announcement. I think this was a better deal for Microsoft than for Nokia. Let’s see how well those turkeys are baked on the next Thanksgiving Day.
The new Nokia strategy: MeeGo will open-source mobile operating system project for future devices and Nokia’s Symbian will continue working on behalf of the platform. Symbian and MeeGo not dead, still shipping this year says another source.
But what will be the future of Qt? Just few months ago Nokia announced focus on Qt framework and support for HTML5. Qt applications do not work on Windows Phone and press release does not mention anything on Qt applications on Windows phones.
Letter to Developers about Today’s News tells that Qt will continue to be the development framework for Symbian and Nokia will use Symbian for further devices, and also on first MeeGo-related open source device (planned to ship later this year). There seems to be no Qt for Windows Phone development: In other words, Qt will not be adapted for Windows Phone 7 APIs. Microsoft would provide tools for application developers for Nokia Windows Phones. Developers already think this is a Microsoft sabotage on developers.
Was this Microsoft deal a good move or not is hard to say yet. I fear the worst. Some time ago Nokia’s outgoing head of smartphones Anssi Vanjoki Using Android like ‘peeing in your pants for warmth in winter’: Temporary relief is followed by an even worse predicament. Would using Windows Phone be like getting something else on your pants for temporary warmth?
This is a very dark day for Finnish software industry: Nokia to cut thousands of jobs in Finland. Pretty many developers in Finland will be pretty pissed off on all this…
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Tomi Engdahl says:
A bad setback for Nokia: Lumia has a bug
Nokia has admitted that Lumia 900-top-model has a programming error that could end the data transfer.
The problem will be corrected promptly as soon as next week, when there is a software.
- Memory management problem has been observed, and in some cases it can cause data transmission is interrupted, Nokia’s smartphones, Senior Vice President Jo Harlow, Nokia, and the United States, Senior Vice President Chris Weber said in a joint statement.
According to Nokia, the problem is the phone software, and does not have anything to do with your phone or mobile phone network.
Nokia has promised to compensate the software troubleshooting for customers generously. The company will pay one hundred U.S. dollars for every customer who buys a Lumia 900 before Saturday next week. Alternatively, customers can switch to a new phone.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2012041115435730_du.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Confirms Lumia 900 Software Glitch, Offers Fix and $100 Credit
http://allthingsd.com/20120410/nokia-confirms-lumia-900-software-glitch-has-fix-and-giving-buyers-100-credit/
Nokia said late Monday that it has identified a problem that has left some early Lumia 900 customers unable to connect to the Internet.
Nokia U.S. chief Chris Weber told AllThingsD that the problem is a memory-management issue with the phone’s software, and is not tied to any hardware issues or to a flaw with AT&T’s network.
Nokia has created a software fix, and all customers can swap their device at an AT&T store for an updated one or download a software update starting around April 16.
“We’re already manufacturing devices with the new software,” Weber said. “Those are being shipped to AT&T stores.”
Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T are all counting on big sales for the device and have said they are putting unprecedented marketing behind its launch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia jumps the gun, unveils its first NFC Windows Phone handset: The Lumia 610 NFC
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/04/11/nokia-jumps-the-gun-unveils-its-first-nfc-windows-phone-handset-the-lumia-610-nfc/
Microsoft had teased NFC support in its Windows Phone OS but until recently it had been a pipe dream. Nokia and ZTE had previously been linked with the release of an NFC-powered Windows Phone handset but today the Finnish mobile giant showed its hand, unveiling the Nokia Lumia 610 NFC, its first device to feature the contactless technology.
Nokia pushed the advantages of the contactless technology in its video, including the activating of NFC-enabled tags by tapping on them to open a webpage, connecting to supported wireless Bluetooth speakers and also the inclusion of support for Mastercard’s PayPass technology, allowing users to tap to make payments using their Nokia device.
it also appears that UK mobile operator Orange will be one of the first carriers to offer the handset, which means the Nokia 610 NFC is set to launch in Europe, with the UK (and maybe France)
Nokia Lumia 610NFC – first Windows Phone with NFC?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7NSzelp2L4A#!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia profit warning – stock plunges on the stock exchange
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia to reduce Devices & Services business in the 2012 first quarter on the perspective. The company will publish the first-year profit figures for the next week on Thursday.
Nokia’s share price began to notice after a steep dive. Instantly share price dropped by 13 per cent of about 3.3 euros.
Nokia expects that Devices & Services net sales totaled EUR 4.2 billion in the first quarter of 2012, consisting of the Mobile Phones unit of net sales of EUR 2.3 billion (71 million units), Smart Devices unit’s net sales of EUR 1.7 billion (12 million device) and Other Devices & Services section to EUR 0.2 billion turnover.
Nokia sold in the first quarter of 2012 over two million Lumia – smart phone average selling price of about EUR 220.
Source:
http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=201204149617
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia surges as the tsunami
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia drops the phone and the service unit’s first quarter outlook.
According to Nokia, the unit operating loss and operating margin is -3 percent in the first three months.
The company’s shares reacted strongly to the news.
Source:
http://www.itviikko.fi/talous/2012/04/11/nokia-syoksyy-kuin-tsunami/201227132/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
72 Hours Later, Nokia’s Big U.S. Launch Marred by Growing Pains
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/nokia-us-launch-problems/
Nokia’s road to success with Windows Phone seems to be filled with potholes.
The company released its premier handset, the Lumia 900, on Easter Sunday — a day on which many stores were closed for the holiday. After launch, it was discovered that a software issue is plaguing a number of new Lumia 900 smartphones, rendering them incapable of connecting to the internet. And this morning, Nokia issued a press release warning investors of “disappointing” smartphone sales for the first half of 2012.
“Nokia stands on the brink of failing with its smartphone strategy, again,” wrote IHS analyst Ian Fogg wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.
The Lumia 900 is the make-or-break device both for the Windows Phone platform, and for Nokia’s resurgence into the U.S. market.
“This is an embarrassment for Nokia, which was undoubtedly rushing this device to launch on AT&T’s 4G LTE network,” IHS analyst Wayne Lam told Wired via e-mail.
While the stumbles may be disappointing for the underdog OS, it isn’t entirely unexpected.
“The problem for Nokia is that when poor phone shipment results combine with poor revenues at the same time there is little room to maneuver,” Fogg wrote. “Nokia has a little tactical room, but it will rapidly vanish unless the results improve in Q2 and Q3.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Lumia 900 Carries Bill of Materials of $209
http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/News/Pages/Nokia-900-Carries-Bill-of-Materials-of-$209.aspx
Nokia’s new Lumia 900 smartphone features a cost-reduced design that reveals close cooperation between the handset brand, Microsoft Corp., and semiconductor supplier Qualcomm Inc. This cooperation mimics Apple Inc.’s holistic approach to hardware and software development. This has allowed Nokia to produce a smartphone that has high-end features, but employs less expensive electronic components than are used in comparable products based on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.
The Lumia 900 carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $209, according to a preliminary IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis. When the $8.00 manufacturing cost is added in, the cost to produce the Lumia 900 rises to $217. The BOM represents 46 percent of the Lumia 900’s $450 retail price, without a service contract.
The Lumia 900 represents a make-or-break effort by Nokia and Microsoft to re-establish their foothold in the smartphone business. While Nokia is willing to accept hardware lower margins to carve out smartphone market share, Microsoft also is pitching in on the operating system software side.
The cost reductions of the Lumia 900 hardware primarily are derived from its use of a single-core applications processor, and its low dynamic random access memory (DRAM) density requirements.
The Lumia 900’s design allows it to operate with only 512 Megabytes of DRAM
With its central role in the development of the Lumia 900, Qualcomm is a big design winner in the smartphone, supplying its applications processor, baseband processor, power management ICs and radio frequency (RF) transceiver
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia is no longer the world’s largest – Samsung went past
Nokia’s 14 years of the reign of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer has ended, analysts estimate.
Samsung has gained momentum as Andoid-based Galaxy smartphones increase in popularity.
Bloomberg put together by the five analyst estimates that Samsunghas sold its first quarter 92 million phones, while Nokia announced yesterday it had sold 83 million handsets. Of these, 12 million smart phones.
Nokia has been slower than expected to respond to the smartphone market. Nokia, which does not have the competitiveness of smartphones, will lose their positions, says NH Investment & Securities analyst Lee Sun Tae for Bloomberg.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2012/04/12/nokia-ei-ole-enaa-maailman-suurin–samsung-meni-ohi/201227236/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s basic phones get a new operating system?
Nokia Symbian smartphones switched to Windows Phone. In June the company to change the operating system is also based phones, estimates investment bank Nomura.
Nokia plans to introduce in June a new touch screens designed for the operating system, which will replace the current S40 phones, the basic operating system, estimates investment bank Nomura.
Nomura’s estimates may be related to long-circulated rumors, Nokia Meltemi operating system. Meltemi is apparently a Linux-based operating system designed for basic phones. Elop has mentioned it in the company’s internal conference , but the company is silent on the outside of the project.
Nomura also believes that Microsoft and Nokia will release Windows Phone 8 operating system and phones that use it at September-October 2012.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2012/04/12/nokian-peruspuhelinten-kayttojarjestelma-uusiksi/201227238/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Economic Times: Stephen Elop one of the world worst leaders
News Channel CNBC’s commentators, Nokia’s Stephen Elpo is one of the most unfortunate of this year, managers in business, says Economic Times.
Cramer and Greenberg’s view is that drooping in Microsoft’s technology is a big mistake for Nokia.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2012041215443180_ta.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT & T, our retailers shut the mouths of Nokia Lumia
Nokia’s U.S. communications director Keith Nowak notify by e-mail, the Snow 710 – Snow and 900 models have been around a lot buzz as well as sales channel from the online media and online communities.
Comment says:
AT & T customers will have in a two-year contract one free update right to change your phone once. You get to change your phone to any model, when you change you give your current phone back to AT&T.
24 month tether is expensive, up to 70-90 dollars a month.
This means you are paying up to $ 1,100 for phone like Lumia (because the price of two phones needs to be included).
Interest has come to a halt when the most avid fans ran to buy because “it is just so wonderfully looking”.
Source: http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=201204150295&ref=il
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Samsung beat Nokia
http://www.asymco.com/2012/04/12/how-samsung-beat-nokia/
“Nokia currently estimates that Devices & Services net sales in the first quarter 2012 were EUR 4.2 billion, comprised of Mobile Phones net sales of EUR 2.3 billion (71 million units), Smart Devices net sales of EUR 1.7 billion (12 million units),”
We don’t have the total number of Samsung shipments, however estimates exist. They range between 41 and 44 million smartphones and 44 and 47 million feature phones. The low end of that range would imply Samsung shipped 85 million phones.
Nokia’s press release indicates that it shipped 83 million.
This would be the first quarter that Samsung beat Nokia in total phone shipments. It had already overtaken Nokia in sales volume and profitability last year but this is the most cited metric of market performance: being the biggest in volume.
Note that both companies have seen non-smart device volumes contracting. Samsung’s level is approximately the same as it had in late 2007 and Nokia’s is lower than at any point in the last six years (perhaps longer).
Samsung was able to convert its portfolio to smartphones while Nokia failed to do so. This is the sort of transition that can only come about from an explicit strategic intention on the part of management. Market demand can steer you in any number of directions, but a vision of a future should provide the compass for making the big bets.
The bet Nokia made many years ago was that there would be a continuing, substantial business in the “low end”. And low end meant feature phones. This strategy was still in evidence last year under the moniker “the next billion” users.
The decisions were not driven by whether the products would be hired for different jobs, but that they would hit different price points. In other words, segmentation of customers by their ability to pay for devices rather than categorization of the jobs they hired mobile devices to do.
Perhaps Samsung was no wiser, but they were more pragmatic. Being non-dogmatic meant being flexible. They ran with off-the-shelf technologies and managed a transition to smart devices faster than anyone expected. It may not be a perfect strategy but it beat a bad strategy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
martphone sales to touch 1 billion-unit mark in 2014: Credit Suisse
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/12/us-smartphonemakers-research-creditsuiss-idUKBRE83B0LS20120412
(Reuters) – Global smartphones annual sales will cross the billion-unit mark in 2014, helped by strong demand from China and the launch of cheaper low-end handsets, Credit Suisse said.
The analysts expect Nokia Corp to drive earnings recovery in 2013 and gain an 11 percent market share in the long term, based on carrier support, competitive pricing and strength in brand and distribution.
The analysts also expects Samsung — the world’s number two smartphone maker — and Huawei to gain market share.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia’s operating system should be re-considered strategy of recent low-cost handset market share loss and then Windows Mobile-based phones launching freeze lackluster. This was the estimate for Deutsche Bank.
According to the Bank Google’s Android, Nokia would benefit from the introduction, which would give the market share of interest in mobile phones. The German bank does not see this happening in the near future.
According to the Bank of the fight between operating systems is approaching its end: the final result is Google and Apple duopoly
Source: http://www.taloussanomat.fi/informaatioteknologia/2012/04/13/jattipankki-nokia-harkitse-viela-sita-androidia/201227324/12?rss=4
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Tomi Ahonen comments on Nokia:
These Steps or Nokia is No More – the way back to profits and growth
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/
The Heartbreaking Fact is – That Nokia CAN be Fixed in Just One Quarter (as in right NOW)
Nokia is a devastating disaster. Nokia’s sales are crashing in smartphones and in dumbphones. Nokia’s brand new ‘savior’ software, Windows Phone, is not helping and its biggest product launch ever, for the Lumia series of smartphones, is barely registering sales. The prices are being slashed.
Nokia was generating enormous profits in its smartphone unit even during the worst economic crisis we have witnessed in our lifetimes. Now when the world economy is recovering, Nokia’s smartphone unit is generating massive losses. Even after the ‘Microsoft bribe’ of 250 million dollars (!!!) per quarter is added to Nokia’s smartphone unit profitability. Nokia is in exceptionally bad straights right now.
If you want Nokia destroyed, cheer on Mr Elop and the current strategy, it will kill Nokia. But if you love Nokia, read this blog. I will show you where the problem is, by the process of elimination. Then I will show you the specific problem and give you proof of it. Then I will end with a few very simple steps to solve Nokia’s crisis. Nokia can be returned to profits within one quarter and I do mean now, if implemented today April 12, the Q2 results would show a modest profit
This blog article cannot be short, it is a very complex matter and Nokia has just set a world record in suicidal self-destruction. The primary part of this blog runs 9,000 words and will take you about 20 minutes to read
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Must Not Look Back As They Shape Their Smartphone Future
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2012/04/14/nokia-must-not-look-back-as-they-shape-their-smartphone-future-2/
I’m trying to work out if it’s been a good week or a bad week for Nokia.
So what can Nokia and Steven Elop do? There is no shortage of advise online, covering the majority of options open to the company, and this piece is about to add to that. But I want to start off with one point.
There is no point looking back at Nokia’s history to try and find guidance on what they should do in the future.
They are where they are.
But what would they change? Not their design that’s for sure, it’s one area Nokia are still regarded as being ahead of the game.
They looked at Android back in late 2010 – in fact they looked over every option before going with Microsoft – if the switch to Android was going to be made it should have been done then. If they were to go with the Google option now, then it would well into 2013 before a competent Android handset would reach the market. Do you think everyone would wait another year for Nokia to retool the assembly line? And they’d have even less bargaining power with Google to make a distinctive handset now than in 2010.
In house there are two options.
Both Symbian and MeeGo are not consumer friendly and neither are not the long term answer.
A move back to Symbian or Meego would be suicidal.
The biggest mark against Nokia’s handsets in all the reviews of their current Windows Phone devices is not hardware design, the user interfaces, or the connectivity options to desktop computers… it’s the third party application scene.
Right now, Nokia are partnered with the third biggest mobile app economy on the planet – after iOS and Android, there is the Windows Marketplace.
The Finnish company cannot look back – they have decided their smartphone ecosystem path and need to work with Windows Phone no matter where that leads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Snow 900 fell rapidly from the number one place in America
Snow Nokia 900 phone number one place to number one in the Amazon online store did not last long.
Lumian black and blue were the model of the Amazon online store the first and second place in the United States over a week, when the phone was launched in America market, over a week ago.
Now, Snow 900 black model dropped third position
Note that Amazon list does not include iPhone!
Source: http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=201204152801&ref=il
Tomi Engdahl says:
Credit rating agency Moody’s has lowered Nokia’s credit rating
Nokia’s long-term rating category of Moody’s fell to Baa3. The rating is now one step from the speculative junk category.
Moody’s estimates that Nokia’s structural challenges are considerable. Credit rating of the drop-down junk status is possible, if the Snow-strategy does not show signs of success, or if EBITDA is pressed on. After landing Moody’s estimates Nokia’s classification is in line with the S & P and Fitch.
Source: http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=201204153441
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bing updates ‘Translator’ app for Windows Phone with live-translation goodness
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/04/16/bing-updates-translator-app-for-windows-phone-with-live-translation-goodness/
There has long been an app in the Window Phone Marketplace called ‘Translator,’ a basic application that let a user, you guessed it, translate phrases.
However, today, Bing (along with Microsoft Research, and others) has released an update for the app that should bring it to the forefront of the Windows Phone Marketplace, as what it can now do is nifty on several levels. The newly updated program has the ability to live-translate anything on the fly. Point your phone at a sign, and the translation, in the language you prefer, will appear.
This is the sort of neat app that every smartphone platform likes to have, as it gives phones that run it a certain edge, as if they were a bit more than others. To the savvy eye, this technology isn’t brand new. But to most consumers it will be.
The app also contains voice translation, for conversations, and the ability to enter a phrase and translate it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile operators unconvinced by Nokia’s revival bid
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/sns-rt-us-nokia-telcosbre83g091-20120416,0,7509081,full.story
Nokia’s bid to challenge the dominance of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android has failed to convince telecom operators in Europe, depriving it of powerful allies in its fight to regain the top spot in the mobile market.
Four major telecom operators in Europe, where the phones have been on sale since before Christmas, told Reuters the new Nokia Lumia smartphones were not good enough to compete with Apple’s iPhone or Samsung’s Galaxy phones.
Skeptics among operators say the sleek, neon-colored phones are overpriced for what is not an innovative product, cite a lack of marketing dollars put behind the phones, and image problems caused by glitches in the battery and software of the early models.
Nokia’s big bet made a year ago to put Microsoft’s Windows Phone software in its smartphones looks far from certain to pay off, operators said.
“No one comes into the store and asks for a Windows phone,” said an executive in charge of mobile devices at a European operator, which has sold the Lumia 800 and 710 since December.
“Nokia have given themselves a double challenge: to restore their credibility in terms of making hardware smartphones and succeed with the Microsoft Windows operating system, which lags in the market,” the executive said.
Nokia now faces a battle for the key U.S. market, where its former dominance has shriveled to 1 percent of the smartphone market. AT&T has been selling the Lumia 900 for two weeks and it says early demand has been strong.
Issuing a profit warning last week, Nokia fell short of analysts’ estimates by saying it had sold over 2 million Lumia smartphones in the quarter ending March, up from 1 million in November to January. Analysts had expected sales of 3 million.
U.S. operators buy about 90 percent of mobiles while their European peers buy 50-70 percent, according to market researcher Gartner and Bernstein Research. Operators then sell them at a discount and recoup the money through 1-2 year contracts.
“It’s good for operators if we can reduce the dominance of Apple,”
Reviews of the Lumia on tech blogs have been mixed with some liking the smart look and Windows-inspired design, and others pointing out the poor quality of the screen and battery life. Few reviewers have suggested users should dump their iPhone or Android to buy a new Nokia.
“The operators say to Nokia: ‘We will try to bail you out if you and Microsoft come with the marketing money,’” says telecom consultant John Strand. “But even if the operators start to give away the Nokias for free, it will not make Nokia a success,” said Strand, who works with many of the top European carriers.
“Ultimately, Nokia and Windows are challengers and they either need to come to market with a really disruptive, innovative product or a huge marketing budget to create client demand. So far they have done neither.”
Telecom trends for 2012 « Tomi Engdahl’s ePanorama blog says:
[...] uncertain although Symbian started and finished 2011 as the undisputed king of mobile OSs (33.59%). Windows Phone will try to get to market and Leaked Windows Phone Roadmap gives us a peek into the future. Java [...]
Tomi Engdahl says:
What is truth on Windows Phone update? There is question on that accrodign to article at
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/msareena/msuutiset/kaikkiareenauutiset/microsoft+vaikenee+voiko+nokia+lumian+paivittaa/a800733?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-18042012&
All Windows Phones to get upgrade to ‘next major version,’ according to Microsoft developer evangelist
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/17/2956010/windows-phone-apollo-upgrade
According to an interview that Microsoft developer evangelist Nuno Silva gave to Zwame, every Windows Phone sold to date should be getting the upgrade to the next “major version of Windows Phone.” Silva further made it clear that he wasn’t just referring to current devices, but also the first-generation of Windows Phone devices going back to the Omnia 7. Presumably, the “major” here isn’t a simple tease for an interim update, but rather the version that’s codenamed Apollo.
Sources: current Windows Phone devices will not get ‘Apollo’ upgrade
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/17/2956439/windows-phone-8-apollo-no-upgrade
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Earlier today, a developer evangelist for Microsoft was quoted as saying that all Windows Phone devices would get an upgrade to the “next major version” of the operating system. Now, a trusted source close to Microsoft tells us that is absolutely not the case, that instead there will be no upgrade path from Mango to Apollo. This matches up with a previous report from Mary Jo Foley and explains the particular language Microsoft used when it responded to the story earlier today, saying “We have stated publicly that all apps in our Marketplace today will run on the next version of Windows Phone. Beyond that, we have nothing to share about future releases.”
The news that Mango phones won’t be getting an update to Windows Phone Apollo doesn’t bode well for everybody who just purchased a Nokia Lumia 900
Reading between the lines: Office on iPad, Windows Phone upgrades
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/reading-between-the-lines-office-on-ipad-windows-phone-upgrades/12101?tag=mantle_skin;content
Summary: Two Microsoft officials gave some very carefully worded answers to questions about Office on iPad and Windows Phone ‘Apollo’ compatibility at industry events this week.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone Marketing GM Out After 5 Months
http://rcpmag.com/articles/2012/04/17/windows-phone-marketing-chief-out-after-5-months.aspx
Gavin Kim, a former Samsung vice president who joined Microsoft in November as general manager of Windows Phone Product Marketing, left the company last week.
A central part of Kim’s responsibilities at Microsoft was to increase awareness of Windows Phone among partners, developers and especially consumers. “Each time a consumer goes to buy a smartphone from a carrier or retail store, Windows Phone has to be on their short list,” Kim told Web site Boy Genius Report in an interview last November.
Microsoft has since ramped up its consumer-targeted Windows Phone marketing efforts.
According to Reuters, European operators cite a lack of significant marketing spending from Microsoft as a key reason for poor Nokia Windows Phone sales.
“We can confirm that Gavin Kim has made a personal decision to leave Microsoft,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s Lumia 900 Is Out of Stock at AT&T’s Online Store, but Why?
http://allthingsd.com/20120416/nokias-lumia-900-is-out-of-stock-at-atts-online-store-but-why/
Good news in that the Lumia 900, the most eagerly anticipated Windows Phone device to date, is off to a good start, despite an unfortunate software glitch that prevented Internet access for some early customers. Bad news in that Nokia and AT&T don’t seem to have a supply sufficient enough to put a 900 in the hands of everyone who would like one.
There are a few caveats to this, however. It’s possible that these stock-outs may not be demand-related. They could, for example, be caused by Nokia’s offer of replacement handsets to consumers whose Lumia 900s were affected by that software glitch I mentioned earlier.
Nokia: We’re Building Lumia 900s as Fast as We Can
http://allthingsd.com/20120418/nokia-were-building-lumia-900s-as-fast-as-we-can/
We won’t know for certain how many Lumia 900s Nokia and AT&T have sold, until the companies report second-quarter 2012 financial results this summer, or release official sales data. But it turns out that the recent Lumia 900 stock-outs AT&T has been experiencing are a pretty good indicator of how the device is faring at market.
Looks like the software glitch that plagued early versions of the handset — and prompted Nokia to offer replacement devices to consumers affected by it — hasn’t had much of an effect on inventory.
Nokia spokeswoman Karen Lachtanski told AllThingsD. “So the impact of customer swaps is insignificant. We are producing more devices to satisfy demand as quickly as possible.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
All current Windows Phones will/won’t get WP 8
http://gigaom.com/mobile/all-current-windows-phones-willwont-get-wp-8/
Depending on whom you believe, Microsoft will either offer Windows Phone 8 as an upgrade to all current handsets running on Microsoft’s mobile platform or it won’t provide the software to any of those phones. Confusion is quickly rising over the situation, as there’s no official word from Microsoft yet on any future upgrade plans.
I have to wonder if the decision isn’t settled internally at Microsoft yet. It knows it runs a huge credibility risk for its mobile platform if it decides to not upgrade existing Windows Phones. To its credit, it appears to be eliminating any application-fragmentation issues among versions in either case, which would be an improvement over similar challenges faced by Google Android owners.
Ultimately, if the apps for Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 would work on Windows Phone 8, a lack of OS upgrades would a minimal problem, at best, for most users. That leaves only new or enhanced functionality that existing Windows Phone owners might be missing.
Regardless of how this plays out, I can’t understand why Microsoft wouldn’t offer the upgrade, at least for phones that debuted recently, such as the Lumia 710 and 900, or the HTC Titan II. The platform is well-optimized to run on minimal hardware, and the recent handsets should have plenty of horsepower to handle whatever Windows Phone 8 requires. If these won’t meet new minimum hardware requirements, Microsoft planned poorly — a definite possibility.
My hope is that Microsoft quickly addresses the confusion and states its intent for upgrades: Bad news (even if it’s not so bad) doesn’t get better with age.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s loss: 260 million
Nokia today announced the expected poor performance figures. The company’s operating loss of (non-IFRS) in January-March fell to EUR 260 million.
Nokia’s net sales fell 29 percent during the same period the previous year to 7.35 billion euros.
Lumia-phone sales results have been “mixed” according to Elop.
Nokia says to step up and deepen our Devices & Services business savings. The company says more about them later.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/nokian+tappio+260+miljoonaa+euroa/a801381?s=u&wtm=tivi-19042012
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyst suggests Nokia’s cleavage
German bank WestLB analyst Thomas Nokia Langer’s attention in the future mobile phone company Nokia’s focus on further cuts in the company’s cost structure.
It has become obvious that Nokia has three different problem, Langer says.
The first problem is a Windows-based phones, pricing, another Symbian phone sales volumes. The basic problem is the phones, as well as pricing and sales volumes.
- I do not think that this is a reorganization of the end. Maybe I should start thinking about larger-scale re-organization, Langer says Taloussanomat.
This means that the Nokia could be divided into two separate companies. When Nokia’s mobile phone manufacturing unit would be a separate company. Another company would remain Nokia’s design, development and software business operations.
Langer believes that the software giant Microsoft might be interested in buying Nokia’s design and software businesses.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/bisnes/2012/04/19/analyytikko-ehdottaa-nokian-pilkkomista/201227719/66
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia will make a giant loss, “is still no shortage of cash”
Nokia today announced the harsh result of the figures. The company’s net sales during January-March, 29 percent a year earlier.
At the same time the company’s operating loss of (non-IFRS) fell to EUR 260 million. Just one year ago, the company booked a 704 million euro operating profit during the same period.
IFRS accounting standards in accordance with an operating loss of as much as 1.34 billion euros, compared with a year ago, operating profit was EUR 439 million.
“Things would have to become much worse before the company would be really a shortage of cash”
China and the United States at a critical role
While Lumia phone sales exceeded expectations in the United States, for example, history has been more difficult for the company on other market areas.
Nokia’s cheapest Windows-based phone Lumia 610 deliveries are scheduled to begin in China on May.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/nokia+tekee+jattitappiota+quotei+viela+pulaa+kateisestaquot/a801460?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-19042012&
Tomi says:
This is a familiar formula for Microsoft in the disclosures: the software giant almost completely ignore all Windows Phone related number information.
Windows Phone in the figures is calculated in Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices division, which form the bulk of sales of the Xbox game consoles. The division’s sales fell to sixth from a year ago to $ 1.62 billion.
Investor Relations Director Bill Koeford said a chapter in the Windows Phone: Microsoft’s software programs, published in trade volume has increased by 50 percent in three months.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/microsoftilta+herui+vain+yksi+windows+phone+luku/a801904?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-21042012&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia: Three Big Problems
http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/04/22/nokia-three-big-problems/
Nokia’s results for Q1 2012 are in: They’re not good.
First and potentially most lethal: Nokia is burning cash.
If you back this amount out, you see Nokia’s operations have in fact consumed $1.15B, a significant fraction of the company’s $6.4B Net Cash. This cannot continue for very long and leads Henry Blodget to worry Nokia could go bankrupt in two years or less.
As for the latest Lumia smartphones, the reviews have been mixed. So are sales, according to Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO.
Unfortunately, we also hear a puzzling rumor: Existing Lumia phones wouldn’t be upgradable to the next OS version, Windows Phone 8, code-named Apollo. Both Mary Jo Foley, a recognized authority on things Microsoft, and The Verge, an aggressive and often well-sourced blog, support that theory.
A little over a year ago, in February 2011, Nokia’s brand-new CEO, Stephen Elop issued his ‘‘memorable” Burning Platform memo. I
Today, Nokia bleeds cash, its dumbphone business in a race to the bottom, and its plunge into the Microsoft ecosystem isn’t off to a good start. What’s next for the company? Can it turn itself around, and how?
With hindsight, it appears the premature announcement of the jump to Windows Phone osborned Nokia’s existing smartphones. Their sales dropped while the market waited for the new devices running Windows Phone. Some, like Tomi Ahonen, an unusually vocal — and voluminous — blogger, think Elop should be fired
At some point in time, if Lumia sales still barely move the needle, Microsoft would have to either drop Nokia and look for another vehicle for Windows Phone. Or it will have to assume full control of Nokia, pare down what it doesn’t need
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony and Nokia still a hit with Asian consumers
At last some good news for the under-fire duo
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/23/asia_brand_sony_nokia/
Nokia and Sony remain two of the most powerful brands in Asia despite high profile problems affecting both companies which have sent their market share, revenues and global reputation plummeting in recent months, according to a new piece of research.
Companies’ brand power is evaluated according to four factors: “Outstanding”, “Innovative”, “Friendly” and “Convenient”.
Nokia perhaps surprisingly was ranked first in Indonesia, India and Vietnam, and came second in Thailand beating not only local tech rivals but also global brands such as Coca-Cola, BMW and Disney.
Ailing Japanese electronics giant Sony, meanwhile, appeared more frequently in the top ten than any other brand
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft lobs out first Skype for Windows Phone
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/23/microsoft_skype_winphone/
Microsoft has delivered the first version of Skype for Windows Phone.
Available through the Windows Phone Marketplace, the free app eats up 6MB of space and works on devices from version 7.5 and higher.
Microsoft said Skype has been tested and certified to work on seven handsets – three Nokia Lumias, two from HTC and two from Samsung.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Mobile Comeback Is Looking Terrible
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/microsofts_mobile_comeback_is_looking_terrible.php
Microsoft ruled the PC market for decades with utter dominance. But today, as the future shifts toward mobile devices, things are not looking good for Microsoft. It’s not that it’s not trying: Microsoft is spending a lot of money and effort on cracking the mobile market, now in lockstep with Nokia, its top partner. But there’s no indication yet that it’s having any real success.
One troubling sign: Even now, more than a year after Microsoft started shipping Windows Phone 7 devices, U.S. mobile customers are getting rid of Microsoft devices faster than they’re buying new ones.
The trouble is that Microsoft’s phones – though decent – just aren’t good enough to demand attention. They’re certainly better now than they used to be – especially the new Lumia series from Nokia – but that isn’t enough. To cause any real damage to Apple or Google, Microsoft’s phones would have to be dramatically better than the competition, and they just aren’t.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe Loves Android, U.K. Loves Apple
http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2012/04/23/europe-loves-android-u-k-loves-apple/
Android is slowly pushing iOS into second place among Europe’s top five economies, according to a report published today.
InMobi, which claims to be the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network, reported that Android was the most popular operating system in three of the five top economies, with only the U.K. and Italy favoring Apple’s iOS.
Speaking of other operating systems, Mr. Stoneman said there was no evidence yet of any impact by Windows Phone. “Frankly at the moment, Windows Phone is a rounding error.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia share price hits 15-year low as Fitch downgrades it to ‘junk’ status
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/24/2971128/nokia-15-year-low-stock-price-fitch-junk-downgrade
We may look back on this day as the point from which Nokia bounced back up, but for now at least, the struggles over in Espoo are being judged harshly by the financial markets. The Fitch ratings agency has followed Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s in downgrading Nokia stock, but it has gone one step further in dropping it all the way down into the “junk” category, adding a negative outlook for the future as well. Nokia’s own expectations for the next financial quarter aren’t much happier
Tomi Engdahl says:
Compal Communications to see strong smartphone shipments to Nokia in 2Q12
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120424PD201.htm
Taiwan-based Compal Communications is likely to see its smartphone shipments in second-quarter 2012 increase sequentially by 30-40% to 2.5-3.0 million units mainly due to ODM production of Lumia series smartphones for Nokia, according to industry sources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Besides Elop you can blame the previous CEO for Nokia mistakes:
America’s worst CEOs: Where are they now?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162-57417988/americas-worst-ceos-where-are-they-now/
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, former CEO of Nokia. Kallasvuo was recently elected to the board of directors of Europe’s fifth-largest telecom company, TeliaSonera (TLSNF). He’s also vice chairman of SRV Group and is a board member of Aperios Group, European Design Leadership Board, and the Foundation for Economic Education. Nice.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyst predictions canceled: Windows Phone it remains to third place
Some of the analysts that predicted rapid rise in the Windows Phone markets last year, have changed their position.
The research house IDC ‘s and IHS Supplin analysts now believe that even if corporate IT administrators are convinced of how Windows Phone in the properties, is sitting in a consumer led to the workers, however, prefer to use another device.
“We can say with certainty that the decision of managers in many companies no longer have the last word.”
When Nokia and Microsoft told the co-operation plans last year, predicted by the research companies such as IDC, Gartner and iSuppli, the Windows Mobile operating system for mobile speeds up to second in 2015.
IHS and IDC have changed their mind.
Windows Phone in the future to remain a close third
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/msareena/msuutiset/kaikkiareenauutiset/analyytikko+peruutti+ennustuksensa+windows+phone+jaakin+kolmoseksi/a803643?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-26042012&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Strategy Analytics: Samsung Overtakes Nokia to Become World’s Largest Handset Vendor in Q1 2012
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/strategy-analytics-samsung-overtakes-nokia-to-become-worlds-largest-handset-vendor-in-q1-2012-2012-04-26
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global handset shipments grew a modest 3 percent annually to reach 368 million units in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung was the star performer during the quarter, capturing a record 25 percent marketshare to become the world’s number one handset vendor for the first time ever.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global handset shipments declined a huge 24 percent annually to 82.7 million units in Q1 2012. Volumes were squeezed at both ends, as low-end feature phone shipments in emerging markets stalled and high-end Microsoft Lumia smartphones were unable to offset the rapid decline of Nokia’s legacy Symbian business. Nokia was the world’s largest handset vendor between 1998 and 2011, for 14 years, before finally yielding top position to rival Samsung this quarter.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia in advanced talks to sell luxury Vertu unit: FT
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/29/us-nokia-sale-idUSBRE83S0G020120429
Cellphone maker Nokia is in advanced talks to sell its UK subsidiary Vertu to private equity group Permira, the Financial Times reported.
Nokia, which last week had its credit rating cut to “junk” status by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, will raise about 200 million euros ($265.19 million) from a potential sale, the FT said in a piece published on its website on Sunday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AppleInsider site raises an interesting small Nokia -based Nokia has earned far more money by licensing patents to Apple than to its own Windows Mobile operating system, using Snow-phone sales.
Last year we signed an agreement with Apple, which for years they decided to continue the patent disputes between them. AppleInsider says that Nokia received around $ 600 million, or approximately EUR 450 million from Apple as part of the agreement.
On the other hand, Nokia has sold its beginning in just over 2 million Snow-phone, and Nokia was the beginning of the year at a loss.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/msareena/msuutiset/kaikkiareenauutiset/nokia+takoo+enemman+rahaa+applella+kuin+lumialla/a804178?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-30042012&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone 7 ‘not fit for big biz … unlike Android, iOS’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/30/window_mobile_7_security/
Window Phone 7 is not yet fit for enterprise deployments, according to an application security expert.
David Rook, application security lead at Realex Payments, told delegates at the B-Sides conference in London that the youngest of the smartphone operating systems is less mature than either Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS.
The smartphone OS has various in-built security features but “like any security system it’s only a matter of time before these get broken,” Rook warned.
Rook has developed a utility called Windows Phone App Analyser to assist software creators in uncovering possible problems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia: ‘hybrid’ mobiles will save us
http://www.reghardware.com/2012/05/03/nokia_reckons_hybrid_mobiles_will_save_business/
After Samsung overtook the company as the world’s largest maker of handsets last week, Nokia’s 14-year dominance of the mobile phone business came to an end.
Nokia is working on “hybrid” mobile devices and harbours the hope that future tablets, fresh form-factors and cross-breed tech will turn around the Finnish phone giant’s handset business.
This combination of new products and services will “make a difference”, claimed chairman Jorma Ollila, who revealed Nokia’s plans in a registration-required interview with the Financial Times.
“Tablets are an important [market segment], so that is being looked into, and there will be different hybrids, different form factors in the future,” he said.
But what does he mean by “hybrid”, we wonder?
In March, Nokia’s design chief already revealed a tablet was in the works, which would most likely launch following Microsoft’s Windows 8 release later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Electronic Echoes and the Bizarre War Nokia Communications Director John Pope Now Waging With Me?
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2012/05/electronic-echoes-and-the-bizarre-war-nokia-communications-director-john-pope-now-waging-with-me.html
This is so weird, so illogical, so bizarre. I am 100% sure Nokia Chairman Risto Siilasmaa is not aware – and would not approve. That Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is not aware, and would not approve. That Nokia Exec VP of Markets, Niklas Savander does not know, and definitely would not approve. That Nokia Chief Marketing Officer Jerri DeVard is not aware – and would absolutely disapprove. Disapprove of what? Of this ridiculous war that Nokia Director of Communications John S Pope (who Twitters as @JohnAtNokia and calls himself the ‘social media strategist for Nokia’ – so even his TW handle is a semi-official Nokia presence) is waging against me now.
Can it be in Nokia’s interest for John S Pope, Nokia Director of Communications to keep the damaging Nokia, Skype and Microsoft story of their axis of evil – alive in the press? Why why why would John S Pope, Nokia Director of Communications decide to draw their own blood now, by raising the noise level about this issue, when every single article will now draw attention to the fact, that Nokia CEO admitted to the Nokia shareholders meeting that Nokia Lumia sales are suffering because carriers hate Skype, and therefore they hate Microsoft.
So. Now the story is spreading. Who is writing about Nokia Skype and Microsoft troubles, relating to Lumia, referencing Stephen Elop’s statements at the AGM?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s last stand: can the 147-year-old company design its way back?
http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/06/features/nokias-last-stand?page=all
This article was taken from the June 2012 issue of Wired magazine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Outspent Apple Nine Times on R&D
http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2012/05/14/nokia-outspent-apple-nine-times-on-rd/?mod=google_news_blog
Between 2004 and 2007—the years leading to Apple’s first iPhone launch—Nokia’s total research and development spend was €17.1 billion ($22.2 billion at today’s exchange rate), against Apple’s $2.5 billion in the same period.
So Nokia spent nine times more than Apple on R&D during those years.
Between 2004 and 2011, Apple’s revenues increased roughly 1,200% while its net profit surged by 9,600%. Meanwhile, Nokia has turned into a loss-making device maker, with last year’s revenue just 31% higher since 2004.
To this day Nokia continues to outspend Apple in that department, spending $7.3 billion last year against Apple’s $2.4 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Securities estimates: Nokia phones are of no value
Net cash, patent portfolio, the Nokia Siemens Networks and Navteq are Nokia ‘s valuable parts of the basis of which the share price of four euros. Phones are of no value. It calculates the brokerage FIM.
Some analysts reasons that the sum of its parts are inexpensive compared to the Nokia share. And this is not black humor.
Source:
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/pankkiiriliike+arvioi+nokian+puhelimilla+ei+ole+mitaan+arvoa/a808249?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-15052012&
Tomi says:
Nokia has not stopped on working mobile Linux.
According to Tekniikka & Talous first phones using new Meltemi opererating system could be coming this summer. Meltemi is a Linux based OS for cheap smartphones and maybe also for very cheap tablet computers. Meltemi is developed by a small group of Meego developers working in Oulu Finland and Ulmi Germany.
Meltemi is designed to replace Nokia S30 and S40 operating systems used now in cheap cell phones.
Applications for Meltemi will be written with Qt (C++) and Qt QML (JavaScript).
Source:
Tekniikka & Talous magazine 18.5.2012
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/tampt+nokia+kehittaa+uutta+kayttojarjestelmaa++julki+jo+kesalla/a809273?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-19052012&
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meltemi_%28operating_system%29
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone beats iOS sales in China
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/21/windows_phone_beats_ios_china/
Microsoft is claiming something of a PR win over arch rival Apple, after a senior exec reportedly revealed that its Windows Phone devices are outselling the iPhone in China after just two months.
Redmond’s COO for Greater China, Michel van der Bel, told Dutch business title Emerce that the platform has a market share of seven per cent, around one per cent higher than the iPhone.
Given the figures from Microsoft are unconfirmed it’s probably best to take them with a small pinch of salt at the moment, although if accurate would represent an impressive start after only launching in the world’s biggest mobile phone market in March.