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Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

engadget.com

1–10 of 208 posts

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#3
post #2

The idea of a Nokia device running Android is pretty appealing. They've always had good hardware, but Symbian has become a develpment dead-end, and Meego isn't yet here.

Android on Nokia hardware is an appealing idea, but given Stephen Elop's Microsoft background I wonder if they won't shift to WP7. Or both.

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#4
post #3
post #2

The idea of a Nokia device running Android is pretty appealing. They've always had good hardware, but Symbian has become a develpment dead-end, and Meego isn't yet here.

Android on Nokia hardware is an appealing idea, but given Stephen Elop's Microsoft background I wonder if they won't shift to WP7. Or both.

Microsoft is all about the cloud now - so the phone will run WP7 which will provide a remote desktop client to allow you to connect to your PC at home, where you can use IE to browse the web.

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#6
Stephen Elop has finally put in writing what the market has said about Nokia ever since the iPhone came out. Props to him for finally initiating this intervention at Nokia; it has been long overdue. Someone has finally said "we have fucked up, its now time to get back on the horse and make it right" to the Nokia management.

Less than a decade ago, nobody could touch Nokia in the mobile handset market, Nokia defined quality... and then they got complacent and instead of innovating, they stuck to old principles. Its like Nokia witnessed the age old fable of the tortoise and the hare firsthand.

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#7
This is an excellent, really excellent call to arms from a new CEO. I have a few takeaways -- first: the board brought Elop in for a four to seven year turn-around. He's going to make enemies, but that's okay. If he executes the turn-around, they'll put someone more finnish back in to sooth the old guard after they're making money again.

Second -- this guy has the Microsoft internal criticism DNA, through and through. This isn't quite a Gates-level memo, but it's in the ballpark. I'd love to see some leaks of him reviewing his experience using different phones, Gates style.

Third -- he's totally correct. Nokia f-ed this up, all by themselves. I STILL miss my Nokia E-90; it had 7mb up and down, a beautiful keyboard, video chatting, first-class SIP phone account support, and an 840x320 screen in 2007, for God's sake! The UI sucked, the apps weren't there, and there was no touch interface. Apple cleaned Nokia's clock. Then Android did it again.

One reason HN readers should care: Nokia is probably the only carrier in the world with the balls to just go ahead and release unlocked phones with things like VOIP accounts built in. They may be the only company who doesn't have to play nice with US carriers around; innovation from them will be excellent for consumers.

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#8
I thought that this was the most interesting part of the article:

and that Elop would start looking to Nokia's new Silicon Valley campus as its center of gravity, with execs and senior management expected to start spending more time outside Finland.

That's quite an endorsement of Silicon Valley as a tech hub...

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#9
post #2

The idea of a Nokia device running Android is pretty appealing. They've always had good hardware, but Symbian has become a develpment dead-end, and Meego isn't yet here.

Nokia could innovate around an Android core, especially with the UI. I'd like to see someone offer a different UI paradigm than the current iOS/Android one.

Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"

#10
post #6

Stephen Elop has finally put in writing what the market has said about Nokia ever since the iPhone came out. Props to him for finally initiating this intervention at Nokia; it has been long overdue. Someone has finally said "we have fucked up, its now time to get back on the horse and make it right" to the Nokia management. Less than a decade ago, nobody could touch Nokia in the mobile handset market, Nokia defined q…

Your comment and Engadget's article seem to imply that Nokia failing in the smartphone market means that Nokia is failing generally. But wouldn't Nokia still be making a lovely profit even if they stuck to the more vanilla phones?

Don't forget that only a fraction of people can afford these >= £500 devices and only a fraction of those buy them without financing.

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