It's worth noting in this context that Nokia has reinvented itself before; for instance, the company started in 1865 as a pulp mill and paper manufacturer. They've pivoted a few times in the years since.
Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
191–200 of 208 posts
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#192Nokia is standing where Nintendo once stood: struggling to hold market share against powerful juggernauts, and in dire need of a bold product that eschews conventional wisdom, challenges consumer's expectations, and tickles developers' imaginations. The problem is that Apple already did that recently. The iPhone was Apple's Wii, and now it seems incredibly difficult for Nokia to innovate that much that quickly withou…
I love the analogy. They were great, but they need to redefine the platform and what it means to be a smartphone again.
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is the way forward, a company that wants to develop native apps for mobile must already work with so many different systems. A new startup is going to focus on an iphone app, if they are successful or well capitalized from the start then they will look at android. The third choice in the market is shaping to be windows 7 phone. I agree with what you said here. But to take it a step further I'd say that the num…
For this to be truly a reality you would need mobile developers to expose more functionality to the web app. The web app could also become a common interface with lower level functionality, so say a camera on an android phone and an iphone could both expose a common js interface.
This is what Palm was trying to achieve with WebOS.
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#194Nokia should ally with Facebook to make the Facebook phone. That is the only thing I can think of that would put them back in the game.
The downside is that MS probably has the inside track on that with Windows Phone 7/8.
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Don't forget that only a fraction of people can afford these >= £500 device No - fairly good Android devices are already available for US$150 unlocked (see Huawei Ideos). In the next year they'll fall below $100 and after that they'll be coming free with your breakfast cereal. Elop is absolutely right with his analogy of a burning platform - there's a very real prospect that within 2 years Nokia could be entirely w…
I know very little about the smartphone market, but in the console market, Sony were happy to sell the Playstation at a loss to get the hardware out there. Is this what you are predicting for the smartphone arena? Having the hardware at increasingly lower prices in order to make money on the app sales? Surely, this is the only logical conclusion if Nokia move into an app store-like closed marketplace?
That only works as long as the console makers mostly lock out unlicensed applications from their platforms. Only AT&T and Apple seem to be willing to take this route.
Now, we have tons of carrier-subsidized phones that come with a service contract. (You get a cheap phone, but you have to pay $80/month for the next couple years.) That seems to be where the money is in phones.
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#196Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where else have you heard it? What makes it a tired image beyond the fact that you heard it once in Paris?
I didn't hear it "once"; it was a central theme of the transformation story; there were posters everywhere, email campaigns, leaflets, etc. all based on the "burning platform" standard playbook. The reality is that the "burning platform" metaphor is a classic story repeated ad nauseam in business schools and business books; see this for example (from 2005): The term “burning platform” is a mainstay in business lexico…
By "once" I was referring to the singular situation you were in, not necessarily literally "once".
In any case, I wasn't inferring that Elop didn't get it from there (and that he's a creative mastermind), but my question was specifically about what made it "tiring". I had actually never heard it, but am finding all kinds of sources to it now so it makes sense to me now why you would refer to it as "tiring". Thanks.
It is slightly disappointing to hear that he just reused the story, though. I don't even find the story that compelling -- there's nothing in there about the guy succeeding afterwards, but rather just surviving (and changing his behavior). I could think of a number of possibly more relevant stories.
Good luck to him though!
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#197Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nokia on WP7 would mean they would have to cannibalize their OS teams, their app.dev stack(QT), existing software etc. gutting a huge part their workforce. It is far more easier to have Meego adopt an Android personality, since they're the same kernel inside. They could add Nokia flavor on top. The far more important decision is positioning; they would've to leave the low-end phone market to chinese, and focus on the…
a) not quite the same kernel. You appear to be unaware of what Google has done to the internals of linux b) having an OS team has turned into a liability for Nokia. CEOs normally don't care about 'gutting' workforces. In fact, I predict that Elop will cut the 'deadwood' of the old company as soon as he announces whatever on Friday. c) (edit) Elop has to pay attention to Oracle having sued Google over Java in Android.…
I am not sure how the branding would work. Nokia X2351 Windows 7 Phone? How would this be good for Nokia? They would basically be handing over the smartphone part of the company over to Microsoft. I'm pretty sure you are correct on your outlook, I just don't understand how it would work.
edit: just thought of this... maybe MS will convince Nokia to sue Google?
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
I didn't hear it "once"; it was a central theme of the transformation story; there were posters everywhere, email campaigns, leaflets, etc. all based on the "burning platform" standard playbook. The reality is that the "burning platform" metaphor is a classic story repeated ad nauseam in business schools and business books; see this for example (from 2005): The term “burning platform” is a mainstay in business lexico…
By "once" I was referring to the singular situation you were in, not necessarily literally "once". In any case, I wasn't inferring that Elop didn't get it from there (and that he's a creative mastermind), but my question was specifically about what made it "tiring". I had actually never heard it, but am finding all kinds of sources to it now so it makes sense to me now why you would refer to it as "tiring". Thanks. I…
> I don't even find the story that compelling
Me neither. I think it's a rather weak analogy: shouldn't you first try to put out the fire? And if you're running away, jumping to a probable death to escape a certain death, how is that good or inspiring?
But the worst about this story is that you have to tell it.
I've never been on an offshore platform, much less a burning one, but I'm guessing if it were on fire I would notice. I wouldn't need to have the boss come behind me and pat me on the back saying: "hey, listen, I think we're on a burning platform, here's a list of reasons why".
But when it's used in a business context, it has to be backed up by evidence, which means either that the platform is not really burning, or that it's a matter of interpretation.
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
From a technical point of view the OS is actually the best out there, imo. It's developed from the beginning with handsets in mind and as such has quite some really nice features.
Which technical point of view? From an enterprise standpoint, where it's on par with the iPhone and behind Blackberry, or an API standpoint, where CocoaTouch has about 30 years of development lead-time?
How the point of being far older makes it technically superior is far beyond me. You wouldn't say Symbian is the best mobile OS out there because it's one of the oldest, would you? Also, afaik CocoaTouch has been developed for iphone/ipod and thus can't be 30 years old.
Anyway, features i find pretty neat are:
- The concept of Activities
- The concept of Intents and their connection to activities
- real multitasking
- XML based layout with builtin internationalization
- the use of Java as widely known language
- Dalvik after getting JIT compilation = nice piece of technology, a fast and capable VM for such "slow" and limited hardware
- oh and it's open source (except for the google apps, just like any other app)
Re: Nokia CEO: Nokia is "standing on a burning platform"
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't follow your logic. Windows 7 isn't much of a competitor. It had a smaller debut than Android and iPhone, by a large amount, and is being outsold by both so the gap is widening. If I were Nokia, I wouldn't be worrying about fellow also-rans in the industry, like Microsoft. I'd be worried about the products that were eating my lunch, and I'd let Microsoft figure out how to protect their own lunch. If Nokia choo…
My point is that he specifically called out Andriod and IPhone as competitors. While I agree with you that WP7 is not a serious threat at all, in my mind it doesnt make a lot of sense to say "we have been unable to compete in this field against Andriod", and then 2 days later announce "the new company plan is to use Andriod". With the rumors going around with them dropping Meego for Andriod or WP7, from this memo, in…
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