Nokia has announced plans to form a “broad strategic partnership” with Microsoft.
The deal would see Nokia use the Windows phone operating system for its smartphones, the company said.
Microsoft’s Bing will power Nokia’s search services, while Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services.
Earlier this week Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop sent a memo to staff warning that the company was in crisis.
The new strategy means Nokia’s existing smartphone operating systems will be gradually sidelined.
Symbian, which runs on most of the company’s current devices will become a “franchise platform”, although the company expects to sell approximately 150 million more Symbian devices in future.
The announcement is widely seen as a response to the growing pressure from other smartphone platforms, including Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone.
“This is a clear admission that Nokia’s own-platform strategy has faltered,” said Ben Wood, an analyst with research firm CCS: Insight.
“Microsoft is the big winner in this deal, but there are no silver bullets for either company given the strength of iPhone and Android,” he added.
Nokia’s share of the smartphone market fell from 38% to 28% in 2010, according to research firm IDC.
2 comments
EyeBeeKay
Really, I do not understand why Nokia waited this long before taking a pro-active step.
An Operating system is an intricate piece of software. It can not be produced overnight. Like human-languageik – improved upon – over time.
In the cut-throat competitive world of smartphones / tablets, the “embrace-and-extend” strategy of Bill Gates is essential. Keep a close watch on competitors, Stay ahead by mimicking – and then improving upon – what they are doing.
Microsoft did not invent the ‘spreadsheet. They copied and improved-upon, and became the de-factor standard!
Nokia failed to leverage on the existing Symbian Applications market and wide acceptability of that platform.
I keep asking myself, if Apple – (a primarily hardware company) – can produce an OS so beloved by so many, [and they are just starting out – by Symbian standards], how come Nokia could not do the same?.
Symbian is already a soild OS. Has been for years. How difficult would it be to work on the interface and bring up to a standard a notch higher than the Androids and iPhones of this world?
I am really lost as to how Nokia found itself in this present situation
Nobody seems to be developing for Symbian anymore, most other other manufacturers have abandoned that platform. Almost all mobile apps are either for iPhone or Android.
What happens to the large installed base of Symbian developers, as well as the Symbian applications.
On the surface, an alliance between a great software and hardware company makes sense. Microsoft can do what they are good at – writing software, while Nokia focuses on their strong point – phone hardware.
Well, RIP Symbian.
Honestly!
Wale Falade
I do not know if i should be happy for Nokia or cry for them. What difference are they going to make by adopting windows 7? Do they produce better phones than HTC? I wonder, i just wonder…