When Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, announced that he was going to bet the farm on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, the world stood still for a moment in disbelief. Did he make the right decision? According to Europe’s wireless operators, the answer is no. Four operators were interviewed by Retuers, here’s what one said:
“No one comes into the store and asks for a Windows Phone. 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. If the Lumia with the same hardware came with Android in it and not Windows, it would be much easier to sell.”
So what phones are people buying? It’s no surprise: iPhones and pretty much anything made by Samsung. What do operators think Nokia should do, besides switch to Android? Make their phones cheaper, and spend even more money on advertising. What do we think Nokia should do?
That’s a tough question to answer since Nokia is in the middle of a transition. We’re not going to be able to accurately paint a picture of the Finnish handset maker’s future until the end of the year. By then we’ll know more about Windows Phone 8, what Apple will do with the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, and what Google has in store for the next version of Android.
What about Nokia’s cash cow, the feature phone division? Some people are saying that Nokia is looking to sell that to someone so they can become a more attractive acquisition target. There’s no evidence to suggest that’s happening, but then again it’s only April. Nokia has already said that Q2 2011 will be even worse, and that all options are on the table when it comes to bringing the company back into profitability.
[Via: The Verge]