The showcasing of the Nokia N9 has been the highlight of Nokia Connection 2011. However, the specifications of the successor of the N8 have left experts baffled. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop revealed the new smartphone which is based on the MeeGo software that the Finnish firm is planning to discard. Analysts believe that this move will most probably not work in favor of the new device, but will push it to obscurity. Nokia is already going through a slump in which it has squandered both the smartphone industry to Android powered devices and iPhone, as well as the affordable mobile sector to native companies of China and India- ZTE and Micromax respectively.
Elop, like before, announced again in a telecom conference that Nokia will launch its new smartphones based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform later this year. However, Nokia has gone ahead and launched the new N9, which operates on the MeeGo platform. The MeeGo platform, created in February 2010, is a new entrant in a market controlled by Android and iOS. It was born following the merger between Nokia’s Linux Maemo software platform with Intel’s Moblin, founded on Linux . However, Nokia cut itself out of the project four months ago.
RBS analyst Didier Scemama said that it seems superfluous to launch the N9 on a platform that has been cast-off by the management. Ben Wood, head of research in CCS Insight echoed the view remarking that N9 will not have any impact on Nokia’s current smartphone crisis since it is too close to the anticipated launch of Nokia-Microsoft’s phone. He went on to say that MeeGo platform is easily dominated by the rival platforms, leaving little market share for MeeGo powered devices. Elop nevertheless introduced N9 as an exhilarating experience around the industrial design, user interface, and the developer platform.
Many experts also think that this launch may actually be a part of Nokia’s new strategy to make progress in tackling the company’s market share troubles and keep itself in the race. Melissa Chai of IDC research firm said that Nokia most probably doesn’t have any great expectations with this device, and the company just wants to inspire confidence among the customers that they still are in the race and can still release competitive devices.
Nokia shares the woes of RIM with its stocks plunging more than half since February, more so in key markets of Asia. The company plans to introduce 10 new smartphones using Symbian OS and three double SIM affordable handsets with aggressive marketing. They risk sliding down below the likes of Samsung in the smartphone market.
