Nokia's Tie-Up with Microsoft

Nokia has now a tie-up with Microsoft. Soon it will launch a range of products that will have the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Microsoft has also taken a lot of effort by asking developers to develop apps for the  Windows Phone 7 OS. But it still would take some time to match the app market of the Android OS and the iOS from Apple. But this tie-up is under much scrutiny as it puts Nokia's other operating systems in danger. Nokia have not decided what they are going to do with their flagship OS, the Symbian which is running on most of its latest mobiles. Symbian^3 is being used in devices like the N8 and the E7 communicator, and Symbian V5.0 in Nokia's first touch phone, the 5800, the 5233 and many more devices. With the launch of Windows Phone 7 in its devices could it mean that Nokia will concentrate lesser on the Symbian OS? And what about MeeGO and Maemo which Nokia launched in the N900 in an attempt to tackle the Android OS. Its future as well, remains uncertain. Nokia has lost its hold in the smart-phone market but it still continues to be the number one manufacturer in India. With the advent of Android, the sales of the iPhone and Symbian based devices have taken a hit. With the launch of the Windows Phone from Nokia nearly half a year away (6-7 months approximately) it further threatens Nokia's hold in the smart-phone category. Nokia needs to make its intentions clear and start making better devices if it wants to make an impact on Android based devices such as the HTC Wildfire, Incredible etc..

Adding further confusion to the minds of Nokia's customers is the launch of its latest version Symbian, the Symbian Anna. With so much news of Nokia encircling the potential customers' heads Nokia needs to provide good information on what impact the launch of Windows Phones would have on the Symbian, Maemo and MeeGO OS. Nokia's tie up with Microsoft will not create much wonders. HTC had experienced quite a failure with the launch of its Windows 7 based phones, the HTC HD7 and the HTC Mozart.

Quoting http://thedrum.co.uk:

"I know the mobile pundits will laugh at how futile and ridiculous this move would be. On the face of it, it seems like Nokia is giving up even without trying. Vic Gundotra, VP of Engineering for Google, tweeted "#feb11 "Two turkeys do not make an Eagle", alluding to the fact that a Nokia and Windows Phone 7 is both possible and doomed to failure."

Its still surprising to see Nokia sucking up some sales figures in the smart-phone arena but it could prove to be a smart move if Nokia just about makes a good device with the Windows Phone 7 OS. This could be their best chance at getting back at Samsung, Apple and HTC who have eaten up their sales very badly.



Cheers,
Kaushik