Thread: Three Nokia types all post about leaving at once
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AbelMN is offline AbelMN
2008-04-12 , 20:32
Posts: 121 | Thanked: 20 times | Joined on Aug 2007 @ Amsterdam
#85
Originally Posted by krisse View Post
Is this thread still going?! Wow! .
Well written, I like the post in particular because it is of a more strategic perspective. To much Nerds here in this Chat box !

Some additional comments, with respect.

I do think the tablets should switch to a canola-like interface, and hope that this is what Nokia are secretly doing.
The Canola UI is great: shiny and very bling bling, but still I do not wish Nokia to switch to the canola-like interface. Reason: Keep on clicking; options: (almost) none. I still don't know what the meaning is of those blocks right/top of the screen. Résumé: No clear, understandable and consequent design. And: Obviously not coherent with the Nokia Design Concept.

I am afraid that likewise comments apply to the MediaBox and UKMP.

Also quality control of the Nokia Standard SW (as it comes with OS2008) is much better.

On the subject of Nokia catching up, it's easy to say "go for a new interface" but it's not so easy to do when you're the market leader and your market share is growing.
In fact I do like the current, somewhat dull - but very effective Nokia Design. Like their Cellulars: It's very well readable, and does follow industrial design principles: a simple and effective design aimed at Usability. Hey: it could be Nordic design! Bottom line: Nokia does not want its NITs to look like an MP4 player, or a Play station. Canola is a great show, but it does not add (much) functionality! The finger scrolling is nice, but just try to find a specific photo or song if you have several hundreds on your tablet.

Nokia's phones currently make up 40% of the global market, more than double their nearest rival's share, and higher than they've ever been AFAIK. Their Smartphones continue to outsell the competition put together. It's difficult for businesses in that kind of dominant position to make radical changes in case those changes cause them to fail. (Radical interface changes don't always go according to plan, remember when Microsoft experimented with "Bob" as an alternative to the Windows interface?)
As I see it Nokia’s strength is not bling bling (like Apple) or lots of 'extras' but as I said: effectiveness.

The UI of the Standard Media player does exactly what it should do: all buttons are easy understandable, playlists usable and interchangeable, internet radios supplied and easy to add to the list. The Standard Media player easily syncs with my standard PC player(s). Photoshows, it's all there in the standard SW.

Microsoft and Apple have tiny market shares globally for their phone OSes, so it's much easier for them to try something new as they're not risking as much. That's why competition is so good, because it automatically gives small companies a reason to innovate, and if that innovation succeeds then it discourages the big ones from being complacent. (Before people claim Windows Mobile has a huge market share, it doesn't outside the USA, and most smartphone sales are outside the USA.)

This is why I think the tablets are the best way forward for Nokia. The tablets have a tiny market share, so it's the perfect place for Nokia to try new interfaces and other technologies. They get to play being a bright new startup, they can take risks more comfortably. As far as the tablets are concerned, Nokia is a small company again,which is a good thing
It's true that Nokia is small in the US (the free enterprise Nation ), but:

IHT: "Nokia sold worldwide 133.5 million phones in the last quarter of 2007, more than its three closest rivals combined."

IHT again: "Since its launch in March 2007 until January 2008, Nokia has sold more than 5.5 million units of its multimedia handset N95. This is more than the iPhone with sales of about 4 million units"

Perhaps Quality and Simple Effectiveness sell better than Bling Bling!
(As an example: you can still buy Nokias without a camera, but with Bluetooth and HSDPA: Companies and certainly the government don't like people walking around in office buildings with a photo / video camera on their phones !).

If you put this in terms of films, Nokia's phones and Smartphones are like big budget blockbusters while their tablets are like indie releases. It's the indie releases that are responsible for most of the innovation, while the big budget blockbusters are terrified of taking risks.
True: Maybe Nokia is trying to get some ground in the Palm and Google area - with lots of small addible apps to the Palm and the recent Google Plans heading in the same direction: strong basic technology (simple and effective) and open in the sense of addibility of programs, apps or gadgets. That would mean that Nokia would not switch to Canola but keep it as (very nice) additional SW. (Would not dare to call Canola a gadget )

For the record: When I want to show off my MIT ( in particular to kids): I start Canola,
But when I want to listen to music: I start the Standard Mediaplayer!
Also for the record: I don't think NITs are aimed at the 'Kids market'.

My interest for the ITT from the beginning was in Nokia carrying the "portable internet" concept That should be the way forward, not what Apple is doing with Bling Bling.

Thanks, Abel.