Funny you bring up profits. Nokia's mobile devices devision made those too. And Apple's were mainly from apps and content sales. This is a short sighted strategy. Most analysts agree the future is web based apps and services. Where is Apple in these areas? I'll tell you. Setting themselves up for dependence on Google, Ovi, and Microsoft for services, where the real money will be made for decades to come.

You mentioned GM, which is ironic since I live near the Escalade/Tahoe/Suburban factory. Remember not too long ago how much profits the truck division made? All while they ignored the small car segment? Apple looks to be repeating this error by focusing on gouging consumers by crippling the browser to force the need for patches/apps to cover up its absence. No one will be fooled forever, and as alternatives arrive, iPhoners become more educated, and free software will become the new battle cry. Apple will surely then add Flash unless HTML5 is fully ready, but it will be too late. Apple has a music and media services, but so does everyone else. How will they compete supporting just Apple mobiles? Amazon and Nokia are closing in on that territory? And the "next billion" will most likely be using Nokia devices that cost under $325 before subsidy. Apple won't make a dime from them without big philosophical changes.

WRONG! Nokia's handset division made nearly $1 billion in profits. Its infratructure unit was the loser, and only because of a write off.

They are in the top two spots in every market but the US, which could well change in 2010 since the new carrier deals with at&t and TMobileUSA. Have been for many years now. Apple only has second place in the US, unable to usurp the faster growing Blackberry. They suck everywhere else, and if they slip because of Android in America, it will devastate their profits. Nokia could abandon entire countries and still be profitable and the world leader. If Blackberry and Apple combined, Nokia would still outsell them.

Its the product of a decent strategy implemented over the years. Its a luxury not many can boast to be able to change focus, ignore growth in the devices division, buy an OS and give it away, raise the prominence of another, launch a services wing, and buy the most powerful cross platform app and graphics framework to address every smartphone OS out there, then turn around and still be the resounding leader, now refocusing on its devices devision as well again. I predict Qt based app frameworks for RIM and possibly Android in the future, and its already available for Maemo, Symbian, WinMo, Windows, Linux, and Unix. Looks like Nokia sees something much bigger than short term growth selling phones and apps. Pretty soon all mobile OSes will be alike feature wise, and service access will be the biggest differentiator. Only Nokia is acting as an enabler of all services, not just its own. This will pay off down the road. They obviously learned from the history of PCs, and Apple seems to be repeating the same mistakes it did with the desktop. Know your history, and be wise enough to notice when it is repeating itself.

The evil carriers and acquiescent US consumers are to blame for that, and it is only to our detriment that most of the really powerful smartphonesdon't make it Stateside. I happen to know quite a few inteligent shoppers that need more than what the carriers offer that use Nokia smartphones. Maybe I'm just travelling in a smarter group of people than you. Its highly possible. Not everyone in the US is ignorant of Nokia, just unable or unwilling to pay full retail for an unlocked device up front. Only 10% of American do.

Ever talked to "the customers" in America? They aren't the consumers, but the carriers. Consumers have always complained about device choices and prices compared to Europe and Asia. It is the carriers that refuse to listen. Nokia was unwilling to allow the carriers to cripple their flagship models, and chose to walk away in support of consumers and the Nokia Nseries and Eseries brands. It hurt short term, but now the carriers realize, thanks to Apple, that they don't need to build moats around their services. They make money from the data anyway, and the share from app sales covers any looses from the silly ringtone and wallpaper businesses.

Right. Like F-150, CTS-V, G4, Z28, PSP, PS3, 151, N95, S2000, MR2, GT-R, 760Li, M3, TR-808, etc. You sure are digging a hole here. And if you happen to be right in the one case, carriers typically rebrand devices for retail sale anyway.

I think youmve missed a big point. Your POS American made car (I prefer German) made a Navi system able to sync with mobiles, not the other way around. If I'm making such a system, wouldn't the first order of business be to make it compatible with the top three mobile manufacturers on the planet? And wouldn't the best selling smartphone of the decade be a focus for compatibility? My N95 connected to every bluetooth factory system it ever came across. I'd be willing to bet the issue was with the system and not the device.