Their problem isn't the quantity of the units they're shipping. The problem is that Symbian often lags behind other offerings in terms of user experience. Symbian^4 does look like it'll be an improvement, and MeeGo too. But already that introduces uncertainty.

Part of the reason Apple's app store works so well is that developers are targeting one fairly consistent platform. Symbian across many, many devices isn't nearly so consistent, and its future on high-end devices (where apps make their money...) doesn't look so certain so certain.

Nokia need to trim down their line of handsets. I think they're slowly moving toward that, with their new numbering scheme. But they also need consistency. The N8 looks like a good handset, but it's Symbian^3, and Nokia have already stated that no other Nseries handset will run Symbian^3. So why would any app developer want to support it? And why support Symbian^4 if few Nseries phones will run that? Or will Nokia skip Symbian^4 and jump straight to MeeGo on the Nseries? Either way, how long will that take?

The core reason they're losing ground is because Nokia themselves come across as muddled and uncertain about their direction. If only they could pin themselves down... "Hey, we're releasing the N8 soon, running Symbian^3. The Ovi store is ready for you to develop apps, hey, here's the SDKs! We'll release the N9 next year, and it'll run Symbian^4. Your Symbian^3 apps will be backward compatible!"

I'm sure all this information is out there, but it's released piecemeal. One reason Apple's press goes so well is that they tell the press "Hey, on this date we're going to tell you what we're doing for the next six months".

At least they're still profiting. But for how long if they can't focus their game?