Nokia Dieing Slowly

[supashot]

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=155651

Marking the end of era, Nokia reportedly plans to stop selling both feature phones and Symbian-based smartphones in the United States and Canada. In an interview with AllThingsD, the head of Nokia's U.S. subsidiary said the move will let the company focus its energies on the Windows Phone.

[Phil Conners]

Actually it doesn't say they will stop selling phones, just that they will focus on Windows phones. Might be pretty much the same result, time will show.

[FarangBuddha]

If you think Nokia [NOK] and its migration to the Win7 phone platform has any future, you can get over 11% dividend yield on the stock right now. Anyone care to put some money down on this bet

[skippybangkok]

Had Dinna with the nokia head of sales & marketing for Asia many many years back. Was still using O2 in those days based on crappy windows mobile - even then, I told him I would never use a non- smart phone again and he was sure as hell it was a niche market and not what most customers want. Nokia sets the trends and everyone follows Nokia was his out look...... Out of touch Eh

[moo9]

I have a WIN7 mobile (HTC HD7) as well as a Nokia E7 Communicator (Symbian), both being fine devices.

I don't play games, so I don't need Android and I am not willed to finance the world's No.1 marketing machine Apple. How stupid you must be too pay far over 20,000 Baht for a Phone?!?!

[bangkokrick]

I just bought the Nokia C7 and it's the best phone that I have ever had. It is equal in spec of the I phone and only half the price. Nokia are far from Dying.

Check it out

[skippybangkok]

I have a WIN7 mobile (HTC HD7) as well as a Nokia E7 Communicator (Symbian), both being fine devices.

I don't play games, so I don't need Android and I am not willed to finance the world's No.1 marketing machine Apple. How stupid you must be too pay far over 20,000 Baht for a Phone?!?!

Caveman has spoken !

[Gary A]

I have a WIN7 mobile (HTC HD7) as well as a Nokia E7 Communicator (Symbian), both being fine devices.

I don't play games, so I don't need Android and I am not willed to finance the world's No.1 marketing machine Apple. How stupid you must be too pay far over 20,000 Baht for a Phone?!?!

I agree! :jap:

[skippybangkok]

I have a WIN7 mobile (HTC HD7) as well as a Nokia E7 Communicator (Symbian), both being fine devices.

I don't play games, so I don't need Android and I am not willed to finance the world's No.1 marketing machine Apple. How stupid you must be too pay far over 20,000 Baht for a Phone?!?!

I agree! :jap:

That Makes Sense !

[nikster]

Kind of tragic as the Meego powered N9 actually is the first exciting Nokia phone in years. But the CEO jumped right in to say that they're really gonna want to do MS phones. It's bizarre.

Strategically, giving up on software development and outsourcing this to Microsoft is simply a huge mistake - regardless of the merits or non-merits of the OS. It's a bit like saying "hey, we can't do it on our own - let Microsoft do it. If they succeed, we succeed. If they screw up - we're toast". What company in their right mind would do that??

Would have made more sense to become a me-too Android handset maker, and compete on hardware and execution - two things Nokia is excellent at.

Edited August 15, 2011 by nikster

[jpinx]

So sad -- I have used nokia for many years and now have a N900 -- computer in my pocket

They have made a huge tactical error, but understandable since the new boss is ex-MS

Now I am buying cheap broken n900's against the day parts will not be available.

[MTH]

If you think Nokia [NOK] and its migration to the Win7 phone platform has any future, you can get over 11% dividend yield on the stock right now. Anyone care to put some money down on this bet

Kinda wish I did, stock price is up about 20% since your post last Friday.

[jpinx]

With google buying motorola and having lots of spare cash - people are wondering if they might also buy Nokia ---

Now *THAT* would really be something interesting

[Phil Conners]

Nokia hardware and Android software would be a match made in heaven, but with the current guy in charge at Nokia that'd surely be a hostile takeover.

[lomatopo]

Just rename the company Patentia and sell it already.

[trunknuk]

Nokia is such a fail. Just look at all the models of phones they produce each year. Just striving to get it right, but never quite figuring out the right combination of components, features, colors, flips, slides or button placement. Teams of designers working tirelessly to design that one perfect phone - and their taskmaster CEO telling them, "NO - back to the drawing board, you jerks clearly didn't get it right". It's no wonder they are failing - their dejected employees constantly embarrassed that they have failed to find a single good design and being stuck telling customers -"Sorry, we don't carry that model anymore".

For a laugh, look at their 6+ pages of mobile phone designs. http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia-phones-1.php

[Gary A]

I have a Nokia E52 that I am convinced is by far the best phone I have ever had. I absolutely hate touch screens and if I want to play games, I'll do that on my desktop computer. I don't know how anyone can actually enjoy using those tiny screens and keyboards. I'm quite tempted to buy a new E52 and keep it in case my old one gives up.

I'm particularly impressed with the battery life and excellent audio call quality. As far as I know, this phone will do everything the fancy touch screen Androids or iPhones will do and if it won't, I certainly don't miss those extra functions.

[lomatopo]

I have a Nokia E52 that I am convinced is by far the best phone I have ever had.

I'm quite tempted to buy a new E52 and keep it in case my old one gives up.

I'm not sure that Nokia is still manufacturing that model? You may have to get a used model as your back-up.

[Gary A]

I have a Nokia E52 that I am convinced is by far the best phone I have ever had.

I'm quite tempted to buy a new E52 and keep it in case my old one gives up.

I'm not sure that Nokia is still manufacturing that model? You may have to get a used model as your back-up.

I was lucky enough to get my E52 from Europe. It was built in Finland and has only European languages and English. There is no option for Thai and all the keys are English letters and numbers. I'm afraid that it may be difficult to replace.

GSM Arena says it is still available.

[lomatopo]

I have a Nokia E52 that I am convinced is by far the best phone I have ever had.

I'm quite tempted to buy a new E52 and keep it in case my old one gives up.

I'm not sure that Nokia is still manufacturing that model? You may have to get a used model as your back-up.

I was lucky enough to get my E52 from Europe. It was built in Finland and has only European languages and English. There is no option for Thai and all the keys are English letters and numbers. I'm afraid that it may be difficult to replace.

GSM Arena says it is still available.

Yes, probably quite a few left with clearance houses. Lots on eBay, ~ $220 USD. Keypads can be easily replaced.

Back on topic, Now if Nokia can find another 100 million customers like you; late adopters, buying low-margin product with little add-on (software) potential they could probably make a profit?

[Gary A]

I have a Nokia E52 that I am convinced is by far the best phone I have ever had.

I'm quite tempted to buy a new E52 and keep it in case my old one gives up.

I'm not sure that Nokia is still manufacturing that model? You may have to get a used model as your back-up.

I was lucky enough to get my E52 from Europe. It was built in Finland and has only European languages and English. There is no option for Thai and all the keys are English letters and numbers. I'm afraid that it may be difficult to replace.

GSM Arena says it is still available.

Yes, probably quite a few left with clearance houses. Lots on eBay, ~ $220 USD. Keypads can be easily replaced.

Back on topic, Now if Nokia can find another 100 million customers like you; late adopters, buying low-margin product with little add-on (software) potential they could probably make a profit?

I actually gave my touchscreen Windows phone to a friend of mine. He has no money or home computer. He uses it for the Internet and for when he can find WiFi. He loves it and thinks it is amazing. Obviously I didn't think it was amazing.

Nokia has thousands of add ons but I see no need for them other than a SMS Spam killer and the Opera Browser. It already has an English dictionary but I may add the Thai English translator one of these days. The GPS is actually quite good but a dedicated unit is far better. I have never needed a GPS in an emergency but the phone GPS may be useful in that situation.

[FarangBuddha]

If you think Nokia [NOK] and its migration to the Win7 phone platform has any future, you can get over 11% dividend yield on the stock right now. Anyone care to put some money down on this bet

Kinda wish I did, stock price is up about 20% since your post last Friday.

The word on the Street is that with GOOG's buying Motorola, MSFT will buy NOK (at a premium)

[MTH]

Wouldn’t be surprised to see this.

It’s been in the rumor mill since Elop, being an old MSFT president, took over as CEO of Nokia.

[Phil Conners]

The most recent rumor I can find is this one from 1 June claiming "Microsoft has struck a deal to purchase Nokia’s mobile phone business for $19 billion". With 3.8B shares outstanding that would equal $5/share. NOK closed yesterday at $5.93 and 1 June NOK was even higher, $6.69 so I kinda doubt that rumor.

[MTH]

True, that rumor from June 1st doesn't have much substance to it.

However as I mentioned, it has been rumored, since Elop entered his position at Nokia, that a takeover could be the next step.

And it didn't take long before we saw the Windows phone deal, between MSFT and Nokia.

With the current phone deal, it doesn't really make sense for MSFT to buy Nokia.

However with Nokia's low share price, some analysts consider it seriously undervalued.

Therefore a takeover would be possible. Could MSFT afford not to be the one buying it?

What would happened with the current deal between MSFT and Nokia, if someone else would pick up Nokia?

As you posted earlier in the tread, a marriage between Nokia HW and Android SW would be optimal for the consumers.

Unfortunately, that doesn't look like a possibility today, or in the near future.

[jpinx]

Nokia will be bought -- it is only a question of who by and when. Elop has to be careful of his position -- insider knowledge and all that stuff -- and the whole world knows that the Nokia hardware with MS software is going to suck bigtime. There must be some mighty clever dancing going on in the boardrooms at the moment. My money (if I had any) would go on nokia going to google or someone equally devoted to android.

There is one other possibility - some kind of split and resurrect the meego team. I know some of those guys and they are so pissed off with nokia for under-budgeting and then abandoning what was becoming a very useable system.

[Gary A]

I thought Nokia was crazy for trying to develop a new operating system Meego) when Symbian works fine. Android and MS were available so why start from scratch?

Some people are happy with a phone that just works and doesn't need to be fiddled with.

[lennois]

- and the whole world knows that the Nokia hardware with MS software is going to suck bigtime.

Slick hardware with a slick OS (and functional with Mango.) Not quite sure how that is gonna suck big time.

[lomatopo]

- and the whole world knows that the Nokia hardware with MS software is going to suck bigtime.

Slick hardware with a slick OS (and functional with Mango.) Not quite sure how that is gonna suck big time.

Agree. Knowing these two it would just suck. Small time.

[Gary A]

You have two distinct groups. There are the Apple fan boys and the Linux fan boys. They don't care much for each other and neither wants to admit that there may be life beyond their chosen operating system. I had a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone and if it wouldn't have had a touch screen, I would still be using it. I have seen and played with Android, Apple and Windows phones and really can't see much difference between any of them. They all have a lot of junk available and very few applications amount to much.