Why Nokia should offer a mobile OS Smorgasbord
Nokia has been a no-show in North America, specifically the U.S., but that may change if it can come up with a unique approach to the market. Here's a thought: Offer more than Symbian as an operating system.
Rumors have been circulating that Nokia is seriously pondering a move to Windows Phone 7. This rumor isn't all that surprising since new CEO Stephen Elop is a former Microsoft exec. But why stop there? Why not offer Android as an OS too?
Now the logistics could be a bit complicated---Nokia would have to integrate three operating systems with its hardware---but the company would have something different for the U.S. market. Let's face it: Nokia is a hardware company that dabbles in software. The U.S. for Nokia could be an emerging market and if the company wants to innovate it should go toe-to-toe with the Motorola, Research in Motion and Apple.
A few reasons why this idea could be interesting:
- Nokia needs some hook to jump start its brand. You could do worse than being the brand that stands for choice.
- Nokia would effectively hedge its bets across the operating systems.
- The company wouldn't completely toss Symbian, but it also wouldn't be tethered to the success of it.
But a choice of three operating systems---it's a safe assumption that Apple won't license the iOS---would be a differentiator. Meanwhile, Nokia could do what it does best. Make hardware and scale.
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