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Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'

By | February 11, 2011, 2:38am PST

Summary: With the Nokia partnership, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer just bought mobile distribution. What Yahoo is to Bing, Nokia is to Windows Phone 7.

Nokia outlined its highly anticipated strategic overhaul, including a decision to use Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 as its primary platform. The importance of this deal can’t be understated for Microsoft. Nokia’s distribution will make Windows Phone 7 a top 3 platform.

Simply put, Microsoft just bought itself global distribution with Nokia. It remains to be seen how this strategy works out for Nokia—an effort to launch Android and Windows Phone 7 devices may have been better—but it’s a clear win for Microsoft (even though the deal is non-exclusive). The software giant just ensured that it will be a major mobile player.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Sam Diaz Zack Whittaker have the initial coverage live and ZDNet UK’s David Meyer is on scene at Nokia’s analyst powwow. The big question: Can two hobbled mobile companies can come together to become major players? Adrian sums up the question everyone will have on Friday.

Why no Android? Why not do what HTC has done (successfully) and spread its bets?

More: Nokia statement, Microsoft statement and open letter

The inability of Nokia to spread its bets—it was too complicated—means Microsoft is a guaranteed mobile giant. The deal will work out for Microsoft for sure. Why? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer just bought mobile distribution. What Yahoo is to Bing, Nokia is to Windows Phone 7.

“The game has changed from a war of devices to a war of ecosystems,” said Nokia CEO Stephen Elop at his press conference. “We have an opportunity to disrupt the trajectory in the mobile ecosystem. Together we will deliver great mobile products.”

Ballmer said Microsoft and Nokia “can work together in a different kind of a way.” Nokia and Microsoft engineers will collaborate. Nokia will bring its hardware expertise to the partnership and help develop Windows Phone 7. Both Ballmer and Elop noted that the partnership will yield some enterprise friendly developments.

At the press conference, Elop outlined how the Microsoft partnership is good for Nokia. Then Elop delivered the understatement of 2011.

“We believe this partnership is also good for Microsoft.”

Gee, ya think Stephen? The mobile standings via Gartner tell the tale:

Let’s assume that over the next three years Nokia’s Symbian operating system largely gets replaced by Windows Phone 7. If that’s the case, Microsoft garners about 30 percent market share. I’m going to assume some market share leakage. At the very least, Microsoft winds up with 20 percent market share. Add it up and Microsoft just ensured there’s a four-horse mobile OS race short term: Android, Apple’s iOS, RIM and Windows Phone 7. If you assume RIM winds up with Android somehow, then it’s a three-horse race. Elop said “this is now a three horse race.”

If Android won over Nokia it would have been game, set, match for the mobile platform race. Google would have won.

Nokia shipped more than 461 mobile units in 2010. No one even comes close to that many devices. Microsoft will ride along with most of those devices.

In a nutshell, Nokia will:

  • Focus on Windows Phone and Microsoft’s ecosystem—Bings, Xbox Live and Office.
  • MeeGo will ship, but largely be a learning experience for Nokia.
  • Install a new leadership team.
  • Structure the company to focus on smart devices and mobile phones—a move that makes a lot of sense.

Elop said Nokia and Microsoft have been on a journey on the mobile front. A few specifics are yet to be determined, but Ballmer and Elop have promised to disrupt, overcome challenges and be speedy.

Ballmer has taken a lot of heat for missing the mobile curve. Today, Microsoft got itself back in the game with this Nokia partnership.

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Topics

Nokia Corp., Mobile, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft Windows Phone 7, Microsoft Windows Phone, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows, Business Structures, Operating Systems, Software, Finance, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Disclosure

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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This is now a three horse race ???
Heenan73 19th Feb 2011
That's two horses and one horse's ass.
View in thread
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Suicide Pact
gjafg Updated - 11th Feb 2011
This is going to fail.

There's no guarantee of Microsoft success. The public has so far rejected Windows Phone 7. People simply don't want a Microsoft OS. Making more handsets is not going to matter. LG got burned. Watch the other WP7 OEMs drop off.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
nicholas22 11th Feb 2011
@zndac That's not true. Sales were pretty good for such a market, saturated with options that are very much ahead of the WP7 platform. I think it will only grow stronger. Bullish.
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Nokia signed its death sentence
Uralbas 11th Feb 2011
MS OS is not mature enough. though it doesn't mean it wont compete. Though 15 dollars MS toll on all Nokia phones will guarantee it will lose its worldwide dominance.

This pact only saves Steve Balmer from getting fired.

I do appreciate competition, and its good (even if Apple only has 15% of the market) it keeps the big dog honest.

A smarter move would have been to team up with HP and deliver an awesome product.

Windows 7 now has a leg to stand on. Does it have the backbone to keep on standing, that remains to be seen. Sales of the initial devices didn't show this to be the case. But Nokia is an entirely new process.
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delusional
banned from zdnet 11th Feb 2011
@nicholas22
wp7 sold even less than the decade old winmo 6.x in the last quarter. being bullish on something though all indications go against it, is well ... delusional.

beyond that: The change Apple has wrought is a wonder to behold. And, so it goes: Nokia gives up, sells soul to Microsoft, becomes just another phone assembler, but at least their OS of choice isn?t riddled with Apple?s IP. Next domino: RIM.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Rama.NET 11th Feb 2011
@uralbas, banned from zdnet
Come on Guys, the OS is not even 100 days old and you are blowing horns. Sorry it seems this news hurt your feelings.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
snoop0x7b Updated - 11th Feb 2011
@nicholas22 I've yet to see a single WP7 in the wild... I look around at these things (when I'm commuting on the train, when I'm walking around) as a rough measure of acceptance. Then again, that isn't an official study, or even scientific... Just saying, based on my own observations I haven't seen any of them in the wild.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Nunya Bidnez 11th Feb 2011
@snoop0x7b
How do you know that you've never seen a WP7 in the wild? The hardware for most of them is the same as a number of Android phones. Unless you could see the home screens of each and every phone you "observed", you really have no idea whether or not you've seen a WP7 in the wild.
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2 losers do not equal a winner....
i8thecat Updated - 11th Feb 2011
I think you all missed the short bus.... This changes nothing... MS has one more hardware maker. Nokia will put a crap OS on its hardware... What you fail to see is that Nokia specializes in cheap phones. A WP7 phone is not going to be a cheap phone and still has to compete with iPhone and all the iPhone wannabes.

It doesn't change anything... iPhone and Roid will continue to battle. Roid will continue its path to being the most malware infested, non updateable, most fragmented, most frustrating device in history. When Roid reaches critical mass, people will dump it like yesterdays coffee. But before that happens, Rim and Palm will die and slowly fade into history... WP7 will gain some share when Roid dies, but that will just be the anti Apple tards. iPhone will still emerge victorious and await a challenge from someone with some real innovation (not immitation) to offer. but that will be 8 or 9 years down the road. In the mean time, I still think that some people who will want a cheap dumb phone. So Nokia might still be around when that happens.
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How much market share do you predict Apple having then?
LiquidLearner 11th Feb 2011
@nicholas22

I don't completely disagree with you on Android. I think you're overstating it, but the problem is there and it is creating some negative word of mouth. I've heard numerous people complain about their Android phone, but I've heard more who like it just fine. It's say it's about a 60/40 mix, completely in my own experience. It's low enough that we've stopped recommending them to customers to sync with Exchange unless they purchase the Nitro Exchange app.

I think the iPhone is pretty good but I don't think it's going to be a 90% of the market kind of device. I see it being around and a big player for a long time though. I also think WP7 is on the right track as the best alternative, I certainly wouldn't classify it as a "crap OS". I've got about a dozen clients who have purchased them and only one has any complaints and he went with the LG. So I'm not terribly surprised. Everyone else has a HTC or Samsung.

Microsoft seems to be striving for the middle ground between Android and iOS. We'll see if Nokia can help. As I've seen stated numerous times and I agree with, WP7's biggest problem is simply all the hardware is mediocre. Of course that allowed them to sell them cheaper, hence the deals you can get, because it was exactly cutting edge hardware. There needs to be a flagship device for WP7. I certainly hope Microsoft isn't waiting for Nokia to build it at the end of the year. I would have been trying to get HTC to build a Thunderbolt with WP7 on it.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
always-a-geek 13th Feb 2011
@Uralbas - Really? You would NOT buy the $200 smartphone you wanted because of a $15 charge for the operating system?? And my guess is that, with the magnitude of the deal, they got a significant discount on that cost. I also think that it is likely that sales numbers will change when the CDMA phones hit and the marketing can start being made across all platforms. MS hasn't even revved up its advertising. I don't think this chapter has much written beyond word one.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
OhTheHumanity 11th Feb 2011
@zndac
Waiting for Verizon and I am in. I plan to use my Incredible and WinPhone7 in a swap out scenario and then I will get back to you once I have tested them in real world. Have you used one before or are you just out here blowin your horn?
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
UseYourHead 11th Feb 2011
@zndac calm down guys. All you have to do is to accept the fact. Competition is good for us, isn't it?
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
x I'm tc Updated - 11th Feb 2011
@zndac

Au contraire. This means that WP7 is a guaranteed success. There will be apps. An ecosystem, etc. It took Android like a year to get a second phone, let alone multiple phone makers. Windows already has four handset partners and just landed the belle of the ball.

It is not impossible to imagine WP7 at number one in two years time.

I am a webOS user. After the debacle that was Wednesday's press conference, that platform is now clearly dead. So, while I love it, it is time to look elsewhere. As a consumer who is fervently anti-Apple and anti-Google, there aren't many good choices...well, *yesterday* there weren't. Today, WP7 looks like a safe bet. I'll be jumping on this weekend, I hope.
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A distribution channel does not guarantee success.
jasonp@... 11th Feb 2011
@jdakula
Ford had a great auto distribution channel in the late 1950s and it didn't help Edsel sales. Microsoft had a great software distribution channel in the mid 1990s and it didn't help Bob. Having a solid distribution channel only guarantees that you CAN be competitive, not that you WILL be a success. Maybe it's time for you to consider a college education...at least a basic business course.
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So why anti Apple and anti Google yet pro MS?
James Quinn 11th Feb 2011
@jdakula
If Apple or Google have offended you with their actions and tactics you do realize there is no sin against you that either company has done that MS had not done first right?

Pagan jim
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My question also
Economister 11th Feb 2011
@James Quinn

MS was a "scumbag" long before Apple and Google became powerful and at times ruthless. I do not trust ANY mega corporation, but I prefer "open" over "closed". It allows me to retain greater control, which is important to me.

Anybody who is a fanboy of any of those 3 entities has a screw loose, IMHO. They do not give a rats a$$ about you beyond keeping their hand in your pocket for financial gain. Too many consumers are mindless sheep, somehow aligning their self image and self worth with corporate images and products.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
dabble53 11th Feb 2011
@jdakula It sounds like the only reason you are in favor of WP7 is because you are so against Apple and Google, not because WP7 is actually great. Doesn't say much for the future of an OS that is chosen not on its merits, but on the dislike of others.
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jasonp: It's clear that the one needing to go back to school is you
adornoe@... 11th Feb 2011
because, in the business world, one failure, or even a few, does not equal a total failure.

Bob, may not have been a success for Microsoft, but, they learned from their mistake, and the Windows franchise is alive and well and better than ever. Likewise with most other projects undertaken by Microsoft. Ford was a success also, even with some failures along the way.

BTW, wasn't Apple almost counted out of the tech market a bit over 10 years ago with their "failures" and haven't they come back, big time?

With a company the size of Microsoft, a few failures along the way won't break the company, and the XBox is a prime example of stick-with-it decisions which create successes. Knee-jerk reactions to one or more failures does not make for great or good management.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
timspublic1@... 11th Feb 2011
@jdakula

All I can say is ROFLMAO. You play the stock market?
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Reading comprehension problems?
jasonp@... 11th Feb 2011
@adornoe
Nowhere in my post did I say that WP7 would be a total failure. What I said, had you actually tried reading for comprehension, was that a distribution channel doesn't guarantee success. I stand by that statement. Now go back to school and learn how to understand written English.
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What a bunch of babies on this board.
x I'm tc Updated - 11th Feb 2011
@jdakula

Wow, people take offence pretty easily, huh?

Let's see here:

"Having a solid distribution channel only guarantees that you CAN be competitive, not that you WILL be a success."
I guess it depends on what you mean by "success." I would say that this deal alone could qualify WP as a success. They are essentially guaranteed 20% market share in a couple of years, and if the stars aline (not saying they will, but it is putatively possible) they could even find themselves in the #1 spot in the not-too-distant future. Given that they were near 0% share a few months ago, I would say this is an ipso facto success. It is not a foregone conclusion *at all* that Microsoft will *continue* to have success in the mobile space. (It is equally not a forgone conclusion that they will fail -- and no, Mr. Sensitive, I'm not putting words in your mouth.)

"Maybe it's time for you to consider a college education...at least a basic business course."
Maybe you should not be such a sensitive whiner. Did my comment insult znac in such a way you felt you had to rush in to his rescue?

"If Apple or Google have offended you with their actions and tactics you do realize there is no sin against you that either company has done that MS had not done first right?"
Totally untrue. MS was a ruthless "super-competitor" who used their monopoly power to shut down superior, albeit smaller, competitors. They were convicted as such. So no, I have no great love for MS. Indeed, I avoided MS products as much as possible until Massachusetts (my home state, by the way, where I wrote a letter to the attorney general to keep the case alive!) finally dropped the case. However, the fact that they have been under such close scrutiny is, I think, a major reason why there is a Google and a resurgent Apple today. MS could, and would, have bought Google 5 years ago if they could have gotten past the regulators. Thankfully for the sake of competition, they don't even contemplate such moves anymore.

As for Apple: they sell consoles. Their systems are so completely closed it is suffocating. It remains to be seen if WP will be handled the same way. If it is, I will be looking elsewhere for my product, again. But it is early days yet. For instance, let's see if Ovi becomes an alternative store for WP7. That would be "open" in the ways I care about. Also, I can't stomach that Apple forces me to tell them my whereabouts for the privilege of using their phone.

Google, meanwhile, is the original "super-spyware" company and a monopolist in their own right. The only company that scares me more than Google is Facebook. So no, Android is not an option for me. There is nothing "open" about it, as far as I can tell, other than the basic source code which is just a new Linux fork. All the cool toys and tools that Google makes which run on it are theirs and theirs alone.

"All I can say is ROFLMAO. You play the stock market?"
No, not much. I did have the foresight to buy Electronic Arts in the early 90s and made a few thousand Gs, but since then, I mostly let my mutual funds handle my money. You?
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jasonp: Your insinuations with 2 specific products is what I'm addressing,
adornoe@... Updated - 11th Feb 2011
and you insinuated that, Bob from Microsoft and the Edsel from Ford couldn't be helped through distribution channels, because, the distribution channels weren't going to help ill-conceived or bad products.

You specifically stated that the failures weren't related to the distribution channel when it came to those 2 products, thereby leaving, through logical conclusion, that Bob and the Edsel failed because they were bad products.

So, it's not a problem with my reading comprehension, and it's more of a fact that, I read your post very logically and came to very logical conclusions from your post. In contrast, you apparently didn't post what you think you posted because, you're defending your post from the wrong angle.

I'll break it down for you:

If the problem wasn't the distribution channel, then what's left from your original post, of any significance, is the 2 products you mentioned, namely, Bob from Microsoft, and the Edsel from Ford. Thus, though neither you nor I specifically mentioned WP7, you implied that WP7 (which happens to be the subject of this discussion) would be, success-wise, not much different from Bob or the Edsel, and the distribution channel would be irrelevant.

Look, you can try your fallacies on someone else, but your failed logic in your posts doesn't get by me.

So, from the sounds and looks of it, it's you that needs to go back to school.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Rama.NET 12th Feb 2011
@Economister
What MS is scumbag and Google and Apple are only ruthless at times. In my opinion Google is like MSFT, sorry to hurt your feelings. I know how much you love Google. Their privacy rules are scum.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Rick_K 14th Feb 2011
@jdakula ?Apple sells consoles?
Since when? Last time I checked I could easily upgrade many of the parts of a Typical Mac. Even the notebooks (laptops) can be upgraded by the end user happy

"Also, I can't stomach that Apple forces me to tell them my whereabouts for the privilege of using their phone?

So turn off the location based services. You do know that the Windows phone 7 series phone also offer this feature? each vendor offers a bag of goods that is sightly different. it is up to the consumer to choose the bag of goods that best meets the consumers choice.

Microsoft has shown over the course of history that they cannot compete on merit, so the need to play outsides the rules. This has been widely accepted as the Microsoft way.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
non-biased Updated - 16th Feb 2011
@jdakula By saying "As a consumer who is fervently anti-Apple and anti-Google,..." all you have done is state that you are not the average consumer. The average consumer isn't shopping based on a dislike or even hate of a particular or multiple platforms. The average consumers are the ones that will decide who are and are not the winners in this race, not the techies that read these blogs.

I could not tell you one single smart phone the Nokia makes let alone one that is on part with the iPhone or tier one Android based phones. That certainly doesn't mean they aren't out there but isn't Nokia the king of cheap phones? Smart phone and cheap phone don't really mix that well, at least not right now.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
non-biased 16th Feb 2011
@jdakul They are essentially guaranteed 20% market share in a couple of years,...

How does this deal guarantee MS anything beyond Nokia is going to use WP7? There is no guarantee on what Nokia's market share will be in a year let alone in a few. With this deal they could be a booming success with rapid market share growth but at the same time they could be stagnant or drop like a rock in market share. None of this is a prediction on my part but you need to wake up and realize that there are no guarantees in this world no matter how much you like the company we are talking about.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
incendy 11th Feb 2011
@zndac Not true, just follow the Samsung tweets and you will see the Focus is selling quite well. And the HD7 is moving too. The biggest issue for Windows Phone 7 was there wasn't an OEM that was all in and they were competing against themselves giving the better hardware to Android as well as the advertising.

Those days are over, Nokia gives Windows Phone 7 a dedicated partner and the mobile industry wins.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
timspublic1@... 11th Feb 2011
@incendy

Oh, and that MS is famous for bloated slow moving OS's with lots of bugs. Just what I want in my phone.

Just like the desktop, mobile is moving towards Linux. Very slowly on the desktop because MS was embedded well. In mobile where they have been nothing short of a dismal failure, they have no market share to push faulty work with.

Dead.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
SlithyTove 11th Feb 2011
@zndac

So far the public hasn't heard of Windows Phone 7 enough to reject it. They don't know it exists yet.

But based on all the positive reactions I get from people seeing my Focus I would guess this race is just getting started. It really does make my iPad feel kind of dated now.

"LG got burned."

LG made the worst WP7 handsets by far. Make crap product, get burned. I can't imagine someone buying LGs offering with the Samsung and HTC devices sitting right next to it to be examined.
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What??
pllamonica@... 11th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove

I have an LG Windows 7 Phone, What are you talking about, its better by far than the old phone I had. There are no death grip issues, no dropped calls (still on ATT) no issues at all. ok, maybe one, it does not like to be plugged in and laying at a 30 degree angle, the touch sensor gets confused, big deal.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
dave95. 11th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove

"It really does make my iPad feel kind of dated now."

Note sure where the iPad fit into this but no worries, the iPad 2 will also make the original iPad look dated. As Apple is known to do with each gen release.
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Bingo!
ParrotHead_FL 11th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove You're exactly right... The issue is that people don't know what WP7 is, not that they're rejecting it. The problem is that few people other than enthusiasts have heard of it; Microsoft has done a TERRIBLE job of marketing it.

It's a great OS. I have it. I use it. I like it.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
burtonrodman@... 11th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove
I second that on LG! i haven't spent too much time with the quantum. I haven't seen a LG phone that I liked. i had the misfortune of getting an LG Neon. worst phone ever!

they make great low-end TV's. they should stick with that.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
SlithyTove 11th Feb 2011
@pllamonica

Glad you like your phone then. happy
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
SlithyTove 11th Feb 2011
@dave95

"Note sure where the iPad fit into this but no worries, the iPad 2 will also make the original iPad look dated. As Apple is known to do with each gen release. "

Just that, using both an iOS and a WP7 device on a daily basis I find myself thinking of iOS as the less sophisticated of the two. They are both fine devices and I am happy with them.

Surprisingly enough, the rumor mill on the iPad2 doesn't sound like a major leap forward over the current one. But I'll be interested to see what they come up with.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
terjeb@... 14th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove Dont'd dizz the LG, I got an LG because it was the only WP7 handset available when I needed one. I agree that it is the lowest rung on the WP7 ladder. EVEN SO, and even though I never thought it would, it easily replaced my iPhone 3GS, and I have no intention of going back. Even the WORST WP7 handset blows the iPhone out of the water in almost every respect.

- UI is more responsive, intuitive and productive.
- I have full WiFi coverage everywhere in my house, with the iPhone I was lucky to have 50% anywhere but right by the WiFi router.
- I have significantly better mobile coverage everywhere.
- Did I mention the UI making me more productive?
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Rick_K Updated - 14th Feb 2011
@SlithyTove That sound like Microsofts problem, after all a $500 million dollar advertising campaign is more than their competitor spent. Or are you admitting the ads for Windows phone 7 series phones were that bad that it did not promote the brand?
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I don't think it is
John L. Ries 11th Feb 2011
@zndac
It's disappointing that Nokia would agree to become an MS-vassal, but MS has been making these sorts of deals since the 1980s and they usually work very well.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
mrmaps7 11th Feb 2011
@zndac Fail squared.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
geolemon 11th Feb 2011
@zndac That's some pretty poor quality conclusions you are reaching. WP7 has over 4% of the market, as of the end of 2010. That's pretty damn impressive for a phone OS that only became available for sale November and December of 2010.

And quote from LG following this Nokia announcement:
"LG values its business relationship with Microsoft and will continue to support the Windows Phone platform as a key component of our strategy to offer a wide range of smart devices that meet the diverse needs of consumers."

Reality check: Sounds like you need to check your facts.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
Rick_K 14th Feb 2011
@geolemon Speaking of facts, Windows phone 7 series has been on the market since October, and only has (at best) 2%. Without accurate activation numbers, the total marketshare cannot be accurately be determined. But I fear we will never see those numbers. All we have to go on it the number of licenses shipped, from Redmond. which in itself is truly a dismal number. Consider that licenses were shipped weeks before the phones went on sale. That would mean that Microosft has been shipping licenses since late September/early October. So shipping 2 million stickers in a quarter, or roughly the equivalent of what your competitors are activating on a bi-weekly basis is nothing to crow about.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
non-biased Updated - 16th Feb 2011
@geolemon Nobody knows what percentage WP7 has because activation figures have not been released. The 4% you are quoting is MS, which would include all versions from MS, not just WP7. Of course that is also down what 50% from a year earlier? Not really the direction to go if you are hoping to take over the market.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
ITOdeed 11th Feb 2011
@zndac
I agree. This is so sad. I feel sorry for Nokia.
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Must Read Article
Synthmeister 11th Feb 2011
@zndac
Agreed. Suicide Pact indeed. Especially for Nokia.

In memoriam: Microsoft?s previous strategic mobile partners:
http://www.asymco.com/2011/02/11/in-memoriam-microsofts-previous-strategic-mobile-partners/

This article should send chills down every employee's back at Nokia.

Just look at the list of MS former strategic "partners."

LG--abandoned WM6, Pooped on WM7
Moto-have you heard of the Droid?
Palm--shipped WM6, went belly up
Nortel--sidekick to Balmer while he famously laughed at the "ridiculous iPHone. Belly up.
Verizon--put Bing on Android phones
Ericsson--ditched mobile
Sendo--sued MS over IP, went bankrupt.
Nokia--not this time, last time. supposed to bring MS office, etc. to Symbian.

Two dinosaurs mating. Nothing more, nothing less. There will be lots heat and noise and they might even have a few kids, but the meteor is still coming.
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Re: Suicide Pact
Rick S._z 11th Feb 2011
@zndac:
I agree, but only half way- in this "pact", only ONE of the partners is probably committing suicide. That would be Nokia.

Nokia decided to avoid joining the Android eco-system, because they'd be just another player among many others. BUT WP7 is no different! HTC, if I may choose just one strong, has been a strategic partner of MS for many, many years. Can Nokia *BEAT* HTC in the creation of slick, user-friendly phones, and the negotiation of agreements with NA carriers such as AT&T?

No. And not in the bigger markets, either. (China, India... *NOT* UAE; Mr. Elop stupid speeches and blog posts show him to be less qualified for this job than I am!)

I haven't even read the press releases yet; but unless Nokia granted control of it's own current Ovi store, and the ability to create and maintain private, Nokia-unique Development tools for location-aware apps, Nokia is in direct *hardware-only* competition with HTC.

And they'll lose.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
red400r 13th Feb 2011
@zndac

Thats rubbish, this will be good for both M$ and Nokia. It's all about brand recognition. M$ have the mobile OS and Nokia have the brand = smart deal.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
riccol1966 11th Feb 2011
good news, everyone who picks up win phone 7 likes it, so its only fair that it now gets to compete with the outdated iphone and the buggy android phones. Happy days for all, but I guess the first thing that Nokia have to do is make new phones with the 3-button settings. So expect a front facing camera, rear 12mg camera, full HD video and smooth WP7 functionality, and brilliant battery life, a concept that Nokia are definitely ahead of the curve on. Looking forward to Q3 of 2011 already.
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Everyone?
linux for me 11th Feb 2011
@riccol1966
My fiance and I were looking at phones for her, and we both hated the Windows phones...in a word, they are crap...She decided to upgrade to a newer Blackberry, I am still deciding between a Blackberry and and Samsung Android phone when I upgrade next month.

Microsoft should concentrate on their computer software...as bad as IT is, at least they still have a market there, although a slowing shrinking one.
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RE: Nokia to rely on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7: 'This is now a three horse race'
OhTheHumanity 11th Feb 2011
@linux for me
Why do I have a feeling you are lying and would never buy a Windows Phone even if it was just like Android. "linux for me" just says it all and you try to play it off like you really thought about using a Windows phone. What a jokester some can be, lol!!!!
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Why do I have the feeling that...
K B 11th Feb 2011
@OhTheHumanity Why do I have the feeling that MS pays people to make pro MS statements on ZDnet boards. Maybe not you, but some other posters make me suspect something is up.
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This is now a three horse race ???
Heenan73 19th Feb 2011
That's two horses and one horse's ass.

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