"Is Nokia right to bet everything on the Windows Phone platform?"
Only time will tell. However, Windows Phone has a bigger backing to it than MeeGo or Symbian did. They were correct in dumping those.
Nokia claims that its next-generation smartphones will offer a better interface and far superior cloud experience than is offered by either Google or Apple.
Speaking to VentureBeat, Chris Weber, President of Nokia, head of North America was in bullish mood, attacking the competition on a number of fronts.
First, he attacked Android and iOSes reliance on the app as ‘outdated’ because it forces users to download multiple apps. Instead, Nokia will offer a more seamless interface … makes sense really since this is the metaphor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. Instead of being standalone apps, apps will be integrated into what people do.
Another ace that Weber sees Nokia having over the competition is cloud integration. ”We’re way ahead of them [Apple and Google],” Weber said in relation to cloud integration to offer features such as cross-platform services for enterprise. Much of this is down to Microsoft’s cloud services, and Weber was eager to talk up Microsoft services such as SkyDrive and Office 365 that would be baked into the handsets.
Another revelation made by Weber was that Nokia will not be releasing its latest N9 Meego-based phone in the US, calling the platform an experiment and saying it will not be replicated.
So, with Nokia dropping Symbian and backpedaling on Meego is clearly betting everything on Windows Phone. But there’s a snag, and that’s shipping. When pressed on availability, Weber would only say that Windows Phone-based Nokia handsets wouldn’t be available in the US “in volume” until 2012. The reason given is that Nokia wants to build a good working relationship with the carriers. Whatever the reason, it seems that Nokia won’t be cashing in on this year’s holiday spending jamboree.
How will this work out? Who knows. Until we get to see (and use) Windows Phone-powered Nokia handsets then it’s hard to know how good the handsets are and what differentiates Nokia’s Windows Phone handsets from the competition.
