Will Nokia’s Return Make A Big Difference?
The end is already in sight for Nokia’s bad romance with Microsoft. Nokia sold its devices business to Microsoft in 2014 for $7.2 billion but the Windows devices produced under Nokia brand have not really been successful. As a matter of fact, the Windows phone continues losing popularity since Android and iOS remain consumers’ favorite.Perhaps Nokia would’ve been like Blackberry that recently adopted Android OS, but the deal with Microsoft was there. Nokia has confirmed its comeback but the company’s CEO maintained that there is no rush and there’s no fixed time for that. It could be this year and it could be the next.
Nokia’s Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri (Photo credit: MARKKU ULANDER/AFP/Getty Images)
According to CNet, at a press conference at the Mobile World Congress, Rajeev Suri said:
There’s no timeline, there’s no rush. It could happen in 2016, it could happen later.
It’s almost certain that Nokia is going to adopt Android OS but will Nokia devices sell in an already saturated market?
He explained that Nokia is still looking for a partner to which the brand name will be licensed. Nokia may not really produce the phone. He explained that Nokia may design the devices but another manufacturer will produce it.
We want to be in a position to design the devices in question with appropriate control measures in case they don’t meet expectations
Does the brand name still command the same respect among consumers? Maybe it still does. Rajeev Suri continued:
The recognition of the brand is still very high in all the major markets. We think it’s a good business model.
Nokia’s experiment with Android OS in the form of Android X was a pretty bad one. The devices were below par and the sales were bad. We only hope the company learns from its past mistakes and create devices that actually make huge differences.
Nokia may be coming in a little bit late but it might still make a difference. The mobile market is driven by innovation, Nokia might bring something new and refreshing to the table.