Nokia Exec: Young People Fed Up With iPhone and Android 532
jfruhlinger writes "Nokia's Windows Phones haven't hit the U.S., but at least one company executive thinks they'll be a slam dunk, since young people have soured on the iPhone and find Android baffling. Of course, much of the Internet commentariat found his remarks even more baffling. Is he right, is he delusional, or is he just trying to build buzz for his company's products the best he can?"
As a certified "young person"... (Score:5, Interesting)
WP7 sales suck everywhere. (Score:3, Interesting)
It's not like Nokia phones are going to be any different from other vendors' WP7 phones, despite the privileged position Nokia has. Their real chance to be different was with the N9, and by all accounts the phone is a success in the markets it was launched in. People love it -- if they can get it. Carrier subsidizing is the only "feature" that is missing. But good news Newegg now carries it! [newegg.com] ($630) so no dealing with shady importers.
I hate my Android, but I'll likely go back to iPhone, unless I swing the N9 for xmas. Yeah, I'm not even a year into the Atrix and I'm looking to spend another $630 because Android is crap. I prefer a "walled garden" to an open field of shit. I'm only waiting to see how the iPhone 5 changes things.
Exacty wrong (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know why older people have this misconception that young people are more iconoclastic than older ones. Just because the Young do not have the same icons as the old I guess. Teens and young adults are gregarious and sensitive to peer pressure to an extreme, more than more mature people.
If Nokia counts on many Young having it as an argument against the iPhone, I wish them good luck. They could try "your moms and dads have them too", but since moms and dads still mostly have Nokias, at least in Europe, that doesn't sound too smart either.
Sounds like clutching at straws to me.
Fed up with the lawsuits, not the phones. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:State Of Mind (Score:5, Interesting)
It would take some serious kool-aide to think that people were generally confused by any of iPhone, Android or Windows Phone 7, they are all easy to use. Each has it's pros and cons.
However, with the serious lack of good 3rd party apps, I suspect mostly due to MS figuratively castrating their developers with insane draconian file access and network access restrictions that prevent any direct cross-app communication on the phone, or network access via anything but http/https... You would have to have gone through a few kilos of LSD before ever thinking Windows Phone 7 could catch up to those two. Nice OS, but MS royally screwed the 3rd party developers over.
Even *I* bought an iPhone... (Score:5, Interesting)
And I liked my Palm Pilot so much, I bought a Treo. However, the Treo was a terrible phone, I had to spend extra and buy it on eBay because the 680 wasn't supported by t-Mobile and for years I lived with it. Then, finally I started phone shopping.
A friend lent me his Nokia 900 and I found it to be un-useable. It interpreted *everything* as me wanting to use the device, including putting it back into a belt-holster... So it would start playing videos in my pocket, and when I wanted to really use it to make a phone call, the battery was dead.
I didn't like the iPhone's on-screen keyboard, but, when the iPhone4 came out, it finally supported a bluetooth keyboard. So, I bought the iPhone & keyboard. When I'm away from the keyboard, I've learned to live with the onscreen keyboard.
For the last year and 2 months now, it's been OK. I haven't wanted to run my phone over with my car, something I've wanted to do to both the Treo and the Nokia. Sure, it doesn't do everything, but, I have to admit it's better than what I was getting previously. The keyboard has made taking notes and writing emails very easy, making the phone a 60% desktop replacement.
It's a fairly good PDA, and even with AT&T service, it's been a use-able phone. All it has to do is not suck entirely, which tends to be what the other products do.
Considered that kids want what the other kids have, my guess is that this quote from Nokia that kids want a Windows Phone is rubbish. Kids want an iPhone. Apple is already on track to be the biggest phone-maker in the world.
Nokia, RIM, Samsung, and Sony do not have a chance unless they undertake some serious R&D and make something equally revolutionary. And somehow "revolutionary" isn't a word *anyone* associates with Microsoft. Windows phone ain't it, any more than GEOS phone. WebOS could have been it, but Palm and the HP both screwed that pooch.
Re:Nobody does that because everyone does that (Score:3, Interesting)
Everyone has the iPhone," he said.
And perhaps they are looking for the next bright shiny, must have item. If everyone has one, it isn't as special anymore. Fads come and go.
Now whether or not the iphone IS a fad is another question I'll not try to answer. Personally, I've played with my wife's iphone and just can't see why people are so crazy about them. Overpriced and not very flexible IMHO. But maybe it's peer pressure. I've always been rather resistant to it, while my wife is at the other end of the spectrum.
Wait for windows phone in 2013... (Score:4, Interesting)
Just imagine: in 2013 having a windows phone that:
a) Can be used as a phone (of course!)
b) Can be used as a tablet (windows 8 with the Metro UI)
c) Can be used as a computer (windows 8 with the Classic UI)
d) Can be used as a game console (it is rumored that the next xbox could run in ARM processors a variant of the windows 8 kernel).
Microsoft is known for improving its products version after version... Everyone thinks that Windows Phone 7.5 is a very goog start: just read the reviews:
- Engadget ( http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/27/windows-phone-7-5-mango-review/ [engadget.com] )
"While Windows Phone still needs a glass of water to get rid of a few hiccups -- and let's face it, every mobile OS has plenty of their own -- it ironed out a lot of the wrinkles from earlier versions and made it a much more feature-laden, user-friendly experience. With Mango, WP7 has caught up with Android and iOS in nearly every way, and in some areas it's even surpassed the other two in functionality. Despite a grim first year, the bright future of Windows Phone is forcing Ballmer to wear shades."
- The Verge ( http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/24/2509332/windows-phone-75-mango-review [theverge.com] )
"Put simply, regardless of your preconceptions, Windows Phone finally deserves an honest look the next time you’re ready to buy a phone — particularly as we start to see new devices come to market over the next few weeks."
- gsmarena ( http://www.gsmarena.com/windows_phone_7_5-review-655.php [gsmarena.com] )
"WP7 lacked key functionality, which deterred potential consumers. Version 7.5 however brings things that will appeal to businesspeople, social networking buffs and people who like a novel software experience. If you're using Microsoft software (chances are you're using at least Office at work), WP7.5 offers the smoothest, most well-rounded experience. The rich bundle of several social networks and IM clients and emails and texts is beautifully organized too. And let's face it, the Windows Phone interface is the only UI around that's truly different - iOS, Android, even Symbian are becoming harder and harder to tell apart. The only thing that held it back was the lack of multitasking and now that's been sorted out."
Re:Nobody does that because everyone does that (Score:5, Interesting)
There are people like that. Before the iPhone killed the iPod, people would buy Zunes just for the "its not popular" aspect.
Will it be enough market to keep WMP going? Probably not. However, WMP has one advantage -- Microsoft can easily have it the only phone that works with a new "secure" protocol of Activesync. If MS also licensed it to Apple, Android would be effectively locked out of the enterprise like it was back in the 1.5 and 1.6 days. This by itself would all but kill Android as a competing phone. Exchange support makes or breaks handsets. Even Apple came to Microsoft to get support in their devices.
Nokia can't even give away their product. (Score:4, Interesting)
Om Malik commenting on the state of Nokia in Finland. [gigaom.com]
I co-incidentally happen to be in Helsinki, a few miles away from Nokiaâ(TM)s global headquarters in Espoo, Finland. Walking around the downtown (where I am staying), I have seen many more iPhones than Nokia phones. And most of the startup people I met have some variation of the iPhone. One of them who is still in college told me that Nokia gave him one of their new phones, and he decided to use it as a way to support his nationâ(TM)s largest employer. A month later, he switched back to the iPhone. Ouch! When you canâ(TM)t give away your phones to your own âoeyouth,â it is time to stop hating on other platforms and look for ways to get people to use your product.
Nokia can't even give away their phones!
Re:I think Nokia missed the boat (Score:5, Interesting)
My N9 arrived from Switzerland and I think it is just freaking beautiful, and Microsoft really did a number on Nokia to muzzle this thing. Like:
The main website for the N9 is http://swipe.nokia.com/ [nokia.com] Okay, so you're saying 'swipe, yeah I've heard of that. so what?' Man, if only Microsoft wasn't paying Nokia so hard to put a muzzle on it. Check out the videos at the bottom of that page, particularly the 2nd thumbnail'd from the left, at the very bottom. Dig on the one-handed swipe GUI. So now maybe you're thinking, 'well okay, if the one-handed GUI carries over through out the rest of the OS maybe...'
Okay, to do that, you have to wait for the Over the Air update (or use another way) to install the PR1.1, i.e. the first service pack for the OS since the phone was released. Then 'swipe' is fully installed, and you can also access control-keys, up/down arrows, etc. And it is freaking awesome! And being a linux guy of course I installed the devel extras which gets me the busybox terminal, and oh man what a gorgeous phone/client.
Today I was playing with the calendar and daily alarms; gorgeous! The included browser is fast and I'm a web-dev and really appreciate the perspective it brings to understanding modern mobile html5/touch browsers (that pops-up .flv videos in the media player but now .swf files).
I am certain Microsoft paid Nokia to *bury* the one-handed swipe GUI so deep as to obfuscate it completely. But I also think the Good Work of the Nokia linux team refuses to be buried so. At any rate, I give the N9 the coolest, most-positive thumbs-up review. And it does linux. (Oh, and who needs a million apps if I can bash script & ssh all over the place?)
Re:Android IS crap (Score:4, Interesting)
Your complaint about Android's keyboard is one of its best features. Sure, the stock Android keyboard is just mediocre. It works fine for most people, but for those who want something better, you can easily replace it. I found one that I like, that works really well for me (SwiftKey), so I was able to very easily replace the stock keyboard app with that one. My wife didn't care for the stock keyboard or SwiftKey, so she easily replaced hers with another (Swype, I think?). I can't stand her keyboard, but she loves it. We both can easily type using our onscreen keyboards, and we both routinely use the onscreen keyboard instead of the built in hardware keyboard.
My son has an iPhone, after using SwiftKey, I think his keyboard is horrible. As far as I know he's stuck with it though, there's no way to change the stock keyboard on it. It may be a little better than the stock Android keyboard, but it absolutely blows compared to some of the aftermarket Android ones.
You also made a comment about Samsung just using the free software that's available instead of developing their own. Do you remember just a few years ago, when each phone had its own OS? Those were absolutely horrible. I wouldn't even consider a phone not running Android or iOS any more. I don't think many other people would either.