Dunc Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Nokia's new head has sent an outspoken and frank memo to his staff that suggests the phone giant is in crisis. Stephen Elop describes the company as standing on a "burning platform" surrounded by innovative competitors who are grabbing its market share. In particular, he said, the firm had been caught off guard by the success of Google's Android operating system and Apple's iPhone. BBC News has verified that the memo is genuine. The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience," chief executive Mr Elop wrote in the note that was distributed to the Finnish company's staff and was first published by technology website Engadget. Android came on the scene just over two years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable. Although Nokia leads the global smartphone market in terms of handset sales, its overall share has been gradually declining. According to research firm IDC, Nokia's share fell from 38% in 2009 to 28% by the end of 2010. Meanwhile its rivals, including Apple and HTC have seen their share increase, or remain constant. Ben Wood, an analyst at research firm CCS insight, said the memo showed that Mr Elop has a "deep understanding of the severe structural problems Nokia is facing". I think it shows that he has inherited an organisation that is in much worse shape than he anticipated and the work that will be required to get it back on track should not be underestimated," he told BBC News. Mr Elop's leaked memo also suggests that Nokia is also being squeezed at the lower, non-smartphone end of the market by Chinese manufacturers. They are fast, they are cheap, and they are challenging us," he wrote. Nokia is expected to publicly address its future strategy at a media event this Friday. Mr Wood said that he thought Mr Elop would use the briefing as a chance to issue a "mea culpa". He will use it to say 'we are not in a good position, we have been outgunned and if we are to recover we are going to have to take some drastic decisions'. Mr Wood said this could involve using Android or Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating systems. No options will be ruled out," he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJHale Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 ummm i have a Nokia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instant-classic Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 The first mobile i had was Nokia but gotta be honest i haven't had a Nokia phone for at least 5 years now and i can't even think of any of my friends or family that are currently using Nokia !!!! everybody seems to have Apple Sony Samsung or HTC right now, I think they have been left behind, even my dad who just wants a phone to be a phone tends to buy Sony or LG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Nokia's used to be the best phones you could buy.... That situation has changed and with any luck they will start making really good smart phones now... More competitors, cheaper prices for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Ooo funny you should say that ..... Seem to remember someone else who got a Nokia too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Iv got a nokia! While all the other phone companies seem to think touch screen and posh everything is better I dont like it! I just want a basic phone to txt and make a call every now and again I dont need AAAAALLL those fansey gadgets I just think it means more things that can go wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Ooo funny you should say that ..... Seem to remember someone else who got a Nokia too You will be saying thats why I posted it next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instant-classic Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Anybody remember that Nokia phone that Neo had in the Matrix ??? i went crazy trying to get one of those when the film came out I don't think they are bad phone, like Dave said they were THE phone to have it just seems like all the other companies have surpassed them now !!!! i'm not really surprised they are in crisis now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meeshsalts Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 No sympathy for Nokia, they used to lead the technology but now are left far behind and they only have themselves to blame. They are like the Uk car builders, when everyone else was building for the future they stood still and hoped people would carry on buying unreliabil poorly made cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibe77 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Anybody remember that Nokia phone that Neo had in the Matrix ??? i went crazy trying to get one of those when the film came out I don't think they are bad phone, like Dave said they were THE phone to have it just seems like all the other companies have surpassed them now !!!! i'm not really surprised they are in crisis now Yeah i had one of those, i use to think i was the dogs b*******s when i had that phone, could not wait for someone to call just so i could push the button on the side to slide it down and answer it...lol I do hope Nokia catch up with there designs as every nokia i have had has never given me one bit of a problem, unlike the Sony's and samsungs..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 sorry but i like my nokia - and why would i get an iphone when i've an ipod touch? At least i've got variety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Nokia used to be the phone to have, i had the Nokia 3210 a few years ago now, and used to play snake all day IMO the way to go now is Android. HTC's are pretty good, but i couldnt be without my Xperia X10i : D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 I've got a Nokia N97. When it came out 2 years ago it was supposed to be an iPhone killer. erm. .. . no more like it shouted insults from a great distance. Will be replacing it in a couple of months hopefully with a HTC Thunderbolt if it's out in this country by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kells xx Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 I've got a Nokia N97. When it came out 2 years ago it was supposed to be an iPhone killer. erm. .. . no more like it shouted insults from a great distance. Will be replacing it in a couple of months hopefully with a HTC Thunderbolt if it's out in this country by then. and the insults shouted were weak... my dad has had to do several updates....its picky about accepting calls and lately switches itself off... my dad has had sooooo much trouble and issues with the n97 its hilarious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instant-classic Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 sorry but i like my nokia - and why would i get an iphone when i've an ipod touch? At least i've got variety Walkers crisps have variety too but If you had an iphone you could ebay your ipod and only have to carry one device about Tony that matrix Nokia was such a cool phone i know exactly what you mean about waiting for somebody to call just so you could use it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueWolf Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Meh, I don't want fancy phones. I just want to call and sms, that's all. I don't want to be tied to a contract, just pre-paid. That's why I now have an mobile without (clear) brand or anything. Just a little screen and buttons with numbers on it (maybe some of you still remember these kind of phones? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 is it one of these lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 i used to like nokia's - mainly for snake lol love my sony ericsson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 i have a nokia N97 aswell worst phone i ever had i had nokias for the past 10 years without problems but this N97 is unreliable problem after problem camera lense scratched due to bad design among loads of other flaws , lets just say my next phone wont be a Nokia. and the insults shouted were weak... my dad has had to do several updates....its picky about accepting calls and lately switches itself off... my dad has had sooooo much trouble and issues with the n97 its hilarious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueWolf Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 is it one of these lol Roflol No, it isn't SO big but my previous phone came quite close actually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Nokia and Microsoft form partnership Nokia has joined forces with Microsoft in an attempt to regain ground lost to the iPhone and Android-based devices. The deal will see Nokia use the Windows phone operating system for its smartphones, the company said. It means that Nokia's existing operating systems will be sidelined. Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Nokia's chief executive Stephen Elop revealed that there would be "substantial" job losses as a result of the tie-up. Nokia will remain "first and foremost...a Finnish company. Finland is our home and will remain our home," he said. But job losses around the world, including in Finland, will be inevitable, he added. Speaking about the new partnership with Microsoft, Mr Elop said that "the game has changed from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems". "An ecosystem with Microsoft and Nokia has unrivalled scale around the globe," he said. Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer was also present at the launch, underlining the importance of the deal to the computing giant. "Nokia and Microsoft working together can drive innovation that is at the boundary of hardware, software and services," he said. ]Microsoft's Bing will power Nokia's search services, while Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft's mapping services. The new strategy means Nokia's existing smartphone operating systems will be gradually sidelined. Symbian, which runs on most of the company's current devices will become a "franchise platform", although the company expects to sell approximately 150 million more Symbian devices in future. ]"It is a transition from Symbian to Windows phone as our primary smartphone platform," said Mr Elop. ]Windows may not be the exclusive operating system for Nokia tablets though. ]"We reserve the right to introduce tablets using other platforms, including ones we may be working on internally," he said. There was no specific announcement about when the first Windows-powered Nokia phone will be available. ]Mr Elop revealed that the firm did consider a tie-up with Google's Android operating system. "We spent time with our colleagues at Google and explored the Google ecosystem but we felt we would have difficulty differentiating within that ecosystem," he said. It was also revealed that talks with Microsoft only began in November, illustrating how quickly the deal has been pushed through. The move away from Symbian is a brave decision for Nokia, according to experts. "This is a clear admission that Nokia's own-platform strategy has faltered," said Ben Wood, an analyst with research firm CCS: Insight. "Microsoft is the big winner in this deal, but there are no silver bullets for either company given the strength of iPhone and Google's Android," he added. Nokia's share of the smartphone market fell from 38% to 28% in 2010, according to monitoring firm IDC. Nokia's upcoming Meego operating system will also be sidelined. According to the company statement: "MeeGo will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices." The MeeGo platform was expected to form the core of Nokia's future smartphone and tablet strategy. The company says it still plans to ship one Meego device by the end of 2011. For Magnus Rehle, the Nordic managing director of research firm Greenwich Consulting, Nokia may have difficulty juggling its three operating systems: Windows, Symbian and MeeGo. "Three platforms is a lot to work with. I'm not sure there is room for so many platforms," he said. ]And, as with any tie-up, there could be clashes between the two firms, he said. Earlier this week Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop sent a memo to staff warning that the company was in crisis. ]The memo, published first by technology website Engadget, said that the mobile giant was standing on a "burning platform". Elop has to convince the best people to stay and some people will inevitably be jumping off the burning platform," said Mr Rehle. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12427680 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueWolf Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Too bad. Maemo/Meego had so much potential I have a Maemo tablet (not phone) and I LOVE it, I use it everywhere where outer people would use a laptop. It's like an iPad but pocket-sized. And because it is Linux based you can tweak and program the hell out of it without any restrictions. Too bad this is going away again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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