Nokia has lost its crown as the world's largest phone maker to Samsung, and has been burning cash and laying off staff in their thousands as sales of more basic phones collapse. Nokia desperately needs a hit smartphone, and time is running out.
Over at Microsoft, chief executive Steve Ballmer knows that his company will quickly become sidelined unless its Windows software makes the leap to phones and tablets as the personal computing revolution leaves the traditional PC behind.
After more than two decades of dominance, the famous Wintel alliance between Microsoft Windows and chip maker Intel is being overthrown. Smartphones and tablets mostly run on chips designed by the British company ARM, and they use software by Apple and Google.
Microsoft's share of the combined market for tablets, phones and PCs is expected to fall to 33% by 2016, according to research firm IHS, down from 44% last year.
With Asian manufacturers preferring Google's free Android phone software, Nokia's exclusive commitment to Windows, outlined by chief executive Stephen Elop last year, still represents Microsoft's best chance of finding a wider mobile phone following.
Their first attempt at a collaboration came last October, but the Lumia range of handsets did not set the world alight. Just 6m have sold this year, compared to 61m iPhones over the same period.
The models unveiled today will be the first using Windows 8 software for phones, and the first where Nokia has had a chance to influence the interface design.
The rumours are that two flagship handsets will be unveiled, the Nokia Phi and Nokia Arrow. They are said to be compatible with most 4G networks in Europe, allowing mobile connections at speeds around 10 times faster than the 3G networks in use in the UK today. (The UK is due to get a 4G service on Orange and T-Mobile before Christmas).
They may have a longer battery life than the Lumia, screens with the same crisp resolution as the iPhone 4S, and better camera software. The screen may even respond not just to fingers put pens - useful for those cold winters back home in Finland...
No comments:
Post a Comment