What do you think about the future of Nokia?

[Helge Keitel]

I want to open new themes for discussion. Nokia has been getting a lot of bad press and media coverage during the past weeks. The company is still going strong in the segment of basic low-cost phones but is facing mouting troubles in the high-end market.

United states is a marginal market for Nokia today while it's the leading supplier in China and Asia.

The share price and brand image as a leading mobile phones innovator has been challenged by Apple even though its global market share is only a few per cents.

Shareholders are not happy with the low share price. What do you think? What shoud Nokia do to get back on track again?

The Future of Nokia is at stake or at least who is going to manage the mobile giant out from the troubled waters of high-end mobile phones. Tell your opinion.

What do you think about N8, Symbian^3 and Symbian^4? When is Nokia ready to ship the first MeeGo pocket computer? And when is the OVI service featured for the average human being?

[Juho Tunkelo]

There's been so much talk about Nokia's mounting pressures that it's difficult to add anything original.

But I think one thing less talked about is the fact that as a market leader, Nokia's been really put under the spotlight. And while everyone demands overhauls in smartphone software, few realize just how long Apple and Google had been working on their virgin platforms before they came out with it. Nokia had to iterate and iterate until obsolete. In recent years Nokia has been hard at work but it just takes a lot of time before the results are seen - meanwhile you have to support what's out there.

Competing against companies with just one phone is an interesting dilemma (Apple's iPhone obviously, and Google seems also content with having just one phone with their own brand).

The same discrepancy is seen in Nokia's product release schedules, though I'm afraid it's their own fault. They announce way to early, and underdeliver way too often. All of this could be managed with proper launch management and communication. Well, not the bugs ending up in production, obviously.

The FUTURE, Conan? All the way to year 2000? ;)

I think Nokia's future success hinge on three things:
1. The ability to compete on the software side - usability, appeal to developers, traction

2. The ability to quickly fix Leadership issues; the development bonus system and the face of the company, yes the CEO, one way or another.

3. Marketing execution - doing product launches properly instead of as an afterthought on trade fairs. Also marketing to the developer community should not be underestimated. 'Build it and they'll come' is long gone.

That's about it.

[Helge V. Keitel]

Juho, Comparing Nokia and Apple is tricky business. Apple started with a one per cent market strategy. Nokia wants to become a global player with a broad product portfolio and a very confusing software (OS) strategy. Nokia tries to play an open game and create an industry standard. Apple is playing a closed game and focusing on user experience.

Nokia isn't dead, not even close to the graveyard. But the company has to fight against all the players. Apple is happy to get another per cent of the global market with its very pricy high-end products. Nokia doesn't even have comparable products.

Your analysis of what Nokia should do is to the point. But the company is probably in a very tricky situation. The board of directors is probably not going to change the CEO. And I understand that decision. Nokia's problem is to move the OS and service strategy to a suitable end.

But they also have to create a killer phone. Nokia needs to kill a broad range of its own phones. The iPhone killer is lurking around the corner if they get MeeGo and Qt going.

The game isn't over with N8 and new MeeGo devices. They also have to get into the North American market if they want to become one of the technology leaders.

Nokia is the phone producer for the masses. Apple has become the ultimate high-end products and services leader and the company is most probably going to strengthen its number one position.

There are several number ones in this game. Android might is the fastest growing OS-platform now. The turbulence will continue for several years.

It

[KaneAllen]

is a false about the future of Nokia... 

[Patryk Adams]

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