Nokia is concentrating in the network business, and getting ready to launch the 5 G. That's the future my friend. The gadgets will become less and less important.
Nokia Technologies through Nokia Networks are still minding their business. They have a seat on the board of the new HMD Global but their focus doesn't change from the network and telecommunications tech.
5G feels an awful lot like 3D or dare I say it, 4K. It's good and all, but does anyone want it enough to pay for it? 4G is more than 'enough'; heck 3.5G is.
Perhaps NVMe is the best analogy: it's fantastic, but for the vast majority of users the performance boost over SATA3 is unnoticeable and therefore not worth buying.
The current Nokia leadership is made up of old Nokia people so this isn't the classic "brand milking" resurrection. If dozens on Chinese brands manage to get something ok(ish) on the market we can assume that Nokia should also be able to produce a model worthy of attention. Possibly a higher quality low cost phone or one that manages to differentiate itself through the software.
You're acting like you already know this is just "nostalgia". How come you never ask "what's the point" when Xiaomi, Meizu, Huawei, Axon, Oneplus, ZTE, Honor to name only the bigger names (not even getting into the BLU, LeEco, etc.) whip out yet another phone? Of course, you can't be bothered for the faintest trace of justification. That never went well for you...
Nokia already has 2 epic fails on its tab, it ran its phone business into the ground, failing to stay relevant back in the days when it was still in the game and had plenty of resources. Then the division was picked up by M$ and it was supposed to be big, heck by now windoze phone was supposed to be 1/3 of the market. The market share for the platform was below 1% for the last quarter, lumias didn't even make it to the charts, and that's with the tons of money and strings M$ can pull.
So pardon my enthusiasm for the resurrection of that utter failure. It cannot be anything other than nostalgia milking. Foxconn got a cheap deal, but even so, they were likely duped into paying more than its worth.
But let's sit and watch how zombie nokia will revolutionize the market LOL.
@ddriver It's amazing how you jump into each and every comment section that has anything to do with Microsoft and use words like "Windoze" and "M$" in every single one of your comments.
I'm still amazed that someone can feel so passionately about something that doesn't affect them in any way.
@kspirit, ddriver is everywhere spreading his "I am better than all of thou" gospel. Every article, every discussion, he's there with his horrible pseudo-engineering speech and his attempts to sound like an expert in everything looking down on everyone else. And every time someone points out the countless times his "predictions" proved to be as valuable as a stick in the mud he whips out the good ol' "you're just a troll, you probably don't understand".
Just in case you are not familiar with him, he claims to have invented (designed, did all the necessary calculations for) a 5.25" hard drive that's better than anything on the market but the big manufacturers sit on it to sell their crappy "normal" drives. Also his scenario for a typical media content server is 2 users accessing 2 pictures simultaneously which means a hard drive is enough since hard drives are faster than any network connection (his knowledge stops at 1Gb Ethernet).
A couple of centuries ago on the streets of Imperial Japan people would just squat, lift up their kimonos and lay a brick wherever they feel like it.
There were those lowest members of society, whose job was to be watchful of this, and when somebody does his business, they would immediately rush to collect the feces with great care to use as fertilizer for the rice paddies.
And no, I am not implying you are like them, wouldn't want to offed them, those guys were actually very useful, important and productive members of society... unlike you ;)
ddiver Of the two "epic Fails" you mentioned, you can really only credit Nokia with one of them. When Nokia made it known they were moving to Android, Microsoft quickly slid their trojin horse Elop into play. Don't get me wrong, they actually still could have made the phone work on Windows. Unfortunately Nadela wound up being an even bigger dope than Ballmer.
So.. in spite of "..the tons of money and strings M$ can pull" he decided not to assign any of the Umpteen BILLION developers at his disposal to cover even basic apps need in the app. store. And as anyone in the phone business will tell you, that's Game-Set - and match!
I'd be happy to see Nokia back. If they build good, balanced phones around the OnePlus3 mark they could do very well.
And don't underestimate the power of nostalgia; I bet plenty of people would pay luxury phone prices for a suitably-specced Nokia just because they remember phones like the 3310 so fondly.
I've been using Z Launcher since it first came out but it looks more like abandonware at this point. The UI doesn't scale for large, high resolution screens so you get huge spacing with tiny fonts. It took me a while to go back to an icon-based launcher like Action Launcher but I'm glad I did.
As for Nokia's third resurrection in mobile, I'm not impressed. Nokia tried making Android devices before but those were overpriced and didn't sell well. Symbian, S40, Maemo, Meego all are dead, along with the zombie remnants of Windows Phone/Mobile. Making cheap Android devices isn't good enough when there are Xiaomi and Huawei devices that are cheap and have innovative features. So what innovation does Nokia have that others don't?
Eh, different launchers work best with different screen sizes. I still(!) use Z launcher on my phone, but on my tablet I stick with google now (though I've also got action launcher, which is quite good). What "nokia" can bring to the table, if they want, are: low bloatware experience->easy upgrade path, well optimized software (not really as hard as most oems make it look), DURABLE devices (doesn't break on drops, but will probably scratch). To achieve the above you'll need a disciplined team, with management "leading" the way. You'll also have to sacrifice on some things: screen quality (unfortunately really consistently good screen quality seems beyond humanity's ability without "per device calibration"), looks (maybe....), and certainly the benchmarks all of the tech sites run. So, more or less, follow the Pixel model minus the extraneous ui customization and highend hardware.
The irony is that Nokia lost its Symbian and Meego platforms because it didn't know how to provide continuous software updates, like what Apple did for the iPhone. Nokia simply expected people to buy a new model to get new software. Symbian^3 improved things by a lot but the platform was hamstrung by terrible hardware choices. For me, Nokia's only strength is in imaging - hopefully it can make some good camera phones without screwing up the software along the way.
The biggest sucess of sales of NOKIA from all times was the 1100 cellphone( wich was the first to contain the flashlight that allowed such a big sales sucess). Maybe, after they repair and admit the enormous ethical mistake comited by them - STEALING FROM A BRAZILLIAN INVENTOR THIS IDEA - they will pay their karma and deserve sucess and go back to the golden days.
Ahhh I can´t stop thinking what the etic citizens from Finlandia will think and how embarresed they will feel when they discover somehow ( by book, films or social midia) what their compatriots - dirigents of old NOKIA - made and how they grow using a steal idea
Aqui no Brasil há um ditado: Deus Castiga!
O maior sucesso de vendas da Nokia em todos os tempos foi o aparelho 1100 (que continha uma lanterna e que permitiu ao mesmo tanto sucesso). Talvez, se após repararem o gigantesco erro ético que cometeram – roubando de um inventor brasileiro essa ideia –, sejam novamente merecedores de sucesso...
Ahhh Quando o ético povo finlandês tomar ciência desta história (via livro, filme ou redes sociais), ficará extremamente envergonhado de alguns de seus compatriotas – dirigentes da antiga Nokia.
So was there a point to Microsoft buying Nokia/part of Nokia/whatever save for the name and using cash they had in Europe to avoid taxes?
And is Microsoft still making phones? I used Windows Phone 8.1 for several years and mostly liked it a lot. It's STILL better in some ways than iOS.
If Windows 10 Mobile keeps getting security updates, wouldn't be any reason not to use it, and I guess it gets updated whenever "regular" Windows does? I'm tempted by those high end Lumias. That HP seems cool too, though it sounds like HP still has to dole out the updates? If so, that's lame, that's the problem with most Android devices...
I can't wait for Nokia phones to return. Such a great company/brand. What microsoft did to them is terrible. Bought them, stripped them of all their worth, and then just released the same phones that were already halfway through development, and then shut it down......its just f-ing sad.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
28 Comments
Back to Article
ddriver - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
"Smartphones Due in 2017" - the world holds its breath...Apart from milking nostalgia, what's the point?
FaceTheDragon - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
Ask Foxxconn.Nokia is concentrating in the network business, and getting ready to launch the 5 G.
That's the future my friend. The gadgets will become less and less important.
close - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
Nokia Technologies through Nokia Networks are still minding their business. They have a seat on the board of the new HMD Global but their focus doesn't change from the network and telecommunications tech.ddriver - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
Better start training to pick 5G with your ears then ;) And to transmit :DYou can tell that gadgets do not matter, by seeing how the biggest US economy money maker is a gadget maker.
Meteor2 - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
5G feels an awful lot like 3D or dare I say it, 4K. It's good and all, but does anyone want it enough to pay for it? 4G is more than 'enough'; heck 3.5G is.Perhaps NVMe is the best analogy: it's fantastic, but for the vast majority of users the performance boost over SATA3 is unnoticeable and therefore not worth buying.
tuxRoller - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
4K is just a stepping point to Arbitrary-Sized-Vision, and I wouldn't be using a browser if not for nvme.Not entirely joking.
If we want a more immersive experience we need the tech that comes from streaming the GoB/s (it's a thing)
tuxRoller - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
Ummmm.....http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oOaqmAUY4JI/T5FQDHQ8GyI/...
1999 is the future!!!!!
close - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
The current Nokia leadership is made up of old Nokia people so this isn't the classic "brand milking" resurrection. If dozens on Chinese brands manage to get something ok(ish) on the market we can assume that Nokia should also be able to produce a model worthy of attention. Possibly a higher quality low cost phone or one that manages to differentiate itself through the software.You're acting like you already know this is just "nostalgia". How come you never ask "what's the point" when Xiaomi, Meizu, Huawei, Axon, Oneplus, ZTE, Honor to name only the bigger names (not even getting into the BLU, LeEco, etc.) whip out yet another phone?
Of course, you can't be bothered for the faintest trace of justification. That never went well for you...
ddriver - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
Nokia already has 2 epic fails on its tab, it ran its phone business into the ground, failing to stay relevant back in the days when it was still in the game and had plenty of resources. Then the division was picked up by M$ and it was supposed to be big, heck by now windoze phone was supposed to be 1/3 of the market. The market share for the platform was below 1% for the last quarter, lumias didn't even make it to the charts, and that's with the tons of money and strings M$ can pull.So pardon my enthusiasm for the resurrection of that utter failure. It cannot be anything other than nostalgia milking. Foxconn got a cheap deal, but even so, they were likely duped into paying more than its worth.
But let's sit and watch how zombie nokia will revolutionize the market LOL.
kspirit - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
@ddriver It's amazing how you jump into each and every comment section that has anything to do with Microsoft and use words like "Windoze" and "M$" in every single one of your comments.I'm still amazed that someone can feel so passionately about something that doesn't affect them in any way.
Get out of that basement and get some sun, eh?
close - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
@kspirit, ddriver is everywhere spreading his "I am better than all of thou" gospel. Every article, every discussion, he's there with his horrible pseudo-engineering speech and his attempts to sound like an expert in everything looking down on everyone else.And every time someone points out the countless times his "predictions" proved to be as valuable as a stick in the mud he whips out the good ol' "you're just a troll, you probably don't understand".
Just in case you are not familiar with him, he claims to have invented (designed, did all the necessary calculations for) a 5.25" hard drive that's better than anything on the market but the big manufacturers sit on it to sell their crappy "normal" drives.
Also his scenario for a typical media content server is 2 users accessing 2 pictures simultaneously which means a hard drive is enough since hard drives are faster than any network connection (his knowledge stops at 1Gb Ethernet).
ddriver - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
A couple of centuries ago on the streets of Imperial Japan people would just squat, lift up their kimonos and lay a brick wherever they feel like it.There were those lowest members of society, whose job was to be watchful of this, and when somebody does his business, they would immediately rush to collect the feces with great care to use as fertilizer for the rice paddies.
And no, I am not implying you are like them, wouldn't want to offed them, those guys were actually very useful, important and productive members of society... unlike you ;)
Shadow7037932 - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
Don't you have anything more productive to do with your life than comment on AT articles?cLOWNgOD - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
ddiverOf the two "epic Fails" you mentioned, you can really only credit Nokia with one of them. When Nokia made it known they were moving to Android, Microsoft quickly slid their trojin horse Elop into play.
Don't get me wrong, they actually still could have made the phone work on Windows. Unfortunately Nadela wound up being an even bigger dope than Ballmer.
So.. in spite of "..the tons of money and strings M$ can pull" he decided not to assign any of the Umpteen BILLION developers at his disposal to cover even basic apps need in the app. store. And as anyone in the phone business will tell you, that's Game-Set - and match!
Meteor2 - Saturday, December 3, 2016 - link
I'd be happy to see Nokia back. If they build good, balanced phones around the OnePlus3 mark they could do very well.And don't underestimate the power of nostalgia; I bet plenty of people would pay luxury phone prices for a suitably-specced Nokia just because they remember phones like the 3310 so fondly.
serendip - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
I've been using Z Launcher since it first came out but it looks more like abandonware at this point. The UI doesn't scale for large, high resolution screens so you get huge spacing with tiny fonts. It took me a while to go back to an icon-based launcher like Action Launcher but I'm glad I did.As for Nokia's third resurrection in mobile, I'm not impressed. Nokia tried making Android devices before but those were overpriced and didn't sell well. Symbian, S40, Maemo, Meego all are dead, along with the zombie remnants of Windows Phone/Mobile. Making cheap Android devices isn't good enough when there are Xiaomi and Huawei devices that are cheap and have innovative features. So what innovation does Nokia have that others don't?
tuxRoller - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
Eh, different launchers work best with different screen sizes.I still(!) use Z launcher on my phone, but on my tablet I stick with google now (though I've also got action launcher, which is quite good).
What "nokia" can bring to the table, if they want, are: low bloatware experience->easy upgrade path, well optimized software (not really as hard as most oems make it look), DURABLE devices (doesn't break on drops, but will probably scratch).
To achieve the above you'll need a disciplined team, with management "leading" the way. You'll also have to sacrifice on some things: screen quality (unfortunately really consistently good screen quality seems beyond humanity's ability without "per device calibration"), looks (maybe....), and certainly the benchmarks all of the tech sites run.
So, more or less, follow the Pixel model minus the extraneous ui customization and highend hardware.
Michael Bay - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
And end with negative margins. Hell, if you`re not Samsung or Apple, you`re in the red already.tuxRoller - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
Umm....http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/03/guess-who...
So....no?
Michael Bay - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
>one citationYeah, nice evidence of epic profitability in the race to the bottom. Of chink company at that.
Manch - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
You should read the article. It's not like Motley Fool is some off the wall site. What's with the Chink comment? Why go there?serendip - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
The irony is that Nokia lost its Symbian and Meego platforms because it didn't know how to provide continuous software updates, like what Apple did for the iPhone. Nokia simply expected people to buy a new model to get new software. Symbian^3 improved things by a lot but the platform was hamstrung by terrible hardware choices. For me, Nokia's only strength is in imaging - hopefully it can make some good camera phones without screwing up the software along the way.Gabriel Brant - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
Here in Brazil we have a saying: God punishesThe biggest sucess of sales of NOKIA from all times was the 1100 cellphone( wich was the first to contain the flashlight that allowed such a big sales sucess).
Maybe, after they repair and admit the enormous ethical mistake comited by them - STEALING FROM A BRAZILLIAN INVENTOR THIS IDEA - they will pay their karma and deserve sucess and go back to the golden days.
Ahhh I can´t stop thinking what the etic citizens from Finlandia will think and how embarresed they will feel when they discover somehow ( by book, films or social midia) what their compatriots - dirigents of old NOKIA - made and how they grow using a steal idea
Aqui no Brasil há um ditado: Deus Castiga!
O maior sucesso de vendas da Nokia em todos os tempos foi o aparelho 1100 (que continha uma lanterna e que permitiu ao mesmo tanto sucesso).
Talvez, se após repararem o gigantesco erro ético que cometeram – roubando de um inventor brasileiro essa ideia –, sejam novamente merecedores de sucesso...
Ahhh Quando o ético povo finlandês tomar ciência desta história (via livro, filme ou redes sociais), ficará extremamente envergonhado de alguns de seus compatriotas – dirigentes da antiga Nokia.
Michael Bay - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
MUH FLASHLIGHT IN DA PHONE RARE IDEA DO NOT STEALGabriel Brant - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
Michael, i didn´t get what you mean. Can you explain?Wolfpup - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
So was there a point to Microsoft buying Nokia/part of Nokia/whatever save for the name and using cash they had in Europe to avoid taxes?And is Microsoft still making phones? I used Windows Phone 8.1 for several years and mostly liked it a lot. It's STILL better in some ways than iOS.
If Windows 10 Mobile keeps getting security updates, wouldn't be any reason not to use it, and I guess it gets updated whenever "regular" Windows does? I'm tempted by those high end Lumias. That HP seems cool too, though it sounds like HP still has to dole out the updates? If so, that's lame, that's the problem with most Android devices...
dsraa - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
I can't wait for Nokia phones to return. Such a great company/brand. What microsoft did to them is terrible. Bought them, stripped them of all their worth, and then just released the same phones that were already halfway through development, and then shut it down......its just f-ing sad.cyberfrost - Wednesday, December 7, 2016 - link
I see lot of comments blaming Microsoft for Nokia's demise. Wasn't Nokia nosediving before Stephen Elop took over?