Nokia, are you taking notes?
Ok, Nokia, this is going to be a harsh one. I’m over here at Engadget catching up on what Steve Jobs is announcing today. You can follow it here, as well. Most of it is rubbish to me. Blah blah, new iPods, blah blah, iPod Touch, blah blah, BUT WAIT. Oh, NO! NOW THEY have a music store! Same price no matter where you download. Ok, you’re still good.
Syncs back to iTunes, no worries, you’ve got that. Previews, hotlists, etc. Check. Nokia, you’re good. BUT WAIT. WHAT"S THIS?! IT’S GOING TO BE LAUNCHING IN EVERY COUNTRY AT THE SAME TIME?!!?
<deep breath> Nokia, I’m only going to say this once, so here goes:
WHY ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU NOT DOING THAT!? WHO IN THE WORLD THOUGHT "HEY, IT’S COOL, WE CAN LAUNCH THIS REGIONALLY AND NO ONE WILL CARE." AND WHY ON EARTH DO THEY STILL HAVE A JOB?!
COME ON, GUYS. IT’S 2007. IT’S A G-L-O-B-A-L MARKETPLACE. THAT MEANS YOU SHOULD LAUNCH STUFF GLOBALLY.
I’m a Nokia fanboy, tried and true. And I will be beyond this….snafu….because that’s what fanboys do. We stick with it, even when the company/brand we so love is doing things that are simply idiotic. I heard a nasty NASTY rumor that the US wouldn’t get the Nokia Music Store till HALFWAY THROUGH 2008?! If that’s true (I’m crossing my fingers it’s not) then I’m sorry, but as I’ve said before, you need to just pull out of the US market and hand the puny share you have to Apple. Cause this is freaking ridiculous. Seriously.
I love you, Nokia, and sometimes the best love is tough love. It’s not too late, you can still fix this. I’m begging you, as a concerned individual.
Well it being that they have to deal with many cell operators over something that may be taking revenue from them, rather than just 1 that apple have to deal with, and the fact that its their first time doing such a thing on such a scale, unlike apple that have been doing it for many years…..you can try to understand that reasoning.
I’d love it to come out sooner than later, but reality bites.
I’d rather they release this big thing complete, rather than rush a half baked system like they have done in the past with other services.
But hey, as i said, i hope they get moving as soon as possible.
That’s garbage. I’m sorry but it is. And it may be NOKIA’S first time, but they’re using Loudeye, who coordinates the stores for several other companies.
Excuses aside, it’s ridiculous that one company can do it and the other can’t, end of story.
Ok i concede, you know the industry better than i and i guess you’re right.
I wonder if there is a reason for the staggered release. Also its seems like apple are the only company that do that, so there must be a reason why they are able to.
& I think the service will be not available in Brunei that soon.. hooh. there’s no Nokia Center here in Brunei.
You are so right. I am so pissed that I have to wait for the Nokia N95 8Gb to come out to USA officially with proper 3G bands. This is really annoying that I have to buy from importers and have only a European warranty. After I would finally get the phone, you’re saying that I have to wait for the nokia music store to come out in the USA??!!! So now I have to wait more. I’m really starting to like Apple’s iphone now. THEY JUST LOWERED PRICE OF 8GB TO $399!!! (w/contract of course so it’ll probably be $599 without contract). So Nokia, you have to focus on the US market as much as you focus as other markets like the European market. And now that they made the iphone cheaper by $200 bucks, Nokia has to consider lowering they’re ridiculously expensive prices of the N95s that they are releasing. Come on Nokia, win us back!!!!
Today, Apple delivered a devastating blow to Nokia and its London event. The announcements at “The best goes on” clearly outshine Nokia’s London gathering. Nokia has to indeed win us back!
Not sure about that last comment about Nokia needing to lower the price. After all, the N95 actually does things, rather than just look pretty. I’ve played with one, and I was totally underwhelmed by it.
Back to the Music Store… you Americans do seem to be stiffed by Nokia.
Its things like this i was referring to http://www.intomobile.com/2007/09/05/3-uk-refuses-to-sell-nokia-n81-due-to-built-in-music-store.html
Not everyone will buy it simfree and Nokia don’t seem to have the presidential clout apple does to force the networks. Alas, this is where the bulk of their customers will come from.
Though, thats still no excuse. For once they should deliver fast and immediate.
I’ll be asking Nokia a few questions when I attend the LA Nseries event later this month. Nokia has a good hold across the pond but they’ve let their guard down in the States.
Regardless of what the Nokia zealots feel about the iPhone, Apple pulled the rug right out from Nokia in the US. Who in the US actually knows that Nokia makes better than throw-away phones commonly offered by T-Mobile? Dare I say no one.
The ONLY people I’ve seen with S60 powered phones in the US are Brits that travel to and fro.
Nokia will have a difficult time of it in Los Angeles because Apple has a big presence in the creative arts. Love Apple but hate your mobile? iPhone of course! It’s pretty to look at, DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT DOES, and integrates with your Mac.
Nokia’s Mac integration works well enough but it’s not in the “one iTunes to rule them all” sort of way. Besides, you must rely on Nokia updating the software as OSX matures, and frankly, Nokia’s track record isn’t so good.
I’m quite happy with my E61 for these reasons:
1) It works on T-Mobile
2) It can do VOIP
3) I can install 3rd party software (ie: GPS)
Once the iPhone can do these things…well…why should I keep my E61? If nothing else, I know that Apple frequently updates their software to fix bugs and stay current. How old is the E61 now? How many firmware releases are there? Nokia launches devices then moves onto the next and never looks back.
As for the Nokia Music Store? Honestly…why bother? People hate DRM whether it’s WMA or AAC and will return the file to an MP3 format and play it on whatever device they want.
Apple owns the MP3 player market and iTunes works good enough for millions of people whether they have Mac or Windows. Microsoft’s Zune? I think they just released a Halo 3 themed version. Whoo-hoo.
If Nokia really wants to compete they need to lose their pride, acknowledge that no one in the US knows about Symbian, provide better integration with Windows+Mac, and push their product HARD on T-Mobile and AT&T. No more craptastic N76 or E62 devices.
Can Nokia do it? Maybe. A price cut is #1. No one will spend $750 for an N95 unless they’re a hard core techie that knows everything it can do. Apple has the right price points for what people perceive as “high end” devices.
Wow, Well put Eric. What you said is absolutely right as how no one really knows the capability of Nokia S60 phones, especially the N95 and because of that no one will pay that price, that’s why apple is doing good with the iPHONE. It’s because people know the brand, they see the advertisements all over and they know its features and its simplicity. I really hope Nokia is reading these comments and this post because they are really losing the battle in the US market in terms of popularity if its phones.
Eric…
Wow. I didn’t know the bandwagon had other riders, but well put.
I’ve often called many of the latest Nokia phones craptastic, and the truth is, they are. They rush them out the door, abandon them, and expect everyone to drool over the updated/better versions that should have been released in the first place. If I had bought a N95 at launch, I’d be wrapping the thing up in a box of dog carp and sending it back to Nokia as soon as I ordered . Because with the N95, Nokia basically said “We realized we screwed the pooch, not to mention our loyal customers, so we’ll fix our mistakes and let the Fanboys rot”.
Great attitude.
Nokia has basically given the business market to Windows Mobile and the Blackberry. The E90 was a slap in the face to loyal communicator fans. They’re now going to lose the high-end market to Apple, because Apple simply knows how to execute, and Nokia seems to have forgotten how.
Phones, Nokia… that’s what you need to put your effort into. The music store, as so many people here have stated, is a complete waste of time that’s doomed to failure.
My .02.
I totally agree. As a consumer I would go with Apple before Nokia if I was all about the music. In fact, I have heard people say that Nokia lacks in that area and that was why they traded their phone! Hello Nokia, wake up!!! You are losing valued normal everyday consumers who aren’t guru’s due to your lack of concern with what the younger generation wants with their cell phones. No offense to the older generation but isn’t it the younger generation that is all about cell phones and what they can do?
Quite truthfully, Apple had such a lead in the downloadable music scene here it would have been tough for Nokia (or anyone else) to really make a dent in it. Apple’s approaching monopoly power in this regard.
That said, what Nokia does need to respond to is the price drop on the iPhone. At $400, it’s now $300 less than the upcoming US-spec N95. I think a price drop is in order. While they don’t have the advantage of a network subsidy that Apple does, with a $100-150 price drop, they could gain some buzz from having a high-end phone for those who want something different and don’t want the now “me-too” priced iPhone.
@Eric,
Well put comment. Look forward to seeing you at the Nseries event. But I have to disagree with you on one thing. The US market does in fact have a huge population of S60 knowledgeable consumers. The only problem is that WE don’t have the devices!!
I’m sure that both Ricky and I can attest that many many people have spent outrageous amount of monies on S60 devices here that are not offered to the US consumers.
Unfortunately, the providers are the ones telling the consumers that these devices won’t work correctly, which is a load of bull depending on who your provider is. But there are US consumers that are well aware that Nokia makes more than just throw away phones for T-Mobile.
Apple = Refine then Launch
Nokia = Launch then Refine
No one does it quite like Apple, but if anyone has the chance to be as good as Apple it’s Nokia . . . they’ll get there, but it’s going to take years, and probably a lot tears too.
Ricky,
Is it possible that Nokia is waiting to get some of these new devices into the hands of U.S. carriers before opening their music store here? After all, it makes sense to get these devices into the mass market via AT&T and T-Mobile first. Perhaps Nokia does have a plan for this.
I have to agree with the comments about these devices being rushed and then abandoned. The N80 is now over a year old, yet the last two firmwares are still riddled with bugs and have practically rendered the browser useless. Even worse, it doesn’t seem like the N80 will be an N-Gage device or get the new music player. That old advice about not buying a new model car the first year it’s out now seems to apply to Nokia devices too.
@darla,
These Symbian users you speak of must be scattered far and wide.
A recent story from AppleMatters (http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comments/why-i-bought-the-iphone-now/) is telling… The author mentions a plethora of mobile devices he looked at before settling on the iPhone. Nokia/Symbian wasn’t on his list. Strange since everything else was.
See you on the 27th.
@Aris
If you don’t buy a Nokia the first year it’s out, when do you buy one? They seem to abandon them pretty quickly these days.
JC,
I bought my N80 several months after it was released and v. 4 firmware was installed on it. The phone was very buggy and it was months before the N80ie firmware was released. Even with the limited RAM, things seemed to have improved quite a bit with the ie firmware but have since taken a turn for the worse with the newer firmwares. Memory management and multitasking have worsened and the browser is regularly crashing even on the first page load. I hope Nokia eventually fixes these issues, but it’s already been over a year. It could be worse, I feel for the N93 owners haven’t gotten any firmware fixes for their seriously buggy devices - they have been completely abandoned.
It may sound like we’re going off topic here, but I think the point is that Nokia would do better if it concentrated on supporting and solidifying its devices’ performance and reliability before and after the sale than on adding all these flashy services to the picture. As a long time Nokia user, it is hard for me to admit that I have more confidence that Apple will sort out its iPhone issues and add new features much quicker and more efficiently than Nokia has for its devices.
“Once the iPhone can do these things…well…why should I keep my E61? If nothing else, I know that Apple frequently updates their software to fix bugs and stay current. How old is the E61 now? How many firmware releases are there? Nokia launches devices then moves onto the next and never looks back.”
Wow, Eric, you nailed it. This is my main gripe with Nokia. This also sums up my feelings about the iPhone. If Apple eventually adds the features I feel I’d be missing if I gave up my E61, I would jump ship and get an iPhone in a heartbeat.
I’m tired of spending hundreds of dollars on a “multimedia computer” that only gets updated when it has major problems (i.e. the E61 update to fix the no audible call waiting indicator problem). If Nokia wants to market their “phones” as “computers,” allow them to be updated like normal computers are. Either that, or drop the stupid pretenses and go back to calling them phones. Nokia, you can’t have it both ways.
I want to be a Nokia user, but they’re not making it easy for me (especially as an American s60 enthusiast).
Talking about missing the more important point. The iPhone’s price dropping to $399 is what really matters.
I don’t have time to write a full response right now, but I think it is close to nonsense to comparere iPod/iTunes with the barriers and sensibilities Nokia has to take into account. AND, as far as I know, iTunes WAS NOT launched globally back in the day. Nor was iPod. Nor was iPod and nor was iPhone - even in 2007. So much for the global launches. In fact, I can NOT recall many if any global launches in the cell phone market for ANY product OR service by the Motoralas, Samsungs and SEs of the world either. Maybe I am wrong there as I certainly have not followed all manufacturers.
Cell phone market is arguably one of the most complex and most regulated consumer electronics markets/services, and combining it with a fairly complex music business and over the air down load etc. must be a daunting task at best. Asking for a global launch as IF it was (when its really not) the standard of the busisess we are talking about, is just unrealistic.
If it was as easy as 1-2-3, I am fairly sure the absolutely dominating player in the market, i.e. Nokia, would have done it..
Apple, global? You’re joking, they’ve got patchy internationalisation, and coverage outside the US, and as for the same price anywhere, no way Jose, Apple products are at least 30-50% more expensive in Europe (ignoring sales taxes).
One question sums up Apple’s i18n efforts, does the US iPhone have Spanish language?
Just wait for N95 US version to be offered by a US carrier, and then we can reasonably talk about and really compare price points. $399 for 8GB iPhone with 2 year contract is still very high for the processor and screen, and most likely subsidized by both Apple and carriers, possibly to a point of rapidly diminishing margins. Something that Nokia has simply refused to do, generally speaking/in most cases. Let’s look at history as well., Is it possible that when Moto started dumping Razr to the market with heavily subsidized prices, Nokia stepped back, refusing to get into a game where their underlying business prosoposition would have been at risk? Look at where Moto is right now. Btw, Moto is reported to have 2-4% margins in lower end handsets compared to Nokia’s 14%. Nokia’s stock is at its 6 year high.
It is true that Apple has taken a differen approach: lauch a product with a powerful processor and screen enabling a fairly long lifespan through software updates. Nokia could try the same model in the future. However, it is worth noting again that Nokia has close to 40% of the cell phone market. Their model tried and tested and works well. There is no immediate need for them to all of a sudden move to a radically different model, globally at least, in the US to some extent perhaps.
A good avenue for Nokia to make some headway in the US could indeed be gaming. No other manafacturer as of today has anything close to what the N-Gage platform is/will be offering. Even SE is way behind, with only rumors of a PSP phone, nothing more.