The Best Of All Worlds, When?
About a week ago, I wrote about the patterns of opposition and complementarity between the N95 8gb and the N81 8gb, which stirred the spoon in an idea I have had for a long time in the back of my head.
We always tend to look for the perfect device. As gadget and mobile lovers, it’s not a matter of whether or not we can afford a device or not, it’s a matter of lust. And for a long while, I’m afraid to admit that Nokia failed to make me lust. The last device that achieved this was the N91: for the time it was announced, it was the most innovative piece of gadget I had ever seen: 2MP was the best mobile camera, WiFi, 4gb of internal storage, dedicated music keys, 3.5mm plug,… In short, it had the best of all worlds at the time.
When the N95 8gb was announced _ and later the N82 _ before even seeing the amazing tech crammed in them, I couldn’t help but see the missing tech. The N95 8gb missed the xenon flash that SE had just introduced (and that we knew Nokia had in the labs), it missed the scroll wheel and dedicated gaming keys of the N81, the camera cover of the N95-1. The N82 missed IR (psiloc remote is one app i love), the bigger screen, the dedicated music keys. Both of them missed the optical zoom brought by the N93, the better resolution screen seen on the tablets (like the N800), the longer battery life and the active standby versatility of the Eseries, the standby LED notifications of the N93i and the customizable lights of the 7900.
I felt screwed and laughed at, by the same company that made my eyes sparkle at the idea of the N91. No, I didn’t get the N91, I couldn’t afford it, but I got the 3250 which was the closest device in my budget limits. But guess what, I felt safe and happy, knowing that if I had the money, I could have gotten the best of all worlds. Now I am considering buying an N81 because it is the best device in my budget boundaries, but I don’t feel safe because I know that if I had the money, I would have gotten something different but not exactly better (N95 8gb or N82).
What I wish now is for someone from Nokia to have the guts to stand up and say “Ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure to introduce to you the Useries as in Ultimate series, that will only pack top of the line devices, crammed with the best technology that can be found on ANY of our devices. The line will be updated twice a year, with 2 new devices each time that ONLY differ by the form factor : one will be a qwerty, the other a 12-key keypad. Yes they are extravagantly priced, starting at a minimum 1200$, but they are made for an elect market, the one that is always looking for perfection. And of course we will continue developing our Nseries and Eseries! They have been our best selling lines for years and we plan to keep it this way!”
Do you think we might see anything close to perfection (hint: N96) at Mobile World Congress? What is the main limitation, in your opinion regarding the lack of such devices from the current market? Is it the constant race against time where the perfect technology of today isn’t necessarily the best tomorrow? Or is it the marketing strategies that make it impossible to deliver a top-of-the-line that might endanger all other products? Or is it another concept that I can’t grab now?
And most importantly, do you think we will ever get the best of all worlds or am I just being delirious here?
I’d say not a chance. For example, if the specs we think the N96 will have are true, it won’t have xenon flash and it will come with a 950 mAh battery, an obvious downgrade from the N95 8Gb and the N82.
I don’t think anybody will ever give us a perfect device. Why would they, anyway?
Marketing suicide!
People want the best. When I got my N95 it was the greatest phone the world had ever seen. It was marketed that way, it was hyped that way, it sold millions because it was the best.
The slogan was ‘Its what computers have become’ it wasn’t ‘A good phone with a competitive price point’
Bringing out the greatest phone the world has ever seen, as Nokia do on a yearly basis, is worth uncountable millions in free publicity. Why waste that on a phone that very few can afford?
Good point, JD, good point
I guess the true reason behind N96 being-as-it-is is quite simple - current (or better say, almost finished) reorg mess (it costed Nokia dearly, not that you’ve noticed so far). It is really difficult to do anything in a company where every N-th decision maker is reluctant or scared to death to do decisions while they shall be done. disclaimer: I do work for NOK, but in not-a-phone branch, just happen to see that feeling in eyes of people everyday, and hence can be completely wrong.
Mar 2nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
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