Slashdot Mirror
Nokia Dethroned As Top Phone Maker By Samsung
SternisheFan writes "PCMag's Angela Moscaritolo writes: 'Samsung is expected to account for 29 percent of worldwide cell phone shipments, up from 21 percent in 2011, when it nabbed the No. 2 spot in the market. Meanwhile, Nokia's share this year will drop from 30 percent to 24 percent this year. Nokia had held the top spot in the mobile phone market since 1998.'"
Not just highest sales of smartphones, but of all cell phones.
Can we all hate on Samsung now?
I think their deal is not what they expected! Lumia is a good phone but they are better alternative!
When they moved from generally useful "multi-tool" phones to relatively functionless whorephone candybars, courtesy of Microsoft-owned executive Mr. "Burning Platform" Elop, market share took a dive. In addition, salespeople couldn't even figure out how to sell them.
That, and it didn't help that their "sold only in a Third World hellhole" N9 phone, which ran Meego Harmattan, has a better sales record than the Windows Phones that were "meant for the First World markets".
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Nokia's share will continue to drop for a while longer. Probably until they rethink their strategy and start producing Android phones. Windows Phone is a dead end.
I still mostly like Nokia hardware, except for some minor quibbles. Unfortunately it got itself hitched to one platform. The current CEO should get voted out. http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/nokias-elop-hints-more-lumia-windows-phones-verizon/2012-12-18
Really it's a changing demographic that Nokia hasn't kept up with. They sold lots of 'dumbphones' and 'feature phones' in an era now, where consumers want smartphones. They were late to the game, and as a result their behemoth status doesn't help them.
That said, I have a Lumia 920 and really, really like it. OS aside, it takes amazingly good pictures and I can beat a person to death with it and not have to worry about whether it works afterwards. Those also, were my requirements for buying a phone... good camera and durable. I have kids, kind of a necessity.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
It lasted that many years as the top mobile phone because Nokia is tough... I mean like REALLY TOUGH. You ever thrown a nokia phone to a person?, it can kill the person and the following ten behind. It has been proven that throwing a nokia to an incoming train will not only stop the train but it will make it go backwards really fast. Several ships have sunk because somebody dropped their nokia on it. One time I got hit by a car. Thank god I had a nokia on my pocket. The car blew up and everything in a 10 mile radius.. except me and my nokia. Aliens do not attack us because we have nokia. When they say we can "talk things over", yeap, nokia fight!. Nokia stands for Nuclear Omnipresent Killing Immensely All.
...is it's a slow death spiral of constant consumer disappointments and unmet expectations... with no obvious competitor to steal from.
http://www.beanleafpress.com
Anti-trust concerns usually don't show up until companies start to abuse their monopoly status.
We know that Microsoft was built on dirty play and winning at all costs from the very beginning. Samsung have yet to prove if they are run by complete assholes.
Look at RIM. They are trying to re-invent themselves with a QNX-based platform. In order to deliver that, they have basically abandoned their old platform to existing products and a new low-end phone to try to retain market share in places like Nigeria. Development on existing products has stopped. They know that they can only afford to do one OS and they must do it well.
We've already read about the internal fighting in Nokia around Maemo/Meego. It is fairly obvious that the investment wasn't there to take it forward as a new platform to compete with the iOS/Android bandwagons. It falls into the category of things with good foundations that didn't get a chance and lost momentum, like webOS. (I have an N900, I have a Pre 2 and a Pre 3, I do know what I am writing about).
Elop was right about the burning platform and he was between the Scylla of Android and the Charybdis of Microsoft. Regardless of where he came from, he could see that Taiwan and Korea were already ramping up Android and Nokia would be a me-too. Microsoft offered investment and a different offering. Basically, he knew that he would be screwed by Microsoft but he also knew he would be screwed by Samsung, HTC, LG, and even Asus. So what do you do in the circumstances? You cannot do both because having too many offerings - a long term Nokia failing - leads to excessive support and R&D costs, along with insufficient volume for a given product
Elop isn't a saint, he is a CEO. I am pretty sure that in the same situation anyone who understands the industry, and business in general, would have made a similar decision. It might be of the order of "do I abandon ship in this shark infested water or do I keep pumping and hope I get to Tahiti", but it still looks like a rational decision.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Samsung is run by assholes. You just haven't noticed. Yet.
Sammy Mobes is on the move. Since I read that phrase on /. I can't get it out of my head.
They became #1 and got complacent and lazy with only half hearted efforts to push and market anything that wasn't a feature phone and with half finished OS's running on them. They could have been Samsung if they weren't too busy counting their money when Apple brought out the iPhone and had pulled their fingers out and produced a serious competitor.
Latest news from Nokia is that they are in talks to make Windows RT Tablets, the flailing Windows tablet. I think it's pretty clear who Elop represents at this point and it ain't Nokia.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/19/nokia-windows-rt-tablet-hints/
So they could, right away built a competitive Android phone, just like every little player is doing, only they can make decent hardware still (well until Elop sells that side to Microsoft for a handful of magic beans, which I think is a given at this point), and Nokia still has its marketing. So they could still turn this Elop mess around.
But not with Elop in charge.
You can pretend Symbian phones are 'feature' phones, they aren't, they're full smartphones. They had the top slot for smart phones until Elop took over. Just not in the US. He was supposed to deliver their US market, instead he took away their world market, sacked the OS side, signed up to Microsoft for a short term wad of cash, destroyed Symbian by announcing its future planned death.
Yet they could just make Android phones and its a booming market they're familiar with. So why don't they? Elop won't let them presumably, or he's got them into a poison pill contract with MS perhaps.
It's such a head scratcher, you can see he's a failure, the numbers are crystal clear, the dumb noobie mistakes he makes, the graphs don't lie, at what point are the board going to eject this idiot before the shareholders eject them???
I have no idea what their anti-trust $ituation is. Just messing around with the $am$ung and $$ spellings, a play on Micro$oft's prior marketplace domination of Apple. $orry if I wasn't clear about my angle on thi$.
he could see that Taiwan and Korea were already ramping up Android and Nokia would be a me-too....You cannot do both because having too many offerings - a long term Nokia failing - leads to excessive support and R&D costs
Skipping the waffle. You seem to not have been aware that HTC; Samsung; LG; Dell; ZTE; Alcatel; Fujitsu Toshiba; Acer all have offered windows phones. Its not tied to any one product....those look like Taiwan and Korea manufactures to me. Although the list is getting smaller [HTC looks likely to drop Windows phone] simply because of its massive failure....Oh and it has closed all its factories, and has moved production from Finland to China.
Samsung [Then a quarter the size of Nokia...now Nokia 10th largest smartphone manufacture] Bada; Tizen; Windows ;) and Android, I belive they are kissing ass and taking no prisoners right now.
Looks like an insane decision then however you try and spin it. The fact that is has proved to be stupid just shows how irrational it really was.
Drop? Nokia shares are more than $4 from $1.63 in July.
...and Down from $9 look forward to your dead cat bounce RIM is having one too :). Ironically HTC which rose to prominence on the back of Android is dumping Microsoft, because unlike Android will not support its high-definition phones.
Well that's wishful at best, given Nokia don't own the OS, Microsoft do, and it doesn't make their offering unique because Samsung *also* make Windows phones.
Nokia *are* a mee-too phone, and if ever Windows had taken off, the few unique things Nokia had (like Nokia Maps) it gave to Microsoft for the money Microsoft gave them! So the claim they could avoid being a 'mee-too' by taking all the steps needed to become a mee-too product doesn't stand up to examination.
" it still looks like a rational decision."
I don't think so, I think you're trying to make a plausible sounding defense of Elop, but that defense doesn't stand up to scrutiny. They knew at launch WP7 didn't have all the features their previous Symbian phone had, they knew it cost more and didn't have the apps, or the market. The only thing it did have was a wad of short term cash.
So it made a rational decision only if you wanted a short term cash injection. I noted his march 2011 bonus package would have been $10 million if he got the share price about $17, and that's the rational I think. Destroy Nokia in long run for a short term blip, take a big bonus. (It's $4.2 BTW, the price speaks volumes about the gap between what they wanted and what he delivered).
They sold lots of 'dumbphones' and 'feature phones
Actually prior to Elops memo Nokia was making the transition tio smartphones faster than its competitors. In smartphones it was twice the size of Apple...and four times the size of Samsung...and GROWING. Nokia had problems this was not one of then, and its one ironically Android seems the best tool at solving.
With all the talk about WinRT, Android and IOS - worth noting....
You can basically beat a person to death with any phone if you are capable to do it with an N920. You won't have to worry about the phone working afterwards. In case you weren't informed, the phone became a murder weapon and it will be confiscated regardless of it's functionality. I would suggest you use a less expensive piece of electronics to bludgeon someone senseless, it's less of a financial loss that way.
I was promised a flying car. Where is my flying car?
...is it's a slow death spiral of constant consumer disappointments and unmet expectations... with no obvious competitor to steal from.
I'm not really seeing that from Google right now, who are rather bullish right now. HAve they announced they are selling 1.5 million a day yet ?? Or Samsung who are too busy printing money :)
If they weren't too busy counting their money when Apple brought out the iPhone and had pulled their fingers out and produced a serious competitor.
They had a strategy it was Meamo [and QT] and it was ready years before the iPhone, but they abandoned it for Microsoft which worked out really really badly.
This reminds me of the early PC days, where one hardware manufacturer would look like they would be set to dominate for awhile, then crash and burn, another manufacturer would look like a winner, rinse and repeat. Samsung is looking like the 800 pound gorilla right now, but things could, and probably will, change quickly.
I can mend the break of day, heal a broken heart, and provide temporary relief to nymphomaniacs.
Well that took a lot longer than expected.
Just saying that going with Android makes Nokia another "me too" company totally discounts that Noka phones are always beautifully designed and very robust.
The last two nokia phones I've had have terrible software problems but I could not fault the hardware. Where as my experience with HTC phones one had a joystick that broke and my current HD2 has had the USB power connector fail on me.
If they had gone with Android they could have easily competed with Samsung and had a good percentage of the Android smartphone market. The problem is Elop somehow managed to convince people that with Windows Mobile he could restore past glory and be like Apple. Sure they now have nearly have 100% of the Windows Mobile market, but whats that at the moment? 1% of smartphones?
The thing is Elop does n't understand the industry, he came from Microsoft. He's a Microsoft man, the question at the time should have been something like this "We have two available OS options, one has a proven record of being something customers want and the other has failed pretty badly up to now." . Which one would you go with? Sure you will have to compete with Samsung with the same OS, but they're now competing with Apple, Samsung and everyone else with a different OS and failing badly.
Regardless, it's a moot point now but I don't recall anyone at the time saying this was going to end well for Nokia.
"You can pretend Symbian phones are 'feature' phones, they aren't, they're full smartphones"
A smartphone these days means touchscreen , not just the ability to install apps. You've been able to do that on feature phones for at least 10 years.
You are ware that Symbian not only was full touch-screen, but they outsold iPhones 2-1 before Elop's Memo. A quick look http://smartphones.techcrunch.com/d/z/Symbian
This reminds me of the early PC days, where one hardware manufacturer would look like they would be set to dominate for awhile, then crash and burn, another manufacturer would look like a winner, rinse and repeat.
There are lots of failed PC manufactures, but then you have the #1 manufacturer HP which has dominated for which has been top five since at least 1996. To be fair Elop had to call Nokias current products crap, and pick the OS as popular as Clowns with maggots for eyes, before it being dethroned from No.1 position. Stick to this failing position even after it had proved a failure.
Market share:
2007: 39%
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/business/worldbusiness/18iht-nokia.4.7948524.html?_r=0
2010: 36.6%
http://www.sramanamitra.com/2010/05/05/nokias-market-share-declines/
Market value:
$115B in 2007, PE 11
$50B in 2010, PE 12.95
$15B now, PE - (loss)
http://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NYSE/Company/Nokia-Corp/Valuation/Ratios#PE
Zune.
When he made that decision, the flaws in the thinking were pointed out then, it's not like he made a *good* decision at the time and somehow it turned out bad, Microsoft already had Windows phones out in the market, it already couldn't sell them. It had failed badly with Zune. It already had a search engine that wasn't winning against Google, it already had a maps system not winning against Google's maps.
I mean, the guy made a bad decision, he was told it was bad, it was demonstrably bad, it turned out bad, and people defend his bad decision based on some imagined *badder* reality.
Ignoring the fact that Gates is very much still a force in Microsoft. I have never seen "Linux on The desktop" used by anyone who uses Linux on the Desktop, because the "implied massive market share" it needs was/is never a problem, because of its open source nature.
As for it being another opportunity for Linux to grab market share. Linux continues to grow market share albeit slowly, and this was set to continue anyway, but it already has Steam; Diminishing importance of Office on its side.
but as I said my personal experience will change very little. Linux continues to be exciting and evolve. I'm personally looking forward to trying out E17 this Friday.
is that they know how to build a massive international product line from the ground up with minimal expense, and they rarely over-extend themselves. I've known some Korean engineers that worked for them, and the company does not seem to be subject to the same Wall Street pressures that cause so many companies to shoot themselves in the face. If they decide to get into a business, they have a solid plan that they stick to. If they decide not to get into a business, they won't be persuaded no matter what the latest whims of the consumer market would seem to dictate.
I guess I would call them the anti-Sony.
Being #1 isn't some birthright bestowed upon you by God. Once you start taking it for granted and your customers for granted, it's over.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
I bet a hollywood apple person right after reading this creating enough hot steam to power his local city....
I'm $orry I was $o $tupid. I know that I am no longer worthy of having $la$hdot po$ting privilege$. I know I cannot truly hope for forgivene$$. I can only hope that my $orry tale will $erve a$ an example for other$.
Using $ is not stupid its for emphasis. It was mostly a thing done for Microsoft, because they print money, and yet offer very little of real value for it due to their monopoly status. They have become a utility. Its one of the reasons why nobody wants them on their phones. I use $ in Microsoft to emphasise where Microsoft is making money for nothing an example would be "Sales down, Micro$oft raises prices radically" http://semiaccurate.com/2012/12/03/sales-down-microsoft-raises-prices-radically/#.UNHwpNE49yA
Your are making his point, they had the ability but never released it. However you have a timing issue iPhone was released in 2007 and Nokia did not start Windows phone until 2011, so in 4 years they did nothing.
Nokia not only had smartphones but actually had a marketshare of smartphones twice that Apple and four times of Samsung when Elop destroyed the company with that memo. I know its popular to pretend that iPhone is the only smartphone, but its market share never went above 25% its now down to below 15%.
Nokia has been the #1 phone manufacturer. Huh. I must get too much of my news from Slashdot.
(my first phone was a TDMA Nokia and it was a beast - practically unbreakable with good speakers and microphone; how I miss the quality of those days).
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
If Nokia had peed their pants with Android they would still be #1. Instead the crapped their pants with Windows Phone.
I recently had some Finnish people staying with me and when I mentioned Nokia to them they look rather depressed. Nokia was at one time a real source of pride for the nation and now....well it's just a bit embarrassing. I cheered them up by talking about Linus Torvalds instead :)
In 5th or 6th place, just ahead of 'all other'.
FTFY. Samsung filled the vacuum Microsoft created when Microsoft killed Nokia.
Remember the spectrum vs commodore wars, or did you have an Atari?. Remember when the Amiga came out, with its new GUI OS, it should have ruled the world! Thne came the clone PCs with CGA video, or Hercules monochrome. Who would have thought these clunkers would win?
Elop has most definitely changed the trend.
What happened to cause the race to the bottom?
Race to the bottom is simply good old capitalism "compete on price". Its used here to justify Apples excessive product mark-ups [higher than every other company]. Which has worked out very "profitable" in markets where it had first mover advantage, elsewhere no so much, but the market is maturing, and Apple cannot continue gouging its customers. This is just normal product cycle behaviour.
The reality is though price is just one way of competing, people rarely buy cheapest, In this market we can see the more popular products are competing not just on price, but features. Seriously though sell your Apple stock.
To address your USB port issue:
If you still have a working USB port, reinforce it.
If you still have the pads on it, the thing can be resoldered.
If you don't have the regular pads on it, there is the option of rewiring through the debug pads.
Worst case, there are more than a few of them around. Despite that, the N900 (and the Nokia smartphones in general) got one critical thing right - handling the request for a network connection. On Maemo, you get a box prompting you on what connection you want to use right off the bat - while Android tucks it off in some obscure place.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.