Apple to push Nokia into smartphone second place

Just one problem...

Define "smartphone".

Something with a touch-screen? Something with a qwerty keyboard? Something with a browser? Something capable of running apps?

Foolish...

They say that Apple is more focused on smartphones than Nokia, cleverly forgetting the iPod, Xserve, AppleTV and that promising new machine, the Mackintosh.

can't be that smart* ...

... you can't copy and paste.

* but am I talking about the phone or the owners? Answers on a postcard...

Pure bullshit

Where do they pull these stats from? Nokia smartphone, ha ha ha about as smart as a rock.

Yeah, right.

With the credit crunch, the smartphone market will certainly shift back to the big corporations ... who buy Blackberries.

The common people will either buy cheap mobiles, or some of the "nice features!" handsets like those from Sony Ericcson. Those who were impressed with the iPhone ... might end up buying the LG lookalike.

The iPhone's boom has ended, and I've only seen 3 of those. The masses aren't impressed.

nokia's app downloads

if you have generic nokia firmware, it has an app downloader built in, and nokia have an online service with lots of useful apps, free and pay. so why has apple stolen the show?

problems

1/ many cell operators cripple the nokia firmware, disabling features, often removing the app tool.

2/ nokias catalogue of apps is old and out of date

3/ nokia don't promote it

solutions to the above

1/ load generic firmware

using a hacking tool called NSS you can change the "product code" in the phone from the number identifying it as an operator-branded model to the generic model; then you run nokia's own software updater tool which reflashes it. this is of course warranty-voiding stuff, and will get you banned from nokia's own forums for mentioning it!

2/ use nokia's catalogue as a guide to what exists, but go and find the latest copy

3/ nokia seem to be coming round to the idea that people who buy smartphone actually want to do more with it than the out-of-the-box features provide.

Get your facts right, please.

Firstly, iPhone had the ability to send one text message to a group of users, since software version 2. Second, this is the best gizmo I've ever had, in my experience the abusive criticisers never used one.

My opinion of Generator Research just dropped through the floor.

"Apple is more focused on Smartphones, with a broad handset product line to develop and promote?" So the dozens of highly successful Nokia N-Series handsets released over the past few years were figments of our imaginations then?

"Apple has an app store, and third-party apps allow them to create a broader product than defined by hardware alone?" Then what is the Symbian API about then? Symbian has more third-party apps available than any other mobile OS.

I somehow suspect OVI is on its way to becoming Nokia's App Store too.

Nokia's strategy became clear with the staggered released of the 5800 XpressMusic. Rather than target the iPhone with a single handset, they're creating a series of touch phones which play on individual strengths and target different demographics. For starters, we've got a music oriented device aimed at low-to-mid end users, and eventually a flagship N-Series aimed at power-users later this summer. Nokia's worldwide distribution network is something Apple don't have, allowing them to stagger the release of their products worldwide, and essentially smother the competition. Unlike the iPhone, Nokia's first touchscreens can be operated with fingers, plectrum and stylus, the latter opening it up to Asian markets where handwriting recogition is so important.

I hate the iPhone <> every other smartphone comparisons as much as the next guy, but this Generator Research report is just not credible and the above is just a few reasons why.

IMCDH

My feelings on the iphone are the opposite of Charlton Heston's feelings about guns.

Namely, I'd have be be dead before you could foist one upon me.

will a download will correct the shit camera and corporate lock-in?

Slow and steady wins the race.

if anyone thinks apples iPhone expansion will continue at the same rate as the past 2 years, they need a little trip to business school.

Its new its a fad, its like the Motarola Razr everyone had one when they first came out but motarola arnt top dog.

2G iphone was inovative

3G iphone makes little advancement.

next iphone will probally be a lame duck unless they pull their thumb out.

Good luck to them

Iphone is the first apple product I've owned and despite a couple of minor irritatiions and apples restrictive practices it just about knocks every previous phone I've ever owned into a cocked hat!

Here's hoping

This is excellent, and shows what can happen if you have the balls to shake stuff up a bit. Remember how stagnant the carrier-driven Smart Phone market prior to the iPhone was?

Here's hoping someone (maybe Palm?) can make a phone better than the iPhone, just so Apple et al are forced once again to up their game.

Move along, nothing to see

Apple _could_ knock Nokia off of the top slot in smartphones? Heck, so could a lot of folks, Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, Google, etc - so excuse me if I'm not exactly impressed by that bit of prediction. Lord, even Palm is (big stretch of the imagination) a possible Nokia-beater!

Secondly, Apple are "more focused on smartphones than Nokia". Errm, that's arguable - Apple has one phone model (albeit in 3G and non-3G version) at present, and they seem to be pushing the idea that phones are _merely_ one product in their line - along with the various desktop PC's, laptops, media players etc.

Next idea - that network operators will be happy to have the iPhone accessing their network willy-nilly. From what I've seen that's a non-starter - heck some operators are even taking out stuff like VoIP apps etc. Plus "delivering network operator APIs through the iPhone would allow the platform to rapidly gain 'missing' features" - anyone out there quite happy to buy an 'inferior' device and then have to spend more money adding the features that the manufacturer took out or left out?

My main objection to this bit of Apple fanboi-ness is that it seems to assume Nokia will continue to bumble along, while Apple generates all the gee-whiz factors. Fan-boi's apart, can anyone see a company the size of Nokia (with all the engineers they have) sitting on their hands while an upstart tries to take over? (Especially in the current climate!)

Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-iPhone at all - I think it's done a great job of forcing Samsung, Nokia et al to raise their game. Conversely, I'm not ready to join the throngs of faithful either.

As to the report, based on the data given here, I'd rate it as "C-"... :-p

Good news everyone...

... high competition means progress. Now Nokia must really fight for their market share, like in the late 90's. The more competition the better, can you imagine the innovation this new competition will bring?

The iPhone cometh…

And nothing is going to stop it. In spite of all their "wonderful" N-series of phones, Nokia's smartphone market-share has plummeted from around 70% to around 40%, whereas, Apple's share has gone from 0 to around 30% in less than 2 years.

Read this article to see how the numbers are adding up.

http://www.admob.com/marketing/pdf/mobile_metrics_dec_08.pdf

Especially for the iPod touch, the numbers are mind-boggling. Although the iPod touch is not a phone, it uses essentially the same OS, so its staggering sales will drive developers to the iPhone platform. Nothing remotely similar is happening with any of the other mobile platforms, not OVI, not Windows Mobile, not Android and not Palm..

1. The iPhone OS had 32% worldwide share in December, up from 6% in May.

2. iPod touch requests increased from 18 million in July to 292 million in December.

Whether you like it or not, the iPhone is leaving everyone else in the dust.

Fundamental change

Unless Apple change their policy of only one carrier in the US/UK/Europe then this isn't viable.

Certainly, the people who published this paper have got a lot of publicity out of it.

BS!!!!!!!

This article is complete pay for play apple BS propaganda..... I have been using 3rd party free powerful apps on my nokia smart phones since 2002!!!!!!!!! apple is a fad/joke of a smartphone developer.... if u want a device optimized to sell you over priced novelty crap buy an i phone.... Literally every major app that is advertised and sold for the iphone has been available for nokias for like 5 years... apple is not innovation they are truncating the open-ended strategy of nokia and replacing it with high speed pipelines to sell you apps that should be and are free for nokias. if you want a device that actually delivers value and excellence in hardware buy yourself a nokia... if you want a device that rips u off in ever-new and improved ways buy an apple....

Made-up statistics are funneh!

I knew he was talking crap when I read this:

"iPhone web browsing makes up 80% of all mobile web browsing."

That lie is based on a European survey which established that

"80% of iPhone owners USED their handset to browse the web."

Major difference. lol.

Many thanks to pk_de_cville for demonstrating that 98.8% of statistics are made up on the spot.