Nokia reorganizes to help ailing smartphone sales
updated 11:35 am EDT, Fri October 16, 2009
Nokia swaps phone execs, splits groups
Nokia took drastic action to improve its ailing smartphone business through a swap of executives as well as a reorganization of the company itself. Its Devices group has been split into a group for Smartphones, covering more advanced devices, as well as Mobile Phones, for its conventional Symbian S30 and S40 cellphones. The firm has also taken the unusual step of moving its chief financial officer, Rick Simonson, to head up the Mobile Phones group.
Simonson's newly vacated CFO position will be filled by the current head of worldwide sales, Timo Ihamuotila. Both changes take effect November 1st.
The organizational shuffle is an acknowledgment of Nokia's mounting problems with smartphone share, which has for a second time fallen to 35 percent. Aside from the 5800 XpressMusic, the N97 nearly all of its other flagship smartphones have failed to garner strong sales and prevent some customers from jumping to newer platforms like Android, BlackBerry or iPhone. Only a handful of Nokia's current and known future smartphones are touchscreen models, and all so far use the relatively old Symbian S60.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2009
2 Little @ Late
I have used Nokia for some time, mostly E series. One of the best smartphones they ever produced was teh E90. With some up grades to this platform they would have had a winner, (notice the No.1 rated smartphone on a few sites if a LG model with the same platform as the E90). This was a rugged phone that did it all. There were a few quality issues as with my current E66 (cheap plating on the scroll button where copper shows through the chrome plating within 2 months of normal use...sub par, 100%).With the E90 after 14 months of use the TX worked the RX didn't so into the Nokia shop, result from Nokia..."can not be repaired!" hence the E66. The people at Nokia have been replaced which is justified and should have been done a year ago, hopefully these people will open their eyes and see the market for what it is outside Finland! (they are in a deep freeze and hopefully the global warming will do some good ...)