Nokia exec: no "plan B" if Windows Phone flounders
updated 09:30 pm EST, Wed February 8, 2012
Company focusing on Microsoft's mobile OS
Nokia may be putting all of its weight into Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, according to the company's European manager, Victor Saeijs. The executive told the Swedish news outlet Dagens Industri that the handset maker's Windows Phone investments must prove successful, as there is no "plan B."
Saeijs suggests Nokia's initial Windows Phone sales have been off to a "good start," after the company recently announced that it has sold over 1 million smartphones powered by Microsoft's mobile OS. Lumia handsets are claimed to be some of the best-selling smartphones in Sweden, though performance in the US market remains uncertain.
"It's like starting all over again," Saeijs added. "But we must succeed in the U.S. if we are to succeed in the world."
Nokia has been late to adopt one of the popular smartphone platforms, relying instead on its own Symbian OS for flagship smartphones released through 2011. The decision is widely credited with driving the company's 30 percent drop in smartphone market share from 2010 to 2011, according to recent IDC numbers. In the same period of time, the smartphone market as a whole expanded by over 60 percent.
Recent rumors suggest that Nokia may be quietly hastening its departure from Symbian, despite earlier reports pointing to continued support into 2013. The Finnish handset maker has also continued to work to maintain the MeeGo OS, which powers the N9, but it does not plan to continue development onto new devices.
