Nokia was once the most dominant force in mobile phones, but has recently faded into all but obscurity. However, we know the company is down, but not out – its agreement with Microsoft allows it to re-enter the mobile market in 2016, and it has already started to gear up towards that goal. The latest news from Reuters is that Nokia is hiring Android engineers in California, which makes sense given Android is likely the operating system of choice for any Nokia devices going forward. If you’re not convinced, recall the Nokia tablet, the Nokia N1, that was released not long ago and running near stock Android. If you’re questioning Nokia’s resolve in trying to make it back to the big time, Reuters had this to offer:
“[Nokia] says it will not repeat the mistakes of the past of missing technology trends, being saddled with high costs, and reacting too slowly to changing consumer tastes.”
Despite making moves in the right places and changing its mindset, Nokia still has a long way to go to regain any semblance to its dominant presence in the mobile industry. Namely, it’s not likely that Nokia will be able to support manufacture of any devices, so we’ve previously heard plans for Nokia to licence its future devices – the Nokia N1 was after all made by Foxconn bearing Nokia’s branding on the front. This arrangement would likely be replicated to varying degrees with any future partners that Nokia works with. Pundits are carefully hopeful however -Â former Nokia executive, Anssi Vanjoki, said of Nokia’s unique position:
“A brand is quickly forgotten if it is absent from the consumer business. The brand will not help much if the product is similar to what is already being sold out there. But if there is something new and interesting to it, the old heritage may be helpful.”
We shall see.
What do you think about Nokia hiring Android engineers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reuters via Phone Arena
