As it stands, Micrsosoft’s Windows Phone operating system sits firmly in third position on the OS US market share table behind Android (51.5%) and iOS (42.4%), with a mere 3.6%. That’s not a good figure for a company like
The
The entire event was vintage Nokia; low-key, casual and direct. Compare that to, say, the Samsung event, which was overblown, elaborate and shouty, very, very shouty. These events are perfect representations of the device that’s ultimately unveiled at the end of the conference. Nokia’s 830 was the simple, beige-coloured two seater sofa to Samsung’s La-Z-Boy 2000 - complete with in-built TV remote and beer fridge.
This is what Nokia does well; design and simplicity. Instead of a heart rate monitor, the 830 comes with a free subscription to music streaming service Mix Radio. Rather than a fingerprint scanner, the 830 is supported by a wireless charging dock that looks like a piece of furniture. This is the type of innovation that will convince consumers to open up their wallets - not endless new features that most people won’t have a clue how to use. As a colleague of mine at IFA explained “Samsung just throws shit at the wall and sees what sticks”.
Most smartphone manufacturers are edging towards affordable but powerful handsets thanks to an ever declining cost of materials. Samsung, Sony and HTC have produced affordable handsets that would’ve been considered flagship devices 18 months ago.
But what Nokia is doing is making flagship affordable devices and rather than relying on shiny new things to grab headlines, it's hoping to sell a concept, a lifestyle. Every manufacturer does this in some way. But only
Nokia wants to ape Apple and that’s why the headline isn’t the processor, or the screen resolution, but furniture-like wireless charger, free music subscription service, colourful design and price. It wants you buy into the idea and not the specifications, because lifestyle customers - who feel that their smartphone is an extension of their personality - are far more loyal than spec-hunters.
But, in today's crowded market, selling a concept won’t work if it’s too costly, which is why Microsoft shifted direction of the Lumia devices to sit squarely in the affordable zone. In a memo to employees in June, Stephen Elop, vice president of Microsoft’s devices and services, repeatedly mentioned the world ‘affordable’ because he wanted to drive home the point that this is where the Nokia brand will compete - on price.
But it's not just about price and design, Windows 8.1 is far more usable and has hugely upgraded the notifications and the keyboard, not to mention the widely praised Cortana.
The big issue facing Windows Phone at the moment is app store, or, more specifically, the amount of dummy 'official' apps that have flooded the market in recent months. Microsoft has been lax in its regulation of fake official apps because it wants the app store to look plentiful, but unless it's addressed it could cause a major headache.
On the other hand, anecdotally, developers who make genuine apps are telling me that they're moving toward Windows Phone because it's easier to develop for, and their apps are more likely to get recognised because there's simply less competition. How long that lasts, we'll have to wait and see. But there's definitely a positivity around Windows Phone and Nokia products at the moment, it might be short lived or it could be a sign of things to come - one thing is for sure, though, this is some of Microsoft's best mobile work yet.
