Nokia Lumina 800 Windows Phone 7 Prospects

27 Oct 2011

News: Nokia Lumina 800 running Windows Phone 7 to hit stores soon

I once wrote an article saying Windows Phone 7 will bomb. It did, but now my theory will really be put to the test. This new Nokia phone is arguably the most exciting looking smartphone on the market, they have a huge publicity campaign planned, its specs and price perfectly position it at mid market level rather than going after the high end iPhone directly, and its got an unbreakable light happy sporty feel about it that sits nicely apart from the rather glass and steel like iPhone. So in terms of hardware, it is not only exceedingly well executed, it offers something really new, it's a sort of yin to the iPhone yang. No Android phone comes anywhere near this Nokia in terms of hardware design. This is the first phone that will worry Jonathon Ive at Apple.

On the software side, Microsoft have fixed the missing features in their OS, they now have popular programs such as Skype, Spotify and Angry Birds in their App Store. Nokia have included a free turn by turn navigation App that would cost a lot of money on the iPhone, and they have also included a free online/offline music radio App that works a bit like Pandora. Although the Apple App store is much bigger than the Microsoft App Store, the vast majority of Apple's Apps are low quality slavish imitations of each other, so only the thin top layer of cream really matters. In fact, philosophically speaking, the ideal solution for an upstart with limited market share is probably a "by invitation only" App store that improves customer experience and retailer incentive by limiting itself to proven incumbents (especially in the absence of sale or return App Store shopping models). Android's GUI has improved a little, but it's still basically an ugly chaotic geeky OS.

In conclusion then, on paper this phone is absolute dynamite and should totally transform the fortunes of Nokia and Windows Phone. Nokia is the traditional King of mobile phones, Apple is the King who stole his throne, and Samsung is the new contendor. The laws of nature and capitalism suggest the battle will gradually coalesce into two major powers, and this new phone makes the future look a bit more like a battle between Apple and Nokia rather than Apple and Samsung.

Yet the question is: Was my article about Windows Phone 7 correct? Is Windows Phone 7 really Wall-Mart GUI? Is it blunt and brash, or sharp and subtle? Is it ugly and annoying, or beautiful and effective? Is Windows Phone 7 really so downmarket it will flop? My philosophy is really on the line now!

My advice to Nokia is don't mess around, if sales come in anything short of spectacular get a new GUI A.S.A.P! Use customer profile data to figure out whether my analysis of the Microsoft GUI is correct, for example, if it becomes a "hoodie phone" you know the GUI is Wall Mart not Harrods. Meanwhile Samsung needs to take a long hard look at its life, it needs to ask itself: Am I am smart enough and handsome enough to rule the world; or am I like one of those waste of time slavish knock offs in the App Store.