It could be the beginning of the end for Nokia’s first-party mobile operating system, as it looks like the company is ready to ditch Symbian in favor of Windows Phone 7 for future smartphones.
Last week, Nokia was in the headlines when company CEO Stephen Elop said he would consider the possibility to “create and/or join other ecosystems.” Rumors began speculating that he was probably talking about Android due to its strong presence in the mobile space.
Now, according to more substantiated rumors, it looks like he may have been referring to Windows Phone. Elop is actually a former Microsoft executive.
Recently, Android overtook Symbian as the most popular operating system in the world. It may have been surprising to some that Symbian was still the most popular until just recently, but Nokia smartphones are extremely commonplace in less developed parts of the world. It’s markets like the US and Europe where its popularity has declined significantly.
And even though Nokia is still the undisputed market share leader in the entire global cell phone industry (including very basic, non-smart phones in third world countries), it’s clear the company needs to make some changes. Nokia is practically nonexistant in the US, one of the largest mobile markets in the world.
Nokia is scheduled to have a major investors conference on February 11. It’s largely believed these rumors will be address then.
