If the Windows Phone move doesn’t end up working out, Nokia says it’s pretty much over.
“When we launch Windows Phones we will essentially be out of the Symbian business, the S40 business,” Nokia US president Chris Weber said.
That’s not a big surprise. If you go out and shop for a Nokia phone today, you’ll have a pretty difficult task. That is, if you’re in the US.
Other parts of the world still proudly offer Nokia products, especially those areas of the world where Nokia is essentially the only option. The manufacturer has a monopolistic hold on a large chunk of the developing world.
But just as with any other global product market, when it comes to mobile phones, the US is vital. A company like Nokia cannot exist without having at least some semblance of strength in the US.
So when it launches Windows Phone-powered devices later this year, it’s a chance for Nokia to get back into the US mobile game. Several analysts have predicted bold and beautiful things for Nokia once that happens.
But there are no guarantees, of course, so what if the Windows Phone strategy doesn’t work out? What is Nokia’s back-up plan?
Apparently it doesn’t really have one.
“The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesn’t matter what we do,” said Weber.
In other words, this is really the last chance for Nokia. The company is putting all of its eggs in this one basket. Hopefully it will work out, or Nokia could become the next chapter in the book on successful companies that fizzled out because they couldn’t adapt to change.
