Nokia's Big Bet

(Due Date - Tuesday 6th December, 2011 - Opportunity Costs)

Nokia has been the world's largest selling mobile phone company for a very long time. Recently, it has declined in countries such as Canada, U.S.A. lagging behind Apple, Android, and R.I.M., but their presence is still strong in Asia.

The Nokia 500 using the aging OS: Symbia

Nokia phones have been using a rather aging operating system (OS) called 'Symbian'. It has been one of the major reasons why Nokia has been lagging behind the larger mobile phone giants such as Apple, Anroid, and R.I.M. R.I.M. has updated their Blackberry cellphone lines to compete with the revolutionary Apple iPhone/iOS along with the second place Android iOS. Many phone companies have shifted to the use of the Android iOS, ditching Symbian, such as Samsung and Motorola.

Nokia has had a few choices: stick to Symbian, keep on working on Meego OS (a Linux-based OS which is fantastic and modern-looking) and eventually use Meego to replace Symbian phones, and drop both the aging OS Symbian, and the Linux-based Meego development. Nokia has created only one official phone on the Linux-based OS, and it was rather a success, but rather than relying on the new success and original OS they've created, they partnered up with the near-forgotten Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS.

The only Linux-based Meego OS phone released by Nokia (limited supplies), the Nokia N9.

This move is highly related to opportunity costs, as Nokia gave up 1.) the (continued) use of the aging Symbian OS, and 2.) (the more better choice in my opinion) the (continued) development, and use of the Linux-based Meego OS. The Meego OS is very impressive and sleek, compared to the Symbian. It is out of the question to keep on using Symbian OS, but the real question was, to continue Meego, and use it to replace Symbian, or simply take the quick and easy way out by partnering up with Microsoft and their some-what dying Windows Phone 7 OS.

The Nokia Lumia using the Windows Phone 7 OS.

As a fan of Nokia phones, I definitely think Symbian is lagging behind other OSs, but at the same time, I believe that Nokia's choice of switching fully to, and fully relying on Windows Phone 7 may be their biggest mistake of all, even bigger than keeping Symbian going, as it lacks originality. I personally think the continued research and development on the Linux-based OS Meego, was probably the best choice. Nokia would have created a very modern-looking, sleek, and smooth OS with a great interface. By partnering up with Microsoft, they have thrown away Meego (one of the better choices) as well as the other less viable option of keeping Symbian OS.