Our Business, Products & Services

I’ve seen our future portfolio: It always gets better

By Charlie on 17 October 2008

ESPOO, Finland – If there is one constant in this whacky tech industry, it’s that products get faster and better. Every so often, I get a good glimpse at our future portfolio, and comparing it with the advances we’ve had in the past years, this constant holds.

Oh. Yeah. I would like to tell you all the things we’re coming out with, but I can’t. Naturally. And don’t go trying to find any hidden meaning in what I write. I’m not revealing anything.

Nonetheless, continue, if you want to join a discussion on the future of mobile devices and services.

Software and services

In the past few years, Nokia went from having small and disconnected pieces of software and services to a strong collection of software and services that are starting to coalesce. Sure, we will be growing these services, tweaking them to better serve our users. We will also be continuing the trend of making these services more cohesive as a whole, not only between the services, but also with the devices, as it makes sense and is achievable.

Devices

Every so often, I find a device we make that makes me wonder if we can top it. Once it was the Nokia 6680. Then the N70 came out and I thought we had really reached a pinnacle. Now I am enraptured by the N85, a device I longed for once I saw it in the portfolio (and sadly so, as the day I put it down approaches – but that’s a story for later). Yet, I am reminded that Nokia is its own competitor, regularly coming out with a device that raises the bar once more.

An integrated company

While it’s always a given that products today will be surpassed by products tomorrow, what amazes me is that we’re able to accomplish so much on the momentum of an organization that had multiple separate parts. I won’t go into the details, but earlier this year, the company made a major company-wide reorganization, making the company more streamlined, simple, and integrated.

What impresses me is that I am already seeing the effects of this company-wide integration effort. We’re clearly displaying a responsiveness and drive today that is even greater than the responsiveness and drive that got us here in the first place.

Which brings me back to our portfolio. And, suffice it to say, not only is it impressive, but something tells me that we’ll be coming out with stuff that raises the bar even higher than we normally manage to do.

Oh the wonder.

Where do you see it going?

Of course, in the absence of me telling you anything about our future portfolio, what are the kinds of things you expect, predict, or hope for? Should make for an interesting discussion.

So, comment away.

Image from Jeff Keen

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John Says:
October 17th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Hello,

I don’t quite agree with the “device” part. I don’t think that Nokia has been raising the bar since 2006.
After releasing the N95, all phones such as the N82, N78, N85, N96, N79 etc. were simply almost the same phone with each their respective variant.
Other than the Xenon flash in the N82 and the FM Transmitter in the N78 & N85 (as well as OLED Screen) no real major innovation was introduced. Even the E71, E66 etc. are phones that didn’t really cause some revolution… Nokia was simply coping with the market standard in this category. Most BB users in the Middle East didn’t really switch to E series as a matter of fact for example.

All in all, for those owning an N95 8 gig or an N82, no phone being released by Nokia would convince them to change or upgrade to a newer phone. I still think that these two phones are two of the most powerful phones in Nokia’s catalogue. (the 5800 touchscreen put aside since i didn’t have the chance to test it yet)

Nevertheless other firms such as Samsung, LG and others already raised the bar starting for instance with the Innov8.

The N95 was a revolution. No doubt. The N95 8 gig and N82 (released almost in the same period) were the continuation and end of this revolution.
When will be the next revolution?
Probably with the next N-Series touchscreen device? Hopefully.
It’s about time Nokia raises the bar, effectively and make competitors wonder…
Until then, Nokia isn’t competing with itself anymore.. As a matter of fact, it has today some serious competition…

Nevertheless when it comes to services, Nokia is exceeding, no doubt, but Apple is keeping a close eye..

Regards
John
Beirut, Lebanon

Antony Pranata Says:
October 17th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

I fully agree with John. N95 is still “the masterpiece” from Nokia until today. Personally, I am still using N95 and I am not interested to replace is with any newer devices, e.g. N95 or N85.

My suggestion is: create less device models. Right now, Nokia is making too many Nseries devices and as John said most of them are more or less the same. It’s better to make less devices but make people “wow” than make too many devices that become commodity.

Antony Pranata Says:
October 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

Just a small correction to my last comment… it should be “..to replace is with any newer devices, e.g. N96 or N85″ (not N95).

ARJWright Says:
October 18th, 2008 at 7:24 am

Seeing things fom the inside as you do, its easier to sometimes se those milestones and then live from there.

From the outside, we have to sit a few years behind product schedules, and dont get the benefit of a singular company focus – we get the focus from all the companies vying for out attention all at the same time. To that end, what seems revolutionary next, it is, but the perspective is different.

There’s much to be gained from what you have spoken. And given both economic climates, and Nokia’s ability to almost craft the future, I wouldnt be surprised if something neat did come and raise the bar ever higher still.

Of course the problem with that is that it also raises the outsider expectations. For Nokia, what was once a 2 years to innovation cycle is definitely longer, and definitely consumes more of the versatile assets of the company. How can it respond there is the best question for such an organization. Nokia is indeed positioned to do well, but well is going to be harder and harder to attain in the forseeable future IMO.

Rita El Khoury Says:
October 19th, 2008 at 3:20 am

Is it weird that i am the only one who finds herself nodding along to this?
I’ve touched on this topic before on Symbian-Guru ( http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/10/innovation-maturity-industry-fuel.html ) because I was sick of the rants and the moans about Nokia’s strategies. No matter how well we’re informed, no matter how well we know the market as bloggers and readers, there’s NO WAY we know better than a company that has managed to swipe a 38 or 40 or whatever was the last % of market share.
Maybe I have come to have a blind belief in Nokia, but that is because the company NEVER disappointed me. So I believe in your next releases, and until I am disappointed once, I will continue to believe.