Nokia releases Map Loader for Mac OS

[slitchfield]

Nokia Beta Labs has released Map Loader 1.0 for Mac. Previously, loading your S60 phone with Nokia Maps ata required Windows. You can now load up with country maps quickly and for free using an Apple Mac. Screenshot and more info below...

Read on in the full article.

Nice move by Nokia. Apple is a company on the way up, and with iPhone sales hitting 6.9 million for the quarter, Nokia will need to pay attention to the Mac market in order to avoid losing out on this market.

[Pawlee]

this is amazingly good news as i am a massive apple fan but cannot bare to use the iphone when s60 phones are so much better... so naturally i love macs but hate the fact nokias are so incompatible. this could be the start of somethin great...

now we just need a firmware update software for macs and were really getting there

[Tzer2]

Nice move by Nokia. Apple is a company on the way up, and with iPhone sales hitting 6.9 million for the quarter, Nokia will need to pay attention to the Mac market in order to avoid losing out on this market.

iPhone sales reach 6.9 million so... Nokia need to pay attention to the Mac market? Eh?

The only thing that stops Mac getting more support from phone manufacturers is its tiny market share compared to Windows. Apparently Apple sold 2.6 million computers last quarter, which is nothing compared to Windows PC sales, and that's the heart of the problem.

It's nowt to do with the iPhone. 6.9 million is a tiny amount when spread across an entire quarter, it gives Apple a market share of about 2% or 3%. Just for perspective, Nokia sells 7 million phones every week.

now we just need a firmware update software for macs and were really getting there

Actually you don't need it at all. :-)

The latest S60 phones have built-in OTA update systems which download and install updates straight onto the handset. There's no need for Windows, Mac, Linux or any kind of computer.

Still no map loader for Linux. Still no map loader for Symbian (why not? this fast and cheap wifi connection n my phone is there for a reason), and if you have a Mac, the map loader is only for you if you run Leopard. Those with Tiger or older still need to load their maps by hand from http://nokiamaps.site666.info .

It's time for a map loader that works as a simple browser plugin so you can use it anywhere, even at schools and internet cafes and hotels etc. where you can't just go install any Nokia program you want.

Nokia's map loader still has a long way to go.

Tzer2, yes, I'd argue that Nokia is paying attention to Apple. That may be just 6.9 million phones, but it is 6.9 million high-end phones that sold for $200 apiece plus the carrier subsidy of at least that amount. Apple sold more phones than RIM last quarter, and every phone that Apple and RIM sell is a potential N-series or E-series sale lost. Plus, Mac sales have risen for the last six quarters, so it makes a lot of sense for Nokia to devote more time and effort to the Mac. Maps are a start. The next important move is a native solution for installing applications.

[malerocks]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Still no map loader for Symbian (why not? this fast and cheap wifi connection n my phone is there for a reason)

I agree... There should be an option to load maps directly on the phone over a wifi connection... A symbian maps loader to this extend will definitely help...

[davidmaxwaterma]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Still no map loader for Linux.
...
It's time for a map loader that works as a simple browser plugin.

Maybe a browser plugin is a reasonable suggestion, but I would worry about them only making something for IE that doesn't work with anything else.

What I had thought was that they'd do better doing complicated applications in Java, then it would work on MS, OSX, Linux or anything else with a JVM. Symbian is a different issue, of course, but I'd guess there'd still be common components that could be reused.

[sapporobaby]

Originally Posted by KPOM

Tzer2, yes, I'd argue that Nokia is paying attention to Apple. That may be just 6.9 million phones, but it is 6.9 million high-end phones that sold for $200 apiece plus the carrier subsidy of at least that amount. Apple sold more phones than RIM last quarter, and every phone that Apple and RIM sell is a potential N-series or E-series sale lost. Plus, Mac sales have risen for the last six quarters, so it makes a lot of sense for Nokia to devote more time and effort to the Mac. Maps are a start. The next important move is a native solution for installing applications.

Those $200 sales of iPhones are limited to the US. In other countries, the iPhone is considerably much more expensive, and you have to remember that Nokia has not released a touch screeen phone yet, so I would not consider 6.9 million sales as The Grail. In one day or even half a day, Nokia can eat into these sales. What people might be missing is that there are MILLIONS of people that do not want an iPhone but simply chose it because there was nothing else on the market. I have one and as soon as Nokia releases the N-Series with a touch screen, I will dump my iPhone.

You also made a statement about having a native application for software installation. It goes like this (more or less):

1. highlight app.
2. Click file
3. Send to bluetooth
4. Select destination device
5. click on received message and install software

Why have a bloated piece of software when one is not needed. Not once have I had a problem installing anything on my Mac.

Originally Posted by Tzer2

It's nowt to do with the iPhone. 6.9 million is a tiny amount when spread across an entire quarter, it gives Apple a market share of about 2% or 3%. Just for perspective, Nokia sells 7 million phones every week.

LOL Nokia sells cheap phones. Last quarter revenues: Nokia 12.7 billion; Samsung 5.9 billion; Apple (iPhone) 4.6 billion; Sony Ericsson 4.2 billion; LG 3.4 billion. Apple has made 30% of Nokia's revenue with just one model, the iPhone. Guess how much Apple cares about the "market share"...

[viipottaja]

Unregistered, very interesting numbers! Do you have the link for the source? Also, it would be very interesting to compare the % margins and profits from those revenues.

Still, while Apple may not care about its overall share of the mobile market, Nokia has to as its strategy is based on it. So in a sense it is a bit like comparing an Apple to an orange (or.. should I say A Very Evolved Rubber Boot ). Trippling the revenue Apple is making from the iPhone would likely require a wider portfolio and other changes in its strategy.

[Sergey Zak]

Nice. Thanks a lot, Nokia.
Now I am dying for a Mac LifeBlog...
I would very much appreciate a choice of blog providers to post my media to.
Apple just ties us to the one&only .Mac (mobileme, pardon)

[tenoce]

Originally Posted by viipottaja

Unregistered, very interesting numbers! Do you have the link for the source? Also, it would be very interesting to compare the % margins and profits from those revenues.

Still, while Apple may not care about its overall share of the mobile market, Nokia has to as its strategy is based on it. So in a sense it is a bit like comparing an Apple to an orange (or.. should I say A Very Evolved Rubber Boot ). Trippling the revenue Apple is making from the iPhone would likely require a wider portfolio and other changes in its strategy.

Here is the link:

http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...499_page_2.htm

glad to have the Map loader on the Mac, but so far it is 10.5 only. It is NOT a sophisticated program and could run under 10.4 -- if Nokia put their mind to it.

RE: Apple and Nokia. Apple is stealing revenue share, which is all they care about. Drives down the cost of the expensive s60 smartphones and will precipitate a crisis with all cell phone makers. Nokia is to some degree sheltered by low exposure to NA market. RIM and Palm are the most hurt. Nokia has a real chance to thrive (maps, photos, etc) where Apple isn't willing to go but so far they are stumbling around. Look at the browser: same technology, Apple's is 10x better. GPS integration is at another level, which should be a strong point for Nokia.