Video: Anssi Vanjoki on the future for Symbian and MeeGo

Published by Rafe Blandford at 12:26 GMT, February 26th 2010

In part 3 of our MWC interview with Anssi Vanjoki, EVP of Markets at Nokia, we discuss the future. How "for the great masses of the world, the first computer they will have will be an extension of the phone based on Symbian". How MeeGo's rich contextual crossing of the real and virtual world will use a map-based user interface and will create "the possibility for people to live in the media." 

In the second half, we hear about the three "buckets" (types) of competitors, the importance of open standards and ecoystems, and a three-fold answer to how we should judge Nokia's future business performance (KPIs).

Key points

• Nokia will be driving Symbian downwards in cost: "it will allow us to make computer type of product for the great masses in this world"... "the first computer they will have will be an extension of the phone based on Symbian. So we are driving Symbian, cost wise, to India, China, Africa, Russia, Turkey, you know, everywhere."
  
  
• Nokia are, with MeeGo, "creating devices that go beyond the personal computer and actually create, what I call, the possibility for people to live in the media." These devices will connect the real and virtual world through rich contextuality. The generic UI for this will be map based.
   
• Nokia belief in open standards is in the company's DNA. It will create the mobile ecosystem with many companies involved, but Nokia "are going to be a big player in that ecosystem. We [Nokia] believe that's its going to be so big an ecosystem, that being big will be enough for us [Nokia]."
  
  
• Nokia's competition can be divided into three "buckets": infrastructural (Google), vertical players (RIM, Apple, Microsoft) and branded handset makers (Motorola, Sony Ericsson, etc.) "In our transition from being a mobile phone company to becoming a platform and solution company we have to take on all these fronts. And that's what we are determined to do."
  
  
• We should measure Nokia's future success in three ways: number of handsets shipped, number of active users of Nokia solutions and money being made by others on top of Nokia's ecosystem.
   
  

Video - Anssi Vanjoki - part 3

Comment

The future vision for MeeGo (Maemo) and Symbian has been well documented. Both platforms are critical to Nokia's future. The importance of map centric user interfaces shows that Nokia's Navteq acquisition has deeper strategic implications than is appreciable at first glance (i.e. the idea that free navigation means Nokia is 'writing off' its Navteq acquisition is clearly erroneous).

Nokia's strategic belief in ecosystems and open standards is also well documented. However, it is noteworthy that one of the three performance indicators which we should judge Nokia on, going forward, is the amount of money other companies make on top of Nokia's ecosystem. This can be seen in contrast with some of Nokia's competitors whose business models are driven, to a much greater degree, by the use of their own channels and solutions.

See also:

Video: Anssi Vanjoki on the N97 and Symbian^3 (part 1 of this interview)

Video: Anssi Vanjoki on Symbian, MeeGo and N95 form factor (part 2 of this interview)

Transcript

Anssi Vanjoki [Nokia], on being asked where he sees thing going in five years:

Two things. I see Symbian going [points downwards]... and when I go down it does not mean functionality goes down, but it will allow us to make computer type of product for the great masses in this world in the developing markets. So the first computer they will have will be an extension of the phone based on Symbian. So we are driving Symbian, cost wise, to India, China, Africa, Russia, Turkey, you know everywhere. Then with MeeGo we are creating devices that go beyond on the personal computer and actually create, what I call, the possibility for people to live in the media. Where our real world is going to be as real as the virtual and vice versa. So we are here in this room, but we also will be residing in here. So I'll see Rafe is just in front of me, this was all the communication I've always had with Rafe and I can zoom in, pan out and see other people go here and there.

The generic user interface for all of this will be a map. You will see on the display always yourself in the middle. And then you see yourself in geographical context and then, but because we are marrying co-ordinates and IP addresses you see what is real in the map as co-ordinates, but [also] everything that is related to the co-ordinates [from the virtual world / web]. For example, for a hotel, you will see the hotel, but you'll also see all the stuff that is connected to the hotel on the web. The you can zoom out to extend your geographic coverage and you can pan to move to a different country and then zoom in again to some person, situation, whatever it happens to be. That is what I see moving to the future and this will be created on MeeGo.

Anssi Vanjoki on how this will happen giving much of it requires a 'tipping point':

We ship 500 million boxes a year and I'm doing everything in my power to see ensure that continues and that what is inside is higher value to the consumer that the previous box they got. And that's the only insurance I have.

We have a history, at Nokia, of open standards, you know like GSM is something that enabled the company to become what it is. We believe in that deeply in our DNA and this is what we are contributing in this business. In that way we make a very vivid, very competitive environment, but we are use to the game where you play 'let the best man win', so we are not going to be the only player, but we are going to be a big player in that ecosystem. We believe that's its going to be so big an ecosystem, that being big will be enough for us.

Rafe Blandford [All About Symbian]:

So, in that sense, who do you see as your biggest competition and will there be links within the rich context web between them through open standards.

Anssi Vanjoki:

I classify competition in three different buckets. We have infrastructural level of competition - and there is only one guy we are competing with there and that's Google. That's infrastructural - the basic principals of business. Then you have companies who are approaching the same market, but more in the vertical manner - Apple, RIM - perhaps in some sense Microsoft - and people working with them. Then we have the third bucket of competitors, who we use to compete heaviest with, which are branded handset makers. In our transition from being a mobile phone company to becoming a platform and solution company we have to take on all these fronts. And that's what we are determined to do.

Anssi Vanjoki, on 'how should we measure your success?':

You should be looking at how many device we ship because we monetise most of our know-how based still on how many devices we ship. Secondly, we report this, how many active users we have for Nokia solutions - that's a very important KPI. Thirdly how much are other people making money on the ecosystem that Nokia has created - and there are methods on how this will be calculated. And those a rthe three most important measures.

Categories: Software, Hardware, Developer, Industry, Editorial Thoughts, Events, Services
Platforms: General, S60 3rd Edition, S60 5th Edition, Maemo 5, MeeGo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Driq Bla bla bla....after watching the symbian^4 UI demo video...I'm ashamed of being a symbian fan. After working for the last 2 years ,this is what you give us? I can go on and on and on....but i won't...because nothing will change.... PS. Nokia...Please stop hiring wrong ppl for the wrong job... Driq A former fan. PS2. I'll never buy any nokia phone from now on.

Yeah, pretty much. I still own a Nokia 6650 on AT&T that I use as a second beater phone, due to its fantastic battery life, so I know the company can make great 'basic phones'.

I've lost faith in their ability to deliver a great, polished, high end handset out of the gate, though. Regarding that Symbian^4 UI video: is THAT what the SF has been working on all this time? Really? And by the time it's even released, Android will be on version 4, along with the next iteration of the iPhone, Blackberry and the new Windows Phone.

Honestly, for their high end devices, Nokia should just buy Palm already (since as of today, Palm is on its death bed) to get at WebOS and slap it on their premium phones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy1 Yeah, pretty much. I still own a Nokia 6650 on AT&T that I use as a second beater phone, due to its fantastic battery life, so I know the company can make great 'basic phones'. I've lost faith in their ability to deliver a great, polished, high end handset out of the gate, though. Regarding that Symbian^4 UI video: is THAT what the SF has been working on all this time? Really? And by the time it's even released, Android will be on version 4, along with the next iteration of the iPhone, Blackberry and the new Windows Phone. Honestly, for their high end devices, Nokia should just buy Palm already (since as of today, Palm is on its death bed) to get at WebOS and slap it on their premium phones.

Perhaps Nokia should have kept their Symbian^4 video that offers an early peek at some elements of the UI framework (not by a long way is it supposed to be a demo of a finished Symbian^4 phone). Because some people are assuming wrongly that this is what to expect. The short vid is not even up to what is demoed on Symbian^3 preview videos. It is simplistic to prejudge what will arrive. People are looking for prettiness when it is usability and productivity that are important. The video doesn't offer much of a clue to those.

As for Palm, I see no point in Nokia buying such a dismal failure. I haven't seen a single Pre being used in public. Either nobody is buying them or people are ashamed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerPodacter I'll admit i dont feel nokia has ever been good at anything software, and i'm a nokia fanboy. But their threaded text app conversations STILL isnt available, and it was never that great to begin with. We've been waiting years for a good email client with html email. Their ovi store debuted without the ability to redownload the app if installation fails. These are FUNDAMENTAL issues that should never have been allowed to happen if you were good at software. heck even though ovi maps is good, its taken them quite a many number of years for maps to get there. How many services have had similar issues? Ngage. I can go on and on. I'm not trying to bash nokia without merit. But their strength has always been good hardware, phone with a decent camera. Its NEVER been software. Thats why it boggled my mind when nokia wanted to transition themselves into a software/services company; the one area that they lacked the most in my opinion.

I'm with you, Roger. I'm also a fan of Nokia's hardware; software has never been their strong point though, which is more of a pickle considering that it's where smart phones are at now, an emphasis on the OS and available applications.

And don't think I'm an Apple fanboy; I would love to see an N97 Mini form factor Nokia phone, running, say, the new Windows Phone 7 OS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered It's funny how some of you say Nokia has bad software, yet they are number one. You people always take shots at Nokia, yet they continue to be number one time and again. The video on symbian^4 was a DEMO ONLY. It's not a finished product, yet. Please, understand what you see and read before making half-baked comments.

Yes, but both Symbian^4 and Windows Phone 7 were demos, and both will be released at relatively the same time. Microsoft's new mobile OS seems like a breath of fresh air from all the wanna-be Android and iPhone clones. S^4 looks like an OS from three years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by germcevoy Function over form is always going to win for me and Symbian still offers enough real world function for me to not be bothered by outdated UI's, but unless Nokia can deliver that Swishy Swashy wowness in the UI department on their high end devices then the bad press and lack of innovation or whatever claims will continue.

Very well said, and I totally agree.

The current Symbian UI, as I'm using on the 5230 right now doesn't have much of the "wow" factor (apart from the Beta Labs photo viewer), but its incredibly reliable, and very (VERY) feature rich.

There are a lot of people shouting out about how outdated the UI is - but to be honest that doesn't really matter. What matters is how the device actually performs on frequently used tasks, and on that count Symbian is easily amongst the best.

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