If I were OPK...
Published by Steve Litchfield at 23:18 GMT, December 5th 2007
With Nokia's impending reorganisation, I started wondering what I'd do about the devices and visions from the current different divisions within the company. What would you do when integrating three separate hardware divisions? Read on for some of my thoughts...
Nokia announced back in June that it was planning a huge reorganisation, to take effect from January 1st 2008, a date that's now less than a month away. With Nokia World now over, I've been pondering how the company is going to integrate the Mobile Phones, Multimedia (i.e. Nseries) and Enterprise (i.e. Eseries) divisions in a workable fashion.
In addition to a 'Services and Software' group (incorporating Ovi), the plan includes creating a 'Devices' unit, incorporating the three current hardware units, and it's to be headed up by Kai Öistämö, the current head of the Mobile Phones Group, which may or may not be a significant clue as to how this will all work out. But what would I do if I were Kai, or indeed Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo?
- I'd retain the existing three naming systems for phones (and smartphones). The numeric system is far too established to discard, while the Nseries and Eseries brands are now very well ensconced and it would harm market share enormously to scrap these just because the company itself was being changed around.
- I'd take advantage of the fact that all hardware was now being produced in one place to bring all S60 3rd Edition devices up to the same base level, in terms of media codecs and file handlers - it's tremendously frustrating at the moment to have something like the E61i, nominally one of Nokia's most recent devices, crippled on the multimedia front and unable to play many music or video files, all for the sake of a few media codec files missing from the firmware. And it's equally frustrating that some of the email integration features of the Eseries don't work on all Nseries devices, let alone on the humble 'numeric' phones. Under the hood they're all similar enough that these software issues shouldn't be issues at all.
- I'd release a device in the E61i form factor but with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (or 2), a faster processor, more RAM and at least a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera. There are large proportions of the current Nseries target market (including me) who really, really need a qwerty keyboard as well. Everyone, from your mum or dad upwards, knows how to write messages on a qwerty keyboard, while power users will be able to write faster and more fluently than with predictive or multi-tap text. I don't care if the hybrid device ends up with N or Eseries branding, I just care that it's made at all.
- I'd ensure that there was consistency of components across the different device ranges and also within each range. Currently, you have the stupid situation where the N76 and N81 have appallingly reflective screens that are unusable outdoors (which, naturally, is where you want to be when living the 'smartphone lifestyle') while the N93 and N95 (for example) have gorgeous screens that remain very readable. How two completely different screen technologies could have slipped into a single unit's model production is utterly beyond me. If I were Kai or OPK, I'd insist that lessons learned from the very best of each range were shared across all other models and that turkeys like the N76 (flaking paint, unusable display, clumsy SIM/battery placement, etc.) were never repeated.
- I'd insist on higher build quality. The Eseries devices use lots of metal and as a result are long lasting and reliable. The numeric phones seem well put together despite being mainly plastic. But some Nseries models, and I'm eyeing up the flagship N95 here, are far too cheaply constructed. If users are going to fork out £500 for a flagship, cutting edge device or put up with a heavy £35 a month contract, then they're entitled to expect that the device won't fall apart on them. Although my own N95 and N95 8GB are very solid, I've seen many other N95s from the general production line that wobble, rattle and (in some cases) look on the verge of peeling apart. For devices that are top-end, I'd insist on absolutely top-end production values at all factories.
- I'd insist on a base specification for all S60 phones, with GPS, 3.5G data and the aforementioned media codecs and 3 megapixel a-f camera. Ovi, the Services and Software 'doorway' could indeed be huge, but not until the hardware becomes truly ubiquitous. For example, a user should never have to think 'Do I have a GPS? Does my phone know where I am?' or 'If I click on that link, or upload that media file, will it take ages and cost a fortune?' or 'Is it worth me stepping up and taking some photos or am I going to be disappointed?' The answers to these questions should be a given, in which case users will simply 'use' their phones and use Ovi's different components as they are intended.
- I'd pray that Apple falter in 2008. As things stand they're a minority player on the world stage but one with the potential to be much, much bigger. If Apple solve the technical problems behind 3G and 3.5 data, if they crack secure third party applications, if they manage to engineer in much better cameras, then all other manufacturers need to watch their backs. It's true that Nokia have an enormous lead in the phone and smartphone worlds, but leads can dwindle... The new Touch UI planned for S60 in 2008 will go some way to standing up to the inertia behind the iPhone, but there are lots of things that could go wrong - for Nokia, or indeed for Apple.
Steve Litchfield, AllAboutSymbian, 6 December 2007
- PS. I'd start up a new TV channel, "Nokia TV", borne on the Internet, available through Ovi, with similar style to the Smartphones Show but obviously purely focussed on all things Nokia, disseminating news, tips, music and video recommendations, device showcases, and more. As OPK, I'd need to hire a writer and producer for this. Who could I turn to? Who? Hmmm......
- Oh yes, and I'd hire Stefan Constantinescu as head of worldwide marketing... Really.
Categories: Hardware, Industry, Editorial Thoughts
Platforms: General, S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
Unregistered
Wow, hiring Stefan would be a huge move...
I'd settle for most of the things you asked for. Their product lines are desperately lacking consistency. The hardware quality does range widely, and, as stated, the flagship devices need to be constructed accordingly. The software teams need to be locked in a room until everything is sorted out. There is NO reason for this current segmentation we see between not only product lines (E vs N...) but within the devices themselves. All S60vX FPX phones should support the same software. If the N95 has hardware accelerated video and the another FP1 phone does not, I'll be thankful the N95 has it, but it confuses the users. I was recently very excited to see the freshly released Nokia Internet Radio application only to discover my N73 was not supported. Now its not the same FP so I can understand this and I shall my have N95-8GB in a couple of weeks, but its frustrating seeing such things we, as users, have been waiting for, and then we can't use them.
Ovi and N-Gage are two HUGE opportunities for Nokia to really show the world why the are the worldwide leaders. Apple will come on strong, and Nokia will have to be on the top of their game to triumph. I have no doubt Nokia has the skills to do this, but they'll have to work together, and far more efficiently than I have seen (from my perspective) over the past year or two.
Nokia, you do so many things right, if you can pull together the last 10% you'll be unstoppable. Keep listening to your community, its your greatest advantage.
Yeah, you know what, hire Stefan, it'd be a risk, but he knows what hes doing. He'll tell it like it is, and thats something marketers have forgotten how to do. Not a single user nor fan will complain about the truth, the media might, and the shareholders will. But, in the end, your users are the ones who buy your phones and thats something even the shareholders cannot argue with.
Malaeum
I'd settle for most of the things you asked for. Their product lines are desperately lacking consistency. The hardware quality does range widely, and, as stated, the flagship devices need to be constructed accordingly. The software teams need to be locked in a room until everything is sorted out. There is NO reason for this current segmentation we see between not only product lines (E vs N...) but within the devices themselves. All S60vX FPX phones should support the same software. If the N95 has hardware accelerated video and the another FP1 phone does not, I'll be thankful the N95 has it, but it confuses the users. I was recently very excited to see the freshly released Nokia Internet Radio application only to discover my N73 was not supported. Now its not the same FP so I can understand this and I shall my have N95-8GB in a couple of weeks, but its frustrating seeing such things we, as users, have been waiting for, and then we can't use them.
Ovi and N-Gage are two HUGE opportunities for Nokia to really show the world why the are the worldwide leaders. Apple will come on strong, and Nokia will have to be on the top of their game to triumph. I have no doubt Nokia has the skills to do this, but they'll have to work together, and far more efficiently than I have seen (from my perspective) over the past year or two.
Nokia, you do so many things right, if you can pull together the last 10% you'll be unstoppable. Keep listening to your community, its your greatest advantage.
Yeah, you know what, hire Stefan, it'd be a risk, but he knows what hes doing. He'll tell it like it is, and thats something marketers have forgotten how to do. Not a single user nor fan will complain about the truth, the media might, and the shareholders will. But, in the end, your users are the ones who buy your phones and thats something even the shareholders cannot argue with.
Malaeum
Sam Stokes
Good suggestions, but where was:
* I would fix the appallingly complex and unintuitive software that just about everyone who uses an S60 device complains about. Set a real UI designer (or several of them, but for heaven's sake have them talk to each other) on a pedestal at Nokia HQ and demand that every application and feature on the system get his approval before release. Also demand that the UI gurus and application developers work out ways to integrate their applications in ways that make sense, so that web links opened from emails open in Web not Services, attachments and files I download from the web work always rather than sometimes, and we can do things like jump from a contact to their location on a map or check when I last called them.
If Nokia made their UI more intuitive, logical and consistent, plus maybe add a little bit of graphical glitz, then IMHO they wouldn't *need* to worry about Apple, 3.5G or no.
Also if *I* were OPK, a pet peeve:
* I would find whoever designed the email section of Messaging, and fire them. Out of a cannon. Why does it take several seconds to open an email? Why is it that the more emails in a folder, the longer it takes to select that folder in the folder list (we're talking a good ten seconds for 2000 emails)? Why, when I have manually connected to my server to read an email and now try to Disconnect, does it prompt me to disable automatic retrieval? Why does automatic retrieval disable itself (permanently, requiring me to notice and reenable it) if I'm in a tunnel for too long?
* I would fix the appallingly complex and unintuitive software that just about everyone who uses an S60 device complains about. Set a real UI designer (or several of them, but for heaven's sake have them talk to each other) on a pedestal at Nokia HQ and demand that every application and feature on the system get his approval before release. Also demand that the UI gurus and application developers work out ways to integrate their applications in ways that make sense, so that web links opened from emails open in Web not Services, attachments and files I download from the web work always rather than sometimes, and we can do things like jump from a contact to their location on a map or check when I last called them.
If Nokia made their UI more intuitive, logical and consistent, plus maybe add a little bit of graphical glitz, then IMHO they wouldn't *need* to worry about Apple, 3.5G or no.
Also if *I* were OPK, a pet peeve:
* I would find whoever designed the email section of Messaging, and fire them. Out of a cannon. Why does it take several seconds to open an email? Why is it that the more emails in a folder, the longer it takes to select that folder in the folder list (we're talking a good ten seconds for 2000 emails)? Why, when I have manually connected to my server to read an email and now try to Disconnect, does it prompt me to disable automatic retrieval? Why does automatic retrieval disable itself (permanently, requiring me to notice and reenable it) if I'm in a tunnel for too long?
islamey
Apple will do just fine, bypassing the whole 3G and 3,5G.
And I am a Nokia E90 - no iPhones here - user:)
And I am a Nokia E90 - no iPhones here - user:)
Aron
I would remove the artificial restrictions and allow E-series to have A2DP for exampe. Also N series have artificial restrictions which should be removed, like it is in E-series.
I would encourage the E-series team to fix the memory leak in the E70 and let the revolution in mobile computing happen.
Regards!
Aron
I would encourage the E-series team to fix the memory leak in the E70 and let the revolution in mobile computing happen.
Regards!
Aron
mvn
".......freshly released Nokia Internet Radio application only to discover my N73 was not supported............."
Thats one of the problems, Nokia have released S60 phones outside the N-series range that sometimes are better than N series devices, such as the 6120c. I always assume that if an N95 is supported then so is the 6120c and download anyway, in the case of the Internet Radio app it appears to run OK on the 6120c so try it on your N73.
S60 platform devices should be grouped as one series to provide a larger user base for the upcoming services such as Music Store. You cannot expect people to purchase new devices everytime a new service is launched. WM or Palm do not restrict services to certain devices..
And I would improve pc/mac integration apps, look at the isync model that apple have and give the user simple plugsin for the main apps that people use (outlook, ical, itunes, wmp, photoshop etc...) instead of bloated pc suite apps that duplicate (badly) existing apps we have on our pc/macs.
Thats one of the problems, Nokia have released S60 phones outside the N-series range that sometimes are better than N series devices, such as the 6120c. I always assume that if an N95 is supported then so is the 6120c and download anyway, in the case of the Internet Radio app it appears to run OK on the 6120c so try it on your N73.
S60 platform devices should be grouped as one series to provide a larger user base for the upcoming services such as Music Store. You cannot expect people to purchase new devices everytime a new service is launched. WM or Palm do not restrict services to certain devices..
And I would improve pc/mac integration apps, look at the isync model that apple have and give the user simple plugsin for the main apps that people use (outlook, ical, itunes, wmp, photoshop etc...) instead of bloated pc suite apps that duplicate (badly) existing apps we have on our pc/macs.
germangeek
very good points, steve :-)
and i also couldn't agree more with what "sam stokes" said:
UI and USER EXPERIENCE, dammit!
just one little example, that really keeps my blood-pressure high:
why are you not able to implement even the most obvious features, like an automatic handling of data connections? like, having a connection priority list *on OS level*? if my WiFi AP is available, use it, if not, go to 3G, but DONT! give me only static or manual options! helooo? its the year 2007?!? that's just incredibly dumb and antiquated! when a freeware app like ShoZu can handle it, why can't S60 and all it's integrated applications since ages??
and there are many other such things, as most of you S60 users very well know.
so, do i really have to buy an iphone V2.0 as my next high-end 3G device to get hassle free and fully integrated UI and user experience, or will this finally be delivered with the new TOUCH OS? i hope i don't have to.
and i also couldn't agree more with what "sam stokes" said:
UI and USER EXPERIENCE, dammit!
just one little example, that really keeps my blood-pressure high:
why are you not able to implement even the most obvious features, like an automatic handling of data connections? like, having a connection priority list *on OS level*? if my WiFi AP is available, use it, if not, go to 3G, but DONT! give me only static or manual options! helooo? its the year 2007?!? that's just incredibly dumb and antiquated! when a freeware app like ShoZu can handle it, why can't S60 and all it's integrated applications since ages??
and there are many other such things, as most of you S60 users very well know.
so, do i really have to buy an iphone V2.0 as my next high-end 3G device to get hassle free and fully integrated UI and user experience, or will this finally be delivered with the new TOUCH OS? i hope i don't have to.
AndyM
>I would remove the artificial restrictions and allow E-series to have A2DP for exampe
I think your wish is already granted, the E51 is listed as having A2DP.
I think your wish is already granted, the E51 is listed as having A2DP.
Richard Ross
Great article, Steve - encapsulates most of my thoughts and explains why I'm currently using a TyTn II despite being a former Nokia devotee: for all the vast plethora of models to choose from there isn't one that spans the work/leisure divide as well as the TyTn and that's because Nokia compartmentalises the services on its smart devices despite them all using the same OS.
I'd add...
- PLEASE make the E61-format phone Steve suggests but maybe this time remove the line in the design brief that starts 'think of the ugliest creation ever dredged from the depths of the human mind' and MOULD the thing to the user so it fits the hand and doesn't jab those of us who hate belt loops in the thigh all the time.
- Why won't E-series devices support ngage? I can understand the future phones will include gaming-specific keys but why not let business users into at least some content: I don't spend a fortune on phones just to write reports.
- Symbian makes one OS that has to cope with hundreds of smart devices. This makes the UI unwieldy and inconsistent. Sit down with Symbian and map out your hardware evolution for the next, say, 12-4 months and ask for an OS tailored to that - or even one for numbered and one for smartphones.
- Don't get too hung up on Touch: if you just follow your brand will start to lose its core values of converging solidity and reliability with innovation. Touchscreens that work are great but only if the rest of the device is geared to making the most out of them: don't just slap a touchscreen on a device because you think it will sell.
- You pioneered harddrives in phones. Just because the model concerned wasn't great doesn't mean this was a bad idea. There's a market for mass storage in a phone and if harddrives are cheaper than flash at 60/70/80GB scales, go for it.
I'd add...
- PLEASE make the E61-format phone Steve suggests but maybe this time remove the line in the design brief that starts 'think of the ugliest creation ever dredged from the depths of the human mind' and MOULD the thing to the user so it fits the hand and doesn't jab those of us who hate belt loops in the thigh all the time.
- Why won't E-series devices support ngage? I can understand the future phones will include gaming-specific keys but why not let business users into at least some content: I don't spend a fortune on phones just to write reports.
- Symbian makes one OS that has to cope with hundreds of smart devices. This makes the UI unwieldy and inconsistent. Sit down with Symbian and map out your hardware evolution for the next, say, 12-4 months and ask for an OS tailored to that - or even one for numbered and one for smartphones.
- Don't get too hung up on Touch: if you just follow your brand will start to lose its core values of converging solidity and reliability with innovation. Touchscreens that work are great but only if the rest of the device is geared to making the most out of them: don't just slap a touchscreen on a device because you think it will sell.
- You pioneered harddrives in phones. Just because the model concerned wasn't great doesn't mean this was a bad idea. There's a market for mass storage in a phone and if harddrives are cheaper than flash at 60/70/80GB scales, go for it.
DevilsRejection
Thanks for that Steve. I wish you would have come, but at the same time I don't think you would have liked what you got out of the conference itself.
If it wasn't for the amazing networking and chats in the hall and cafeteria that happened, then Nokia World would have been a waste of time.
If it wasn't for the amazing networking and chats in the hall and cafeteria that happened, then Nokia World would have been a waste of time.
slitchfield
>> I wish you would have come, but at the same time I don't think you would have liked what you got out of the conference itself. If it wasn't for the amazing networking and chats in the hall and cafeteria that happened, then Nokia World would have been a waste of time.
Yeah, when it comes to the Symbian Smartphone Show in London, my brain switches off after the first 30 mins of keynotes and I revert to walking the floor and finding the really interesting stuff (and people) out first hand. 8-)
Yeah, when it comes to the Symbian Smartphone Show in London, my brain switches off after the first 30 mins of keynotes and I revert to walking the floor and finding the really interesting stuff (and people) out first hand. 8-)
heavyduty
<i>I'd insist on a base specification for all S60 phones, with GPS, 3.5G data...</i>
Amen.
I would also introduce index-based menus (<i>a la</i> WM), which makes menu navigation <b>much</b> faster.
Amen.
I would also introduce index-based menus (<i>a la</i> WM), which makes menu navigation <b>much</b> faster.
viipottaja
"I'd insist on a base specification for all S60 phones, with GPS, 3.5G data and the aforementioned media codecs and 3 megapixel a-f camera."
Well.. Technology evolves over time. How could you possibly lock in these "minimum requirements"? There are also these nasty things called "price points", "bills of material costs" and "margins"...
S60 phones are not being made for _S60_ users. They are being made for _users_. And increasinly for the mass market. Most (?) users don't give a hoot whether their phone has exactly the same base specs as everybody elses.
Well.. Technology evolves over time. How could you possibly lock in these "minimum requirements"? There are also these nasty things called "price points", "bills of material costs" and "margins"...
S60 phones are not being made for _S60_ users. They are being made for _users_. And increasinly for the mass market. Most (?) users don't give a hoot whether their phone has exactly the same base specs as everybody elses.
slitchfield
No, you miss my point. With a base spec such as I described (GPS, 3.5G data and the aforementioned media codecs and 3 megapixel a-f camera), extra services and software could be released and made widely available in the full confidence that everyone could run them. Location based stuff, barcode scanning stuff, video stuff, the list goes on.
viipottaja
I don't think I missed your point. My point is that your wishlist of specs is 1) pretty cutting edge right now 2) a thing of the past in two years time. Technology evolves constantly, and IMHO you cannot lock "basic specs accross all S60 devices" in place.
Unregistered
Nokia would need to hugely improve its marketing. Compared to Apple, the value of passionate user community is not understood by Nokia at all while the prevalence of Apple fanbois as tech writers by now filling all media with iPhone stories has grown by now to be a strategic risk to Nokia. Long term work to create Nokia-friendly media, empower Nokia fans around the world to be better heard, and publishing about Nokia has been profoundly neglected. Check an average bookstore in the U.S. and compare what you find about Symbian/Nokia vs any other mobile O.S. not to speak of the iPhone. Read mobile magazines and see how Symbian always has nearly the least extensive coverage among platforms compared and usually the most luke-warm treatment as an alternative.
In software there is a long list of things to fix. The viability of S60 as a software platform is currently much smaller than the market reach and volume of S60 would lead one to assume. There are many reasons including platform fragmentation and this not hidden from SW (see comments earlier in this thread), Nokia's obsession on selling access to APIs via expensive Forum Nokia deals, the Symbian Signing practice hugely discouraging creation of freeware critical in increasing mindshare of a platform, API and binary incompatibilities between OS versions and devices, exotic tools and programming conventions, poor support beyond Windows for development platforms (Linux, Mac), lack of programming environment support (open C is a start but much more is needed), lack of online communities widely known to S60 user base as a common source of 3rd party apps such as freeware and commercial demo/beta versions (Ovi could help in theory), lack of web based tools and communities to show how to truly integrate Nokia apps with the web, lack of interest by Nokia or carriers to facilitate access to 3rd party apps, missing S60 marketing (venues, magazines, books, sample apps, online efforts), etc. Yes many of these areas have seen some effort but they are pretty tepid compared to the S60 revenue and number of S60 users, and what competitors esp. in the U.S. are doing.
In software there is a long list of things to fix. The viability of S60 as a software platform is currently much smaller than the market reach and volume of S60 would lead one to assume. There are many reasons including platform fragmentation and this not hidden from SW (see comments earlier in this thread), Nokia's obsession on selling access to APIs via expensive Forum Nokia deals, the Symbian Signing practice hugely discouraging creation of freeware critical in increasing mindshare of a platform, API and binary incompatibilities between OS versions and devices, exotic tools and programming conventions, poor support beyond Windows for development platforms (Linux, Mac), lack of programming environment support (open C is a start but much more is needed), lack of online communities widely known to S60 user base as a common source of 3rd party apps such as freeware and commercial demo/beta versions (Ovi could help in theory), lack of web based tools and communities to show how to truly integrate Nokia apps with the web, lack of interest by Nokia or carriers to facilitate access to 3rd party apps, missing S60 marketing (venues, magazines, books, sample apps, online efforts), etc. Yes many of these areas have seen some effort but they are pretty tepid compared to the S60 revenue and number of S60 users, and what competitors esp. in the U.S. are doing.
slitchfield
I didn't mean 'lock' - I'm talking about establishing a minimum spec etc.
viipottaja
Right, but wouldn't the "minimum specs" also have to evolve constantly, in a continuous way?