Rumours: 20 Symbian handsets due in 2011 – Windows Phone not coming for 12 months?

According to a site called DNA India, Nokia’s first Windows Phone handset isn’t coming until 12 months from now.

We’ve speculated in this post about when Nokia could release their Windows Phone where based on Nokia’s Jo Harlow and Elop himself, it seemed to suggest a 2011 release at the very least. The Mango update is supposedly coming in Fall, available on handsets by holiday season.

If there is any truth behind this and we are going to be waiting until a Q1 2012 release then I’m thinking WTF Nokia? You jump ship, a ship that is essentially, currently a leaking dingy with what seems to be hope of reaching shore any time soon.

However, on the Symbian side, there is some good news. Again if any truth behind this. Apparently Nokia will be releasing 20 phones built on Symbian. Hopefully this doesn’t mean the same phone in different regional variants. e.g. C5-04/C5-03. Fingers crossed to that only a couple are S^1 and most are on S^3. In total, there would be 40-50 new models. (One of which being MeeGo N950).

New Symbian handsets on “GHz+” may be appearing. This was noted at MWC but also back in December when we heard of

• GHz+ handsets
• New Revamped UI (PR3.0)
• Dual Core Symbian Handsets
• True Zoom (possibly N8 successor)

And though Elop effectively made it seem like Symbian is on its death bed, more recently it has been communicated that Symbian will be used as long as it gives Nokia a profitable margin.

I really do not understand why the words chosen had to be “WP as primary smartphone platform” other than to make MS feel better about the partnership. Announcing the Nokia-MS WP partnership when you won’t have a handset for 12 months is like announcing a phone and making people wait 12 months for it. Why?! I thought that’s one of the first things we’re avoiding – the endless waiting?

I hope than when new Symbian handsets are released with up to date hardware and modern standard UI, people won’t be hindered by the perception that Symbian is “dead”.

Elop has already stated that his upper management WILL be held accountable – perhaps making sure that delays don’t happen. If Nokia cannot release a ready, polished and fantastic windows phone handset in 2011 I think accountable members of upper management should leave.

It has been FAR too long in Nokia’s record books that they constantly DELAY handsets. I’m not just talking about devices without release dates and so are technically aren’t delayed. Let’s be serious here. The competition is out there picking at your heels, no, chopping your legs, and you are still twiddling your thumbs! In the post on Friday showing what went wrong at Nokia – it suggested it was all basically management fault. Nothing wrong technically, just stupid idiots at the top hindering the talents. Consistency, Direction, Reliability and Innovation. If you don’t deliver, leave the frikkin company. Otherwise, you are bringing everyone else down.

DNAindia via BGR

Category: Nokia, Rant, Symbian, Windows Phone