Jo Harlow: More difficult to continue with Symbian, easier to go Windows Phone

In February 2010, post MeeGo announcement, Nokia was still very much Pro Symbian. Jo did openly mention that at that point, MeeGo could NOT replace Symbian (in context of mass market) but had the possibility to (not just at high end), ““Maybe in the future MeeGo can replace Symbian, but not now….How quickly could MeeGo replace Symbian? It’s a lot longer until that will happen.”

Later in November, Jo tells about Nokia’s commitment to Symbian, and had a post at Nokia Conversations called “Long Live Symbian”.

Was Jo actually hinting at Symbian’s death?  “the king is dead, long live the king”

Now we kind of know that Symbian has a “shelf life”. 150m more to come. Though Nokia officials have said they would ride the long tail as long as it remains profitable (or words to that effect).

Now in speaking with FT.com Jo Harlow has apparently said:

“The easier task is to start Windows Phone from a fresh perspective, but the more difficult task is to continue to operate Symbian.”

There we go. Why Nokia didn’t just fix Symbian and stay with Qt. Too much work to continue with Symbian than go a new with Windows Phone? It’s easier, but is it the right choice?*  I think going Windows Phone may have been the most difficult decision for Nokians, but in the long run may be, pragmatically, the best one. It better damn well be. Think amputation.(update, @msjen tweets: The easy path usually leads to destruction or dissipation. I fear that the exces are telling themselves what they want to hear.)

Apparently, several analysts apparently reckon Nokia can make the 150m mark, but some think Nokia may have to drop prices.

Elop later apparently mentioned Nokia giving a turbo boost to basic phones as part of their next billion strategy.

FT.com via wmpoweruser

Category: Symbian