“Details of Nokia Corp.’s upcoming riposte to Apple Inc.’s iPhone are beginning to emerge, but analysts cautioned that while the touch-screen gadget is bound to look snazzy, its operating system could disappoint,” Aude Lagorce reports for MarketWatch.
MacDailyNews Take: It’ll look “snazzy” only because it’s a freaking direct knockoff of Apple’s iPhone exterior. Nokia should be ashamed, but this is what they do when they’re years behind; they dress up what they have in a fake iPhone case and try to dupe the ignorant.
Lagorce continues, “Nokia this week teased industry observers with a slide showing the phone, code-named the ‘tube,’ at the Evans Data Developer Conference in Redwood City, Calif. Yet a Nokia spokesman declined to give a precise date for the launch, only saying it would happen in the second half of the year.”
“‘The iPhone had a seismic impact on the industry,’ said Ben Wood, an analyst at U.K. telecoms consultancy CSS Insight,” Lagorce reports. “‘From the day it was released, every other phone out there became disappointing,” he said. “Unless Nokia’s product is amazingly good, they’d better not come out with anything.'”
“When Nokia’s first touch-screen phone eventually comes out, looks will be important, but software is what could make the difference between success and failure,” Lagorce reports. “Richard Windsor, of Nomura International, said that when he tested the latest version of the S60 operating system, understood to be the software the Nokia touch phone will run on, he was ‘deeply unimpressed.'”
“‘While the device looks great, we think that the software that runs it could easily end up being a massive disappointment,’ he said,” Lagorce reports.
“Carolina Milanesi, research director in the mobile device practice of Gartner, also had doubts. She believes the S60 operating system will only allow users to use one finger at a time when giving commands on the touch screen. In comparison, the iPhone’s interface is “multi touch,” meaning it can respond to the use of several digits simultaneously,” Lagorce reports. “Other analysts also predicted a difficult start for Nokia’s first direct response to the iPhone.”
Full article here.
It’s blood will be dripping from the iPhone’s multi-touch pad!
Yet another original competitor.
How sad.
“From the day it (iPhone) was released, every other phone out there became disappointing”. That kind of says it all…
Seems like every friggin phone company is just sending their existing phone to the chrome factory, errr the iPhone copy factory. Don’t they get it that a turd is still a turd even if you chrome plate it?
The old saying of “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” could be well adopted to the cell phone industry with minor changes. “If you don’t have a competant iPhone competitor, don’t release anything at all”
Gee thanks, Nokia!
When people are disappointed in how your iPhone lookalike does not function, many people will associate your phone with the iPhone. (after all, looks are what matter, right?)
speaking as a Nokia user in an area that does not have AT&T;
Damn the thing isn’t released yet and people are predicting that it will die a horrible death. They are right though. The iPhone isn’t the first touch screen phone. it isn’t the first full web browser either.
It is the first intergrated touch screen phone that allows practical web browsing on a small screen.
someday electronic companies will realize software matters as much as hardware. But not before the iphone spills a lot more blood.
A short year ago this June the iPhone was being compared to the entire cell phone industry. My, how the tables have turned. The entire cell phone industry is now being compared to the iPhone as the gold standard… and none of the other products even come close!
I want them to keep spending money and at least attempting to compete though, I would not like Apple to have any reason to rest on their multi-touch pad.
Actually i saw the pics of the nokia phone and i was highly unimpressed, it not multitouch, looks almost like a direct copy of the iPhone and this website says that its almost double the thickness of the iPhone. the website is: http://techztalk.com/techwebsite/node/490
currently the iphone has the operating system and the nokia’s/sonys have the rest of the technology like 3g, gps, a decent camera etc etc
I do not think that multi-touch is such a big deal. I rarely use multi-touch on my iphone. Hardly ever, actually. The real advantages are that iPhone makes it easy for me to do what I want, quickly and obviously. Such as adding two calls into a conference call. Or knowing exactly what is going to happen when I put one call on hold and answer a “beeped in” call. Or an obvious notification that I missed a call or sms. Or which icon means what. Or that I will not be charged for clicking on the internet icon. Or many other simple things that other phones have dreadfully wrong.
MDNMW race, as in getting out of the rat race.
“a real American only needs one finger” Al Bundy
It’s OS X/iPhoneOS, that gives the iPhone greatness. No company could match that.
@kenh
Don’t worry. People won’t make that mistake. When I was younger, I knew the difference between Transformers (iPhone) and GoBots (Nokia).
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I love this quote from the artiicle: “He added Nokia is likely taking its time because of its “obsession with reliability and durability.”
It’s likely that N is taking its time because its nearly impossible to achieve and iPhone 2.0 will raise the bar another 100 notches in June. AAND Nokia probably won’t even try to deliver until close to the end of the year. The iPhone will have so much incredible software available by then it will be completely unreachable!
You think….!
‘Lipstick on a pig’ comes to mind.
So if we’re generous, in just over 2 months they’ll be releasing something that is likely to be deeply disappointing in relation to the iPhone. A first attempt product from a company entirely new to that market. Wow, even if you aren’t trying, that’s crap.
I think that multi-touch is a big deal. I use multi-touch on my iPhone all the time. Many times a day. It’s especially handy for enlarging and reducing maps, web pages and photos for detail or to quickly zoom in on a particular section. YMMV.
@macca,
When the iPhone hardware is capable of GPS, 3G, etc., updating the software to match will be trivial. Apple and the jailbreakers / hackers have demonstrated that very often recently.
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TubeBad
sorry was just pointing out that whilst the os is ahead of the game, that some of the iphone arcitecture is playing catch up, i mean i had a phone with a 2mp camera (no flash) in 2005
we shouldnt judge a phone before we have even used it, after we have and a general consensus has been reached fair enough, its unlikely but the os may surprise us
Old racers term for a non-competitive competitor….
” If it don’t go…..Chrome it!”
Here’s one for those that get out of a business due to not being good at it! But still give “Expert Advice”
“Those that can…..do!
Those that can’t……… teach (or work at Home Depot)”
Nokia and Blackberry’s new iPhone lookalike phones simply say it all…they are in the M$ camp-fire chord players and they can’t play any lead licks.
Generic, generic, generic…at least dress up your outer case or something…come up with a color…put a button somewhere…just do something.
We all know the saying: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
A lot of people in a lot of companies must think the iPhone is the best thing ever — they can’t stop copying it!
<< “Apple has set the bar so high that any competing device will almost inevitably fail at its first attempt,” CSS Insight’s Wood said. >>
Yes indeed.
Not bad for a device that has no keyboard… huh monkeyboy
I really like my iPhone, soon, it will be the old model. Nokia attempt to compete with the iPhone, however good the software could be, would only be competing against LAST YEARS offering.
SDK is out, so now starts the catch-up game. Apple has OS X, what do the others have to offer? Apple is at the very least 3 years ahead of the game, and this is being generous. They also have patents all over the touch screen and every other aspect of what makes the iPhone the iPhone. Good luck Nokia.
how is a full screen touch mobile phone going to look vastly different from the front side?
the iphone design and os are great and yes the os is 3 years ahead of the game, however i agree with the sentiments that some of the hardware on the iphone is 2 to 3 years behind its competitors currently which perhaps doesnt matter in the US so much as they are playing catch up as far as mobile technology goes with europe and japan, but the iphone hasnt sold in europe at all well and the iphones weak links are the reason why
I am tired of all this talk about more megapixels. They really don’t make a difference when the lens is so tiny. Apple maximized the camera to match the lens – after all it is a phone not a camera. It does work quite well when you need a quick snapshot of something. Also with more megapixels that would require a lot more data to send out an email with the photo attached because most people have no clue how to reduce the size of a pic to email.
actually the cameras on new phones are very good with auto focus, flash and carl zeiss lenses and many people in europe make everyday use from their cameras, im always going to remember my phone when im out but i dont really want to carry round a camera. Most people I know over here are put off by the iphones camera amongst other things (lack of 3g).
the iphone is not just a phone, its a smartphone and as such you compare it to other smartphones in the market and its camera doesnt compare well.
The size of the camera file wouldnt be such an issue if the iphone had 3g rather than edge though hey!
So while I’m not in a market for a new phone at the moment, I have to ask:
What does everyone think phone manufacturers are going to do? Just give up, lay off the entire company, and fold? Apple has arguably the best phone available right now. That’s not necessarily permanent. Besides, competition is a good thing- it drives innovation and drives down costs for the rest of us. Or do all of you honestly believe that if Apple had no competition that they’d still deliver good products like they do? Just take one look at Microsoft. They essentially owned the OS market, and look where they ended up. Basically no innovation, horrible security, and high expense. Do you folks really want Apple to end up like that?
i have been looking at the hardware specs for the nokia n96 and its quite impressive
http://www.iphonekiller.com/2008/02/11/nokia-n96/
i want this phone with the apple os!!!
Size of the file does matter to the cell phone company as you are using their bandwidth regardless of 2.5G or 3G. I agree that 3G is big for Europe but in the US 3G is still quite sparse – I have a 3G wireless card for my MacBook Pro that spends most of it’s time in either 2G or 2.5G so many people will see no speed increase from 3G in the US – Boy when the 3G phone comes out I will wish i lived in Europe.
why do i care about the cell company exactly?
im led to believe in the uk that 3g has 96 percent population coverage (not to be confused with area coverage), we have near enough non existent public wi-fi though
I understand people in the US not being bothered about the iphone version 2 having 3g or not but without it the iphone is simply not going to sell in any numbers in europe or japan, i was frustrated using an iphone over edge as im used to 3g and on my newest phone 3.5g and could only use wifi in my own house (where i may as well of used my laptop)
for us brits its like being used to broadband and having to go back to dial up
wow i just read that on many mobile phones (cell phones) in the US you pay per minute to receive calls too? ouch how is your market so far behind?
o rly? gee, who would have thought?
Hey, n96, did you have a look at the price of that thing $800!!!!
And everybody said the iPhone was expensive when it first came out.
im just calling myself this again so i can be recognised, im not a nokia lover or anything
im another brit, so i would be able to get a nokia N96 for free (subsidised by by my network operator) whereas the iphone is pretty much the only contract mobile phone (cell to the yanks) that isnt subsidised over here, in fact the 16gb iphone costs the equivalent of $650 over here (£329) and not only that id have my choice of operator and access to better per month price plans.
makes me wonder as mentioned above by other brits, if the US had 3g and our subsidised phones whether the current iphone would of been a success, the product needs to be extra compelling compared to rivals to make up for the fact that you have to pay for it upfront when you dont for rivals
Disappointing OS? I think it’s simply going to fail because it’s an obvious knock-off and a lame one at that.
The market for phones will shake out the same way music players has – people who use iPhones and people who carry something else.
@ my tuppence worth
The US is reaping the benefits of a decade of deregulation where the providers promised to get us ahead of the rest in exchange for the lack of regulation. See how well that worked?
Here is supposedly a pic of the knockoff – http://taiwan.cnet.com/crave/0,2000088746,20128591,00.htm
I really wonder what it takes to be a top exec there in these phone co. and MS. So all the *new* phones will look like the original iPhone, while the new iPhone will again stand out with a killer new design. What are they thinking (not)?
“Looking like” an iPhone doesn’t mean much if it won’t work like one.
I examined 10 factors that put Apple in an unassailable position in the mobile platform wars and reviewed the weaknesses of iPhone competitors in:
Who can beat iPhone 2.0?
@rip ragged
the nokia tube will sell in big quantites, why?, in a number of other countries other than the US the phone will be free initially(subsidised by the network operator) whereas the iphone will cost upfront. To convince people to pay the extra (particularly in a period of recesssion) the product will need to be much more compelling than it is currently.
In the US where you have to pay upfront for both phones, the iphone may well race away, but what will happen if the US market evolves the way the european one did and sprint start offering subsidised n96’s or tubes?
http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/04/12/nokia-tube-is-not-the-brands-flagship-handset-thats-coming-shortly-after/
Since Nokia hasn’t released their product how can these anal-ists offer an objective assessment? The Apple fanbois at MDN who purport to decry FUD with religious extremism are the same people who fling their opinions like apes throwing their dung.
Tube? As in, down the “tube.”
totally agree with you
These other companies trying to compete with Apple have learnt nothing from the ipod wars.
@MDN
Id be careful to say Nokia are years behind when the iphone is itself years behind by being stuck pre 3g, id like to see more honest, balanced and less hysterical viewpoints on here.
The iphone version 1 is a great starting point for apple, but elements of the phone are stuck in 2005, the phone hasnt sold in europe for this reason and version 1 is unlaunchable in Japan. Read the following snippet from an article dated January 2007
Steve Jobs’ – “iPhone in Asia – 2008”. Now I don’t want to be the one saying this because I’m a total Apple fanboy but did Apple R&D;and marketing not clue Jobs in on cellular tech in Asia?
For people in America, the iPhone is a major advancement in hardware and cellular tech. Let’s forget about the fact that it doesn’t have 3G mostly because America’s 3G network is spotty and shoddy to say the least. Simply put, the infrastructure isn’t there yet. The iPhone seems to be the holy grail between hardware and software design. The UI is deceptively simple and that’s how phones should be right? But is this enough for Asia, specifically Japan? The short answer is no.
Japan’s cellular tech is about a generation and a half ahead of America. Yes in case you didn’t know, 3G is already widespread there and has been for many many years. In fact, the country is currently testing their next-gen cellular network which I’ll just call 4G. All this while America is still hobbling along at 2G.
I spoke to my Japanese friend and asked him what he thought about the iPhone. Most people in America love it. Most of the press are enamored. To preface, Claude is a 27 y.o. Japanese male I met in my college days. He lives right outside Tokyo working as a textile designer. He thinks the iPhone is super sexy. To him, it doesn’t look like any other phone out there. He loves how slim it is and is completely smitten with the multi-touch interface, but when asked if he’d give up his Sharp branded phone; he says no.
I will leave the article there………
Basically in countries where the mobile phone market is more advanced than america, people want 3.5g, they want gps, they want a 5mp camera with auto focus and flash so they can upload to facebook et al, they want mms
back to the article for a description of a phone launched in Japan back in January time 2007
He says he has his eye on the Sony Ericsson SO903iTV which is a super slim phone with a 3″ Sony Bravia widescreen display, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera, software to pause, skip, record live TV!, GPS navigation, and Felica cashless electronic payment system.
This was 15 months ago, i havent even looked to see how their phones have developed since then