“Nokia will unveil its first touch-screen phone next week in a direct challenge to Apple’s successful iPhone, two industry sources told Reuters on Friday,” Tarmo Virki reports for Reuters.
“LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and several smaller handset vendors have rolled out their own touch-screen phones over the last two years, while the first handset using Google’s Android platform will also have a touch screen,” Virki reports.
MacDailyNews Note: All “uni-touch,” not Multi-Touch™.
Virki continues, “Both sources said Nokia would unveil its new phone — code-named “Tube” — on Oct. 2 at an analyst and media event in London.”
MacDailyNews Note: Related:
• Analysts warn Nokia’s ‘Tube’ Apple iPhone lookalike could fail due to disappointing operating system – April 11, 2008
• The knockoff parade continues: Nokia exec shows Apple iPhone lookalike ‘Tube’; dismisses Apple – April 08, 2008
Virki continues, “‘The phone is extremely important,’ said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. ‘We have been waiting for the market leader to respond to Apple’s iPhone for a year and a half now. There is a lot of pressure on Nokia.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “JES42” for the heads up.]
“It’s the same old, same old in an iPhone-inspired wrapper… You can judge the distance behind and overall cluelessness of iPhone’s future roadkill by the amount they copy the iPhone’s exterior… This ceaseless quest to dress up antiques in Apple veneer is pathetic and sad… The question I’m left with for [all] of these companies rolling out imitation iPhones this year is: Exactly how stupid do you think your customers are?” – SteveJack, MacDailyNews, April 01, 2008
I’ll betcha it has copy and paste.
people are dumb. I expect them to buy this first and then buy the real thing afterwards. That’s how the iPod / mp3 market worked originally.
ooooh, it shows pictures in landscape.
wonder what the UI is like?
All these iPhone knock offs remind me of when the soviet union used to parade all those cardboard missles down the street.
This is like slapping a Mac sticker on a dull dumb box and telling the consumer it is the same or better. How stupid do these guys think people are?
“those cardboard missles”
Yeah, but lot’s of mannequins and crash test dummies were terrified.
If anyone can do an iPhone competitor right, it’s Nokia. I’m hoping this will not be so good, but it’s likely to be better than iPhone in at least some categories.
Nokia is famous for having better cameras in their phones and it will have a video camera as well. That alone will make the iPhone look stupid, and it will take Apple at least another year to upgrade it’s camera. Another factor is the market will be full of iPhone 3G users stuck with horrible two and three year contracts, and in my country at least, the cell providers will not let you just upgrade the handset a year into your three year contract.
If the UI on the new Nokia is as bad as the silly name, then iPhone will still be king, but maybe not.
Tube? as in Boob type? Fitting…
I want to say firstly I love Apple products, however i’m not a fan of the above poor journalism.
Firstly the above photo of the Tube was the prototype from back in April, Engadget has the release version on its site if your interested, no its not too dissimilar visually to the iphone still but then i do wonder from the front how are touch phones going to look wildly different.
Secondly MacDailyNews ignores every analyst report about Apple, dismissing them as Anal-ysts and idiots then when it suits them quotes analysts to diss a rival product, selective journalism.
Thirdly slating a phone that they clearly havent seen the final design of yet alone used is ridiculous, the sensible thing to have done would be wait for it to come out, and do a side comparison between the phones in an balanced manner, then I could of respected the MDN opinion.
Im not a Nokia fan boy, I own a Sony Ericsson k850i, because like most Europeans I value camera quality and MMS, Nokia built up its market share on phones that were easy to use no matter your technological ability as a result they have strong loyalty from customers so this phone will in all likelyhood be a wild success particularly if it has a better camera than the iphone and MMS.
Just re reading this article one last time, passing comment on a product 6 months before its release date? crazy
How do you think video is a benefit on a cell network?
Tube(Steak) phone.
Must be something “Lost in Translation.”
Nokia. The leading mobile phone maker having to break into the 21st century, lagging a competitor that arrived from left field?
I tell you, I would love to have the opportunity to go and question their executive board to hear their excuses…
Fire them.
“This ceaseless quest to dress up antiques in Apple veneer is pathetic and sad”
You can put lipstick on a pig, but….
Im in Europe, I dont an iphone but I bluetooth or e-mail video from my 3.5g handset every now and again, last week when my neice was born for example, I was able to quickly e-mail a clip of the newborn to my mother many miles away
When I saw the Police sing Roxanne on the Isle of Wight I recorded it somewhat illegally on my mobile and then bluetoothed it to my laptop when I got home from the weekend, I managed to capture a memory I otherwise wouldnt of
Its not meant for hardcore use, just off the whim because you carry your mobile with you anyway but dont take a video camera with you as an everyday gadget
so you have used the tube to know that its a pig yeah? Sure visually its looks like an Iphone – fair comment – what you cant comment on is what its like to use
Wow. A lot of spiteful sniveling hear. What gives? I’m pretty tired of hearing about every touch-screen phone being an iPhone knock-off. Fact is, the only way that a touchscreen phone would look different is if they made the surface circle shaped. Gimme a break. It’s like saying Apple ripped off Alexander Grahame Bell because the iPhone includes a speaker by the ear and a mic by the mouth. Or even that every car manufacturer has a Ford knock-off because Ford invented the automobile. Pathetic people.
Second, all I hear is 3 year-old tantrum crying when someone else launches a phone or a laptop or whatever. Blah blah blah. If people stuck to pros/cons about the devices instead of acting like my 10 year old cousin you might appear to have a semblance of intellect.
This site is shameful to Apple users and an utter embarrassment to the reports that indicate that Apple users have a higher intelligence level than PC users. This is the dredge of Apple-dom.
Nokia know how to sell phones. Take note Apple, ditch your exclusive monopoly/partnerships!
@Brit,
I’m a Brit and I’m ashamed to be associated with you.
You value camera quality, and you seek quality in a mobile phone camera????
Learn English, in context above it is ‘you’re’ NOT ‘your’.
Your defence of European mediocrity and lack of innovation is lost on me.
Goodbye Brit.
Alcazar, by age 7 you should know the difference between hear and here.
I hope it runs Windows Mobile. If it does, it’s game, set & match. Buh-bye Apple.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Yawn. Is anyone else tired of hearing about <Insert Apple Product> “Killers” before the product is even released? As of right now, all we have is another “Me 2” product.
Peace.
There are a few things to say about your post, firstly that prior to Iphone, the competition to Nokia hasn’t been strong enough and the focus has been on camera quality and size/weight across the board, Nokia innovated in the areas the competition was driving them to improve in, Apple’s arrival signalled the start of the change from phone to handheld computing device, a situation Apple had/have the necessary skills to take advantage of so hardly left field. They have experience in developing computers and handheld devices so producing an Iphone was a natural progression. Nokia had no reason prior to Apples arrival to innovate at such a pace.
Competition is a good thing, Microsofts storage capacity on the Zunes made Apple increase nano storage, hopefully the Tube will provide improvements that Apple will need to match and improve on, People saying that they hope the Tube is crap is stupid, if Nokia improve on the Iphone then Apple will be driven to act and the consumer will be the winner.
If you have an iPhone you are part of the awesome collective orgy. If you have Nokia or Rim, you are a masturbator in your own little world. That was easy.
The iPhone represents beautifully-executed, bleeding-edge technology wrapped in an impeccably stylish package. Mobile device makers can’t compete with that combination by simply copying the package! What is missing from every iPhone-wannabe so far is the iPhone’s elegant, surprisingly easy-to-use interface. All the gee-whiz features that the iPhone also brings to the party are just icing on the cake. Competition is a good thing. Bring it on!
Again I say…Bravo! LOL