“Nokia smartphones are poised for a comeback after former managers at the Finnish company licensed the handset brand from Microsoft and struck up partnerships with Google and phone manufacturer Foxconn,” Eric Auchard and Jussi Rosendahl report for Reuters.
“HMD Global, led by Nokia veteran Arto Nummela, wants to launch its first Nokia smartphone in the early part of next year using Google’s Android operating system. Success will require a dash for scale by stealing business from Apple, Samsung and dozens of other players in a cut-throat industry,” Auchard and Rosendahl report. “‘Consumers may be carrying different smartphones now, but are they really in love and loyal to those brands?’ said Nummela in an interview.”
MacDailyNews Take: To Apple, yes, they most certainly are.
“HMD on Thursday took over the feature phone business that Nokia Corp sold to Microsoft. It has a licensing deal with Nokia giving it sole use of the brand on mobile phones and tablets for the next decade. It will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents, but Nokia has no direct investment in HMD.,” Auchard and Rosendahl report. “HMD is building its smartphone operating system in partnership with Google and all its Nokia devices will be manufactured by Foxconn of Taiwan, the world’s largest contract manufacturer.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Pfft.
Apple’s iPhone is a “niche product.” — Nokia’s then-CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, April 17, 2008
Olli-Pekka is currently “spending time with his family.”
SEE ALSO:
Apple reaps 106% of smartphone industry profits – November 21, 2016
iPhone roadkill: Nokia’s last site in Finland shuttered – July 9, 2015
Beleaguered Microsoft axes up to 7,800 employees, writes off $7.6 billion from Nokia deal – July 8, 2015
Palm CEO: ‘We don’t want to follow design fads’; Nokia CEO challenges Apple over iPhone – February 13, 2007
Is Apple building ‘The Device?’ [revisited] – January 09, 2007
Is Apple building ‘The Device?’ – December 10, 2002
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]