News

Nokia pledges support to Symbian's 'long tail'

Platform will remain profitable for some time to come

Nokia pledges support to Symbian's 'long tail'
There can be few who envy Nokia's position right now.

Slammed by analysts for years for sticking with Symbian while the competition moved in on all sides, the Finnish giant's decision to support Windows Phone 7 has angered just as many as it appeased.

As such, Nokia finds itself having to prepare its business for its forthcoming allegiance with Microsoft without alienating those currently involved with Symbian.

Standing by Symbian

Though its longterm future is in doubt, Symbian will continue to drive revenue at Nokia until the first WP7 handset hits the shelves, leading CFO Timo Ihamuotila to put out reassuring statements as to Nokia's relationship with the OS.

"We will of course utilise the long tail of Symbian as long as it gives us a profitable margin," Ihamuotila told those at a technology conference held by UBS.

Ihamuotila also pointed to examples of phone platforms enjoying longer tails than expected in the past.

However, while Ihamuotila admitted Nokia is yet to sign off the deal with Microsoft – the Finnish firm expected topocket $1 billion for its support – it's hard to see Symbian surviving all too long once the company's attentions turn to WP7 towards the end of 2011.

[source: Reuters]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.