To suggest Nokia's position in regards to Symbian has been up and down since it announced its support for Windows Phone 7 is putting it lightly.
Critics have suggested it's evidence of internal divisions within the company: the idea being that scores of employees are unhappy with the Finnish firm's strategic alliance with Microsoft.
More credible, however, is the view that Nokia is simply uncomfortable distancing itself from the platform it help built up, given it will continue to generate most of the company's revenue until 2012 at the earliest.
Sticking by Symbian?
News that CEO Stephen Elop has pledged support for Symbian until 2016 is yet further evidence of the company's fragmented position.
While such a soundbite suggests Nokia has gone back on its decision to scale down Symbian hardware releases in the near future, it is in fact a simple promise that updates to the OS will continue to be pushed out.
"We're in a period where the investment in Symbian absolutely continues," Elop told Nokia Conversations.
"Even as we go through a transition towards our primary smartphone platform, Windows Phone, you will see that continued investment.
"And I know there's been questions about so how long does that continue and we've now been very clear about that, that software updates to Symbian devices are expected until at least 2016. So there's a long history still to be paved for Symbian in the future."
Elop confirmed that customer support and Nokia's apps on Symbian will also remain in service over the next five years.
[source: ZDNet]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Related Articles
Top Stories
Feature
Apr 25th, 2024
"Gaming in MENA is just starting. Investment will bring more attention to the region and create more opportunities"
Feature
Apr 24th, 2024
48 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Events
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
Popular Stories
News
Apr 23rd, 2024
Supercell’s Squad Busters soft launches today with over 100,000 Google Play downloads
Feature
Apr 24th, 2024