Comment by tomxor
2 years ago
> In a sense Nokia was (organizationally) victim of its own success. During the dumb phone and feature phone era Nokia did everything better than others. Everything from the supply chain management, to the phone design and manufacturing worked so well.
They are still the best, Nokia "dumb" phones feel a bit like the f91 Casio watch... but just like those watches, they aren't as popular as they once were.
For people who want a no bullshit, inexpensive, bulletproof, practical phone that lasts and isn't horrible to use, Nokia is still the best. But without competing with smartphones Nokias only other option was to downsize, because as great as they are dumb phones are no longer popular enough - so as you say they were a victim of their own success, they reached a size that was unsustainable in the face of what was to come.
I think Nokia had a third choice: Explore new market segments.
Personally, I want a smartphone along the lines of traditional Nokia phones: Big and tough. I'm glad to have something double the thickness of a normal phone, but:
- The screen shouldn't crack if you squint at it funny (bezel is fine)
- The battery should last a week (double, or more, the thickness of modern smartphones is fine)
- The cell coverage should be spectacular. Again, thickness means more space for antennas.
- It should have good cameras, at least 1080 resolution
- Standard plugs and jacks (USB-C, headphone, SD, dual SIM, etc.)
- Ideally, software updates forever, as stock Android / open source as possible, as little tracking as possible, etc.
- Ideally, stylus (with built-in storage)
- Good security, app sandboxing, no data collection, no cloud sketchiness, reasonable ToS
I think there are a lot of corporate segments as well. Increasing size should also cut down on NREs and allow more modularity, making it easier to make niche devices. I think there are enough markets to have a diversity of devices if NREs can be brought in-line.
Such a device would be expensive to manufacture and appeal to only a niche market. Rugged Android phones are available but don't sell well. Most people just buy a regular Samsung and put a case on it.