Here’s what a platform jump looks like:
The devil is in the details. Although there was great excitement among investors at the prospect of platform agnosticism, the reality of the press releases shows that Nokia may have some significant short term pain.
First problem is that Symbian phones have become feature phones. They have zero platform value and will therefore have no opportunity for premium pricing. This is a risk to the bottom line.
Second problem is that we don’t have any indication when any competitive WP7 phones will ship. It could be years for the “catalytic” effect of a new ecosystem. As observers of Microsoft press-release-ware will note, these types of “strategic relationships” don’t pan out half the time.
Third problem is that the organization does not look all that different. One or two executives changed seats and one is gone, but this is not a new dream team.
Fourth problem is that there is no clarity on any long term win for Nokia. Maps licensing seems like the only possible new source of revenue and a minor one at that. What competitive advantage did Nokia just gain? Is there any advantage Nokia has over any other licensee of Windows Phone?
Perhaps management will address these issues, but strategy takes a long time to bear fruit and the new announcement doesn’t have any short term wins.