Microsoft had previously told us that Windows Phone 8 will be out this fall, but Mary Jo Foley at ZDnet is reporting some new dates, including one for WP8: The OS will go to manufacturers in September, and devices will be available to the general public in November. So maybe hold off on getting a Windows Phone until then, yeah? [ZDnet] More »
Yesterday Microsoft announced that Windows 8 will be arriving on October 26th, but what about Windows Phone 8? Well, according to ZDNet’s sources, Windows Phone 8 handsets will be released in November later this year. The Windows 8 RTM is said to reach manufacturers in September, so by then we should start seeing more leaks of some upcoming Windows 8 devices (hooray!). We’re not sure why Microsoft isn’t releasing Windows Phone 8 at the same time as Windows 8 but chances are – there’s still a lot of work to be done. Also, Microsoft could be planning a separate release so that each operating system would get more focus instead of both of them sharing the limelight. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether these rumors pan out.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows Phone 8 goes RTM in September and Devices will come in November, Windows Phone 8 devices to be available later this year?,
While we’ve had rumors of an Acer Windows Phone 8 device a few months ago (the Acer W11), it looks like the device won’t be here anytime soon – if it’s even arriving at all. However, we do know that Acer is committed to producing Windows 8 devices and it’s only a question of when. Well, according to reports online, Acer will only be releasing them in the second half of 2013. No idea why Acer plans to hold out that long before they start releasing the devices, but it looks like they could be missing out on potential sales in the beginning. Then again, waiting for Windows Phone 8 to settle down and iron out all its issues (if it has any) could be a good idea too. Acer also has tablets and PCs to worry about, so it shouldn’t be too big of a problem if it doesn’t release Windows Phone 8 devices early. What do you think?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Acer W11 QWERTY Windows Phone 8 handset rumored for a Fall release, Acer Iconia Tab A110 clears the FCC,
It’s been quite a morning for Nokia. Analyst and market expectations for the struggling Finnish company weren’t exactly positive, but while some of the news was as dire as predicted, there were gems amidst the rough. After the cut, diving operating losses, millions of Lumia Windows Phones, and a giggling Elop playing his cards close to his chest.
The two headline numbers are sales and losses. Nokia sold four million Lumia handsets in the three month period, the company confirmed, roughly double its sales for the previous quarter, and beating pre-news estimates. However, operating losses reached a whopping $1bn, despite net sales rising slightly.
Phone volumes altogether rose in fact, though only 600,000 handsets were sold in North America. €250m of Nokia’s income was straight out of Microsoft’s wallet, comfortably exceeding what Nokia is obligated to pay for Windows Phone licensing, though even that isn’t enough to promise a good Q3 2012.
So what’s in the pipeline? Elop was coy on specifics but enthusiastic in general about future Lumia handsets, saying the company was readying an array of new materials and technologies for its next-gen Lumias (and the range after that). The run-up to Windows Phone 8 has also given the company the time to prepare more differentiation between its devices and those of other Windows Phone OEMs, and Elop says we’ll see evidence of that in advanced location-based services that make Nokia the “Where” company.
What we might not see is a cross-carrier splurge of the sort common in Europe. Elop revealed that, contrary to popular belief that broader distribution means more sales, Nokia had in fact seen better returns focusing on a single carrier in the manner of the Lumia 900 on AT&T, instead of spreading its love across multiple carriers.
Nokia is counting on the double-whammy of Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 to reinvigorate interest in the platform and give Lumia a boost (Elop didn’t mention tablets, though did hint that Nokia might be looking at the possibility). However there are a few more rough months to come before the “transition” period is over.
Nokia Q2 2012 wrap-up: Transition seldom hurt so bad is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nokia’s Q2 2012 financial results are a difficult mixture of hope – twice as many Windows Phone sales as Q1 – and misery – a $1bn operating loss – but one thing was conspicuous by its absence: a tablet. The Finnish company is still in “transition” mode, senior execs reminded us, with the promise of next-gen Microsoft OSes just around the corner to shake up the Android and iOS battle once more. However, Nokia’s complete absence of a visible tablet strategy went unchallenged.
Previous risk assessments from Nokia suggested the company’s lack of a footprint in both smartphones and tablets was a significant issue moving forward, especially given Apple’s successes with the iPhone and iPad, and Android’s proliferation across both form-factors. However there’s still no movement in form-factor expansion from the company.
That’s not to say there weren’t some hints along the way. “We expect the launch of Windows 8 for tablets and PCS, and Windows Phone 8, to be a catalyst for Lumia” Elop said during the financial results call Q&A. Note, that’s “Lumia” in general, not specifically “Lumia phones”; that could be the abbreviation of a CEO busy talking a lot about a narrow topic, or it could be the first signs of a Lumia brand expanding to encompass devices larger than simple handsets.
Cross-platform software development was one of Microsoft’s most emphasized advantages for Windows Phone 8, sharing the same underlying kernel as Windows 8 for PCs and tablets. As it stands, Nokia is only really poised to appreciate part of that advantage; in fact, with the company’s navigation services crossing over to all Windows Phones come v.8, Nokia’s individual value-add could be diluted even further than it stands today.
Back in April 2011, Elop talked about holding off from tablets until there was something “uniquely Nokia” that the company could bring to the slate marketplace. The window for opportunity is fast approaching on that, however, and Nokia needs to get into the game lest rivals like Samsung steal its thunder with tightly-integrated Windows Phones and Windows tablets.
Where’s Nokia’s tablet strategy? is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nokia is still taking its lumps in earnings, but CEO Stephen Elop has an idea as to how the troubled phone giant can carve out its slice of the smartphone market: like a real estate agent, it’s all about location, location, location. As he outlined in the company’s fiscal results call, the aim is to make Nokia the “where?” company — the go-to for location-based services, whether it’s Drive, Transport or anything else that locks in on our whereabouts. Facebook and Google are the “who?” and “what?” companies, Elop says. He also imagines that his own firm “could be a leader” in sensors as a whole, tracking subtler cues like the owner’s pulse rate. Whether or not Nokia puts itself in front through positioning, the executive gave a small tease of the future during the call — the next wave of Lumia phones will have “more differentiation,” and both Windows Phone 7.8 as well as Windows Phone 8 will make their way to budget Nokia hardware.
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia wants to become the ‘where?’ company, Lumias to become sensor masters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nokia‘s next-gen Lumia handsets could see a significant departure from the design, functionality and approach of current models, CEO Stephen Elop has teased, with the company preparing strong differentiators for WP8. “As you see the next wave and the wave after that of Lumia products you’ll seen an increase in differentiations” Elop said during the Nokia Q2 2012 financial results call today. However, don’t expect to see every new Nokia available through every carrier out there.
Elop blamed a lack of time in shifting to Windows Phone 7 initially for the limited differentiation seen so far. Although the Lumia 800 and 900 use a distinctive polycabonate unibody chassis, that was borrowed from existing work on the MeeGo-powered N9. ”We’ve had more time to go beyond that as we go into future releases” Elop suggested.
What that differentiation might be is not specified, but Nokia’s chief exec had already set out his strategy for following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook. Nokia will reinvent itself as the “Where” company Elop said, pushing development of location-based services and systems that tie into the various sensors included on each smartphone. “The mobile device will become the nucleus for collecting real-time data from sensors” Elop predicted.
So far, Nokia’s differentiators have been generally limited to apps. The company includes Nokia Music, a free streaming radio service with a customizable “Mix Radio” feature, and Nokia Drive, which offers unlimited turn-by-turn navigation. There’s also Nokia Transport, which does something similar for public transportation.
As for carrier partners, Elop revealed that Nokia would be using specific carrier targeting for the next Lumias, based on the success of US sales. The broad focus across multiple carriers in Europe wasn’t, in fact, as successful as the more specific focus on AT&T with the Lumia 900 in the US, he argued, despite the fact that Nokia sold just 600,000 devices in North America last quarter.
Nokia WP8 phones will ramp up differentiation but trim down carriers is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nokia will invest in new materials and new technologies for upcoming Windows Phones, targeting higher-priced handsets as well as more affordable models to broaden Lumia’s appeal. “It takes a tremendous amount of work to break through as the third ecosystem” CEO Stephen Elop said on Nokia’s financial results call today, after announcing a $1bn operating loss for Q2 2012, but was confident that Microsoft’s announcement of Windows Phone 8 – and limited upgrade potential for existing Lumia devices – would not necessarily ruin Nokia’s Q3.
Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 last month, outlining the new smartphone OS’ shared kernel with Windows 8, but also confirming that any current Window Phone 7.x device would not get an upgrade. Instead, they’ll have to make do with Windows Phone 7.8, a halfway-house of UI tweaks that makes the current platform look like WP8 but lacks the underlying technologies.
However, Nokia believes that will not necessarily be a drawback. “What we’re very focused on communicating right now is that existing owners – and people who buy devices tomorrow – will be very clear what they’re getting from Windows Phone 8″ Elop said in response to questions as to users might be confused. In fact, the company has seen activation of Lumia handsets as being ”stable to up” in the period after Windows Phone 8 was announced.
“We have to carefully communicate, the updates and upgrades we are providing for the existing devices are anticipated not just up to Windows Phone 8 but after Windows Phone 8 ships” Elop conceded. “We will continue to sell existing Lumia devices beyond Windows Phone 8, in some cases for quite a while. We’re working very closely with developers … to ensure application development flow continues across the platforms.”
Nokia’s estimates for Q3 are roughly in line with those of Q2, though plus-or-minus 4-percent. That relatively broad range, Elop explained, is because of the degree of uncertainty around how Windows Phone 7 will be impacted by the new incoming version.
Nokia: We’re committed to new materials, new tech, and supporting existing owners is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nokia is hoping to follow Google and Facebook in cornering the market in speciality services, with CEO Stephen Elop revealing that the company’s “aim is to become the ‘Where?” company.” Just as Google became the go-to place for “What?” and Facebook for “Who?”, Nokia will look to use the growing importance of the smartphone as a hub for location-based services.
“The mobile device will become the nucleus for collecting real-time data from sensors” Elop explained. Handsets that can capture location, orientation, speed and even pulse rate from their integrated sensor arrays, along with tracking social media preferences – our likes and dislikes.
“We could be a leader” in this new direction of services, Elop argues, pointing to the increasing closeness between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. “We expect the launch of Windows 8 for tablets and PCs, and Windows Phone 8, to be a catalyst for Lumia” Elop says.
Exactly what those location-based services might take the form of is unclear. Nokia has already taken advantage of its NAVTEQ technology to develop apps like Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport for Windows Phone, but the contextual integration is a new direction.
That’s not to say it’s a direction Nokia has no experience in. The company showed off a so-called Linked Internet UI system back in 2009, which used pattern tracking and location to aggregate content dispersed across across multiple services. It’s a strategy similar to what Google has done with Google Now in Android Jelly Bean; more details in the concept video:
Nokia Linked Internet UI:
Nokia’s Elop: “Our aim is to become the ‘Where’ company” is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft continues to pay Nokia more to use Windows Phone than the struggling Finnish firm pays in software royalty fees, its been confirmed, though Nokia still predicts similar struggles in the next quarter. As in previous quarters, Nokia is paid €250m ($307m) each three month period by Microsoft in “platform support payments” and the Finns estimate that “the total amount of the platform support payments is expected to slightly exceed the total amount of the minimum software royalty commitments.”
“Our agreement with Microsoft includes platform support payments from Microsoft to us as well as software royalty payments from us to Microsoft. In the second quarter 2012, we received a quarterly platform support payment of USD 250 million (approximately EUR 196 million). Under the terms of the agreement governing the platform support payments, the amount of each quarterly platform support payment is USD 250 million. We have a competitive software royalty structure, which includes annual minimum software royalty commitments. Minimum software royalty commitments are paid quarterly. Over the life of the agreement, both the platform support payments and the minimum software royalty commitments are expected to measure in the billions of US dollars. The total amount of the platform support payments is expected to slightly exceed the total amount of the minimum software royalty commitments. In accordance with the contract terms, the platform support payments and annual minimum software royalty commitment payments continue for a corresponding period of time” Nokia
Nokia and Microsoft have always been coy on exactly how much is charged of each OEM to use Windows Phone devices, but the takeaway here is that right now it’s not costing Nokia anything to put the platform on its handsets. In fact, Microsoft is in effect subsidizing Nokia’s losses.
As for the immediate future, Windows Phone 8 won’t arrive soon enough to turn around Q3 2012. Nokia is predicting a similar batch of numbers to what it announced today, with Q3 expected to be roughly on a par with Q2′s performance give or take 4-percent.
What could make a difference is if Lumia Windows Phone sales continue to rise at the same pace. Nokia announced shipments of 2m handsets in Q1 2012, and 4m in Q2, so the platform is certainly going in the right direction; unfortunately for the company’s bottom line, that success was offset significantly by losses in all divisions – including NAVTEQ and other services – and the continued dwindling of interest in Symbian phones.
However, the fact that current Lumia handsets won’t get an upgrade to Windows Phone 8 may well scupper the rise in interest, if the mass market figures out that it’s buying into what amounts to a dead-end range. AT&T recently halved the price of the Lumia 900 to $49.99 on contract, though Nokia insists that doing so is standard market practice given where the device is in its lifespan.
Nokia: Microsoft pays us more than we pay them (but Q3 will still be dire) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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