Nokia reiterates N8 is last Symbian N-series phone

Nokia has confirmed that its upcoming N8 smartphone will be the last N-series device to use the Symbian platform, with the Finnish firm basing future handsets in the series solely on MeeGo from then on.

The N8 is set to take its place at the head of Nokia's lineup in late August running Symbian^3, but from that point on Symbian will be restricted to the firm's cheaper devices.

"Going forward, N-series devices will be based on MeeGo" a Nokia spokesman told Reuters.

This largely just confirms what Nokia has already been saying for some time back in November the company announced a dual-OS strategy that would see Symbian appearing on entry-level smartphones and feature phones such as the X, C and E-series and the more powerful Maemo, as seen on the Nokia N900, used in N-series handsets.

Since then, of course, Maemo has been incorporated into MeeGo the platform developed jointly with Intel but otherwise not much has changed.

One significant aspect about today's announcement is that it seriously diminishes the N8's appeal before it even appears on the market, as N8 owners will find themselves cut off from apps and services developed for MeeGo N-series devices.

And given Nokia's vision for Symbian specifically as an everyman OS aimed at lower-end devices, apps for the platform are unlikely to be a match for those on MeeGo, never mind the likes of iOS 4 and Android.