Nokia and Windows Phone 7: The verdict
Nokia has made Windows Phone 7 its chief platform. We look at whether it's the best move the Finnish firm could have made in the midst of a crisis.


Despite anxieties, a number of analysts have backed the move away from Symbian and the shift to Windows Phone 7.
"This is a bold decision by Nokia but absolutely the right one, both for itself and for Microsoft given the drastically changed landscape for smartphones in the past couple of years," said Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum.
"There were few short-term options available to the company to help it get back on terms with Apple and especially the Android masses, which in 2011 look set to overtake Nokia in terms of smartphone shipments, bringing with it the full wrath of the investor community."
Whilst there are clearly positive signs for Nokia, it will need to work hard to remove itself from the mire in which it has found itself. It will need to jump far from the "burning platform" on which it stands.
"For Nokia to compete they are going to need to dramatically up their game and they can only achieve this with a monumental change to their organisation," said Mark Seemann, chief technology officer for Outsourcery, one of Microsoft's major partners in the UK.
Leaving the sauna
Outside of the Microsoft partnership, Nokia announced more movements within its senior management team. Two non-Finnish women were placed in charge of the mobile and smartphone sides of the business, indicating a shift in mentality.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
It has previously been remarked that Nokia was too insular and male-centric, leaving it vulnerable to falling behind more open competitors.
This so-called sauna culture' appears to have been ditched by Elop with some faces from the US being given more responsibility, whilst some major Finnish faces have departed in recent months.
Sutherland said the company needed this shift in attitude, particularly with the rapid uptake of internet-enabled smart devices something US experts have more experience in.
"You need to bring that new blood in there to get that new perspective from a hardware manufacturer's point of view," Sutherland said.
To sum up
At this stage, it's hard to say whether Steve Ballmer's claim that both Microsoft and Nokia will see notable boosts in revenue from the deal will come true.
Windows Phone 7 is a relatively new platform. It is yet to gain real traction and faces an uphill battle to take on Android and iOS.
However, it's difficult not to admire Elop's decisive actions. Nokia needed a shot in the arm, as did Windows Phone 7, and this might just be the kickstart both were after.
Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.
He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen
News Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
By Ross Kelly
-
Lateral moves in tech: Why leaders should support employee mobility
In-depth Encouraging staff to switch roles can have long-term benefits for skills in the tech sector
By Keri Allan
-
Best business smartphones: The top handsets from Apple, Samsung, Google and more
Best The best business smartphones on the market today packed with work-focused features you need
By Alan Martin
-
Microsoft signs deal to pre-install apps on Android handsets
News New agreement will put Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Skype in front of Android users in Asia and South America
By Aaron Lee
-
Windows Phone is all but dead after sales sink below 1% of market
News Gartner figures point to the imminent demise of Microsoft's smartphone platform
By Rene Millman
-
Tablet sales set for slow 2015, predicts Gartner
News Why Gartner thinks Windows Phone will grow faster than Apple’s iOS
By Joe Curtis
-
Security weakness uncovered in Android, Windows & iOS by researchers
News A team of engineers have identified a serious security weakness in phones across iOS, Android and Windows
By Caroline Preece
-
Android gains ground in the enterprise
News But iOS devices still dominates, report finds
By Rene Millman
-
Windows 9 could remove desktop mode from mobile devices
News Windows 9 could mark the end of the desktop on phones and tablets
By Caroline Preece
-
Windows Phone ready to take on iOS & Android in the enterprise
News Windows Phone set for battle with iOS and Android for a share of enterprise market
By Caroline Preece