When Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) held its big Nokia World show last week, the company showed off its new CEO, Stephen Elop, and a couple of new mobile phones that analysts and consumers have been waiting for. One of those phones, the N8, has been delayed since the first of this year as the company has tried to perfect the device.
Barely a week later, Nokia now says that the N8 will be delayed another few weeks as the company continues to tweak the phone. Compare this strategy of delivering the “perfect” device with the “ship it now, fix it in the next release” strategy of, say, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).
There have been reports that Apple knew about the problems with the antenna on the iPhone 4, but went ahead and kicked the phone out the door anyway. Apple sold more than 1.5 million iPhone 4s in the first three days the device was on the market.
It’s hard to believe that Apple didn’t know the iPhone 4 was susceptible to dropping calls. As they say, it’s just physics. Nokia is not saying what is causing this latest delay with its N8 smartphone, but whatever it is, Nokia just needs to get over the idea that customers expect perfection. While Apple’s steak might be a bit rare, its sizzle is perfect; Nokia is trying to cook the perfect steak and the fire is not turned up high enough to maintain any sizzle.
Perhaps the new CEO from Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) can help here. After all, Microsoft has long track record of shipping software that was not exactly ready for prime time. The difference between Apple and Microsoft or Nokia is that Apple has fanboys and the other companies just have customers.
Look at Apple’s iPad. A non-multitasking operating system? That’s so 1980s, but the company got away with it. Now, the company is rumored to be working on a 7-inch iPad for release in the first quarter of 2011 that would include its FaceTime video calling app. If history is any guide, current iPhone and iPad customers will be first in line to buy a 7-inch iPad (iPadlet?).
Nokia’s desire to ship only a technically competent product is realistic if you’re the market leader and enjoy a technical advantage. But if the competition is snapping at your heels, you have to move faster.
Nokia claims to have exceeded its own expectations on pre-orders for the N8, and to have signed on 100 wireless carriers to sell the phone. The enthusiasm the company built last week at Nokia World has just evaporated. Stephen Elop has a lot of work ahead of him.
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