Nokia: Taking a stand on usability and freedom

Early September. That's when all the cards hit the table.

Nokia is the #1 global smartphone provider, but Apple's chipping away at them. Nokia makes superior hardware, technological leaps ahead, and open software platforms. Apple makes "pretty" hardware and an all-in-one solution for hardware, software, music/video management, and applications.

iPhone users have a hard time using Nokia products due to the lack of a cohesive management interface. Users feel like the Nokia PC Suite and Ovi suite apps are far behind iTunes in music/video management, music/media store, app store, and interface cohesion. In my personal experience, the N97 software is about as stable as an egg. On a flag pole. During an earthquake.

Nokia users have a hard time using Apple products because the hardware is inferior, has fewer features, and has no opportunity for homebrew applications. Nokia users are accustomed to using any application they can find and download instead of just those approved by the application store. They're used to 5 megapixel images with video and flash. They have options for keyboards, touchscreens, candybar phones, sliders, and more.

Maemo is cut from a different cloth than Symbian. It started out as a proof-of-concept project for Nokia on the 770 Internet Tablet and grew into a global collaboration of some of the brightest people on the planet. From this "fresh start," the Maemo 5 tablet (phone!) has to capitalize on all the strengths of other Nokia devices, compensate for all shortcomings, and smack Apple head-on. If it were just up to the developers, I'd have no doubt that it would carve up the iPhone fans. However, a successful smartphone/media phone/Internet device relies on developers as well as business partnerships, lifestyle integration, and finding the right key points for market penetration.

What happens now?

Two things will happen in early September:
Nokia World 2009. Given how many "leaked" shots of the Maemo 5 tablet have already surfaced, the sensible press date for official release will be at this September 2-3 event. That gives the media and developers plenty of time past the NDA to properly discuss the tablet openly before the 2009 Maemo Summit a month later. Announcing at the Maemo summit will be too late as developers would have no time to properly present their latest attractions on the new platform.

Apple's special event on Sept 9. If there's an Apple tablet incoming (as often rumored) the Sept 9 event may be just in time to get the thing out by Christmas. It seems a little late to announce such a thing, but it's certainly possible. At the very least, it will give the competition something to play against during the upcoming holiday season.

Pardon me. I'm going to go hold my breath for a few weeks.