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You can't blame Microsoft for Nokia, Nokia screwed themselves over. They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia.

You can't blame Microsoft for Nokia, Nokia screwed themselves over. They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia. Even when the iPhone came out they laughed and didn't change tack. They had all the money, all the opportunity, and they thought if they keep pumping out the same stuff, people will stay with them.

coldtea 10y ago
>They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia. And even that wasn't anything to write home about -- though they did experiment with nicer cameras...
- manojlds 10y ago
  Clearly you don't know about the runaway hits like N95 and other N series. Those were some exceptional phones.
  - Tobani 10y ago
    If nobody knows about them were they really runaway hits?
    - jacalata 10y ago
      Everybody who knew about smartphones at the time knew about them. A couple people on HN who aren't in that group doesn't mean 'nobody knew about them'.
      - reitanqild 10y ago
        Upvoted. Although tbh: the moment iPhone started iterating the N-series was a lost cause IMO. I had the N82 candybar model with a great camera and real xeon flash.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    Yeah, know them. Wouldn't call them "exceptional". N95 was introduced a few months before the iPhone -- which totally killed it. That said, Nokia had indeed some exceptional (for their era) devices, namely the Nokia Communicator.
    - blub 10y ago
      I had an iPhone 4 at one point and the existing Nokia devices were still able to compete, thanks to Opera also on the browser side. In fact I remember switching back from the 4 due to missing features and several annoyances.
      - markonen 10y ago
        The contemporary 2010 Nokia device was the N8, specs here: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-3252.php http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-3252.php The Finnish tech industry is still filled to the brim with ex-Nokia folk who simply do not understand what was better about the iPhone. Even today.
        blub 10y ago
        Yeah I know, I also had the N8 among other models (but I had switched back to the E72). Some things were better about the iPhone, notably the UX, browsing and the app ecosystem which was starting to pick up (but was nowhere near what we have today). Some thing were worse, and this is where many people seem to have developed selective memory issues. In particular the E72 didn't drop calls if one held it wrong, had a battery life at least double that of the iPhone and was less than half its price. The N8 had a great camera and free offline maps. With Opera mobile it had a pretty damn good browsing experience. It was far from a complete dud. The N9 could compete toe to toe with the 4S also on the UX, but by then it was too late. Nokia didn't have the foresight and guts to kill Symbian and bet the company on Maemo/Meego while they still had the possibility to build an ecosystem around it. Apple invested all their effort into the iPhone and incrementally turned it from a good browsing device albeit average smartphone into a superb mobile computer while Nokia was starting and restarting four projects to compete with it.
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    If I still remember correctly it was the first Symbian to have hardware support for OpenGL ES, until then it was only done in software. I think Asphalt was the game chosen to demo it. Had chosen something else most likely OpenGL ES would never had taken off, given how lousy it was supported across mobiles back then.
  - Aaargh20318 10y ago
    The N95 hardware felt cheap and plasticky. Performance wasn't that great either, nor was the screen.
- deathhand 10y ago
  I dont understand why no one else has picked up on the crazy good camera components yet. I had 1040(the 42 megapixel monster) and I have to say being able to take great looking pictures improved my quality of life. I was able to enjoy a hobby anywhere at anytime and document life in a much more candid 'real' way.
  - Roritharr 10y ago
    Samsung has the Galaxy Camera Series with an Optical Zoom. A Similar Cameraphone is available from Panasonic.
vardump 10y ago
> They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia. Oh, but they pretended to. Just like Samsung today. Top management really needs to have people with deep and true understanding about software. And perhaps top management needs also someone with a good sense about design. Many of them seem think they're Steve Jobs... Their failing tends to always be very consumer oriented (meaning they're not makers, maybe they're just using nicely designed products) and shallow understanding of the problem and especially possibility / innovation space. Samsung, our new Nokia. I wonder if next chapters play out likewise.
- proyb2 10y ago
  Nokia was seem like an old generation mobile manufacturer after Google released Android to the world, computing was then staggering that both Apple and Samsung are competing and own countless patented and fabrication is quite a profitable for their survival. Most consumers will go either Samsung or iPhone.

coldtea 10y ago

>They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia. And even that wasn't anything to write home about -- though they did experiment with nicer cameras...

manojlds 10y ago
Clearly you don't know about the runaway hits like N95 and other N series. Those were some exceptional phones.
- Tobani 10y ago
  If nobody knows about them were they really runaway hits?
  - jacalata 10y ago
    Everybody who knew about smartphones at the time knew about them. A couple people on HN who aren't in that group doesn't mean 'nobody knew about them'.
    - reitanqild 10y ago
      Upvoted. Although tbh: the moment iPhone started iterating the N-series was a lost cause IMO. I had the N82 candybar model with a great camera and real xeon flash.
- coldtea 10y ago
  Yeah, know them. Wouldn't call them "exceptional". N95 was introduced a few months before the iPhone -- which totally killed it. That said, Nokia had indeed some exceptional (for their era) devices, namely the Nokia Communicator.
  - blub 10y ago
    I had an iPhone 4 at one point and the existing Nokia devices were still able to compete, thanks to Opera also on the browser side. In fact I remember switching back from the 4 due to missing features and several annoyances.
    - markonen 10y ago
      The contemporary 2010 Nokia device was the N8, specs here: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-3252.php http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-3252.php The Finnish tech industry is still filled to the brim with ex-Nokia folk who simply do not understand what was better about the iPhone. Even today.
      - blub 10y ago
        Yeah I know, I also had the N8 among other models (but I had switched back to the E72). Some things were better about the iPhone, notably the UX, browsing and the app ecosystem which was starting to pick up (but was nowhere near what we have today). Some thing were worse, and this is where many people seem to have developed selective memory issues. In particular the E72 didn't drop calls if one held it wrong, had a battery life at least double that of the iPhone and was less than half its price. The N8 had a great camera and free offline maps. With Opera mobile it had a pretty damn good browsing experience. It was far from a complete dud. The N9 could compete toe to toe with the 4S also on the UX, but by then it was too late. Nokia didn't have the foresight and guts to kill Symbian and bet the company on Maemo/Meego while they still had the possibility to build an ecosystem around it. Apple invested all their effort into the iPhone and incrementally turned it from a good browsing device albeit average smartphone into a superb mobile computer while Nokia was starting and restarting four projects to compete with it.
- pjmlp 10y ago
  If I still remember correctly it was the first Symbian to have hardware support for OpenGL ES, until then it was only done in software. I think Asphalt was the game chosen to demo it. Had chosen something else most likely OpenGL ES would never had taken off, given how lousy it was supported across mobiles back then.
- Aaargh20318 10y ago
  The N95 hardware felt cheap and plasticky. Performance wasn't that great either, nor was the screen.
deathhand 10y ago
I dont understand why no one else has picked up on the crazy good camera components yet. I had 1040(the 42 megapixel monster) and I have to say being able to take great looking pictures improved my quality of life. I was able to enjoy a hobby anywhere at anytime and document life in a much more candid 'real' way.
- Roritharr 10y ago
  Samsung has the Galaxy Camera Series with an Optical Zoom. A Similar Cameraphone is available from Panasonic.

vardump 10y ago

> They never considered the importance off software, hardware was always number one for Nokia. Oh, but they pretended to. Just like Samsung today. Top management really needs to have people with deep and true understanding about software. And perhaps top management needs also someone with a good sense about design. Many of them seem think they're Steve Jobs... Their failing tends to always be very consumer oriented (meaning they're not makers, maybe they're just using nicely designed products) and shallow understanding of the problem and especially possibility / innovation space. Samsung, our new Nokia. I wonder if next chapters play out likewise.

proyb2 10y ago
Nokia was seem like an old generation mobile manufacturer after Google released Android to the world, computing was then staggering that both Apple and Samsung are competing and own countless patented and fabrication is quite a profitable for their survival. Most consumers will go either Samsung or iPhone.