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So, Nokia is said to prefer a 'partnership' with Microsoft, as opposed to being just another hardware vendor working with Google's Android. That means Nokia wou
by azakai 16y ago
So, Nokia is said to prefer a 'partnership' with Microsoft, as opposed to being just another hardware vendor working with Google's Android. That means Nokia would have a special status with Windows Phone 7.
Would the other hardware vendors Microsoft has been working with be kicked out, leaving WP7 to run only on Nokia hardware? I find it hard to think of any other 'special status' Nokia can have, if other vendors also offer WP7 phones. Or would other vendors be forced to offer ones with severe limitations, to differentiate Nokia's? If so it seems to not make sense for the other vendors.
Also not sure why it makes sense for Microsoft. Giving Nokia special status means limiting the amount of hardware vendors. Perhaps Microsoft just wants to do the iPhone thing - tightly integrated software+hardware - but they could have done that in-house, like the did with Zune. Why have a single hardware vendor that isn't themselves?
For Nokia, I can see how this might make sense - they have had lots of delays while developing their software platform, and Microsoft has a viable one now. However, it seems it would make much more sense for Nokia to just fork Android, which is also a viable platform, and a more popular one at that. Also, it is free of cost, unlike WP7.
So overall this is very odd, but I guess the details will come out soon, and maybe it will make more sense.
- potatolicious 16y ago> "However, it seems it would make much more sense for Nokia to just fork Android, which is also a viable platform, and a more popular one at that. Also, it is free of cost, unlike WP7." I've seen WP7 run faster on remarkably little hardware - it's a lot like iOS in that sense. Where even Froyo would lurch and struggle, iOS and WP7 have been shown to make very snappy experiences out of relatively old hardware. This can potentially lend a lot of hardware advantages. The current "we have N core in our phones!" race that HTC, LG, Moto, and Samsung are running in is in no small part due to the lackluster performance of Android. The only apparent solution is to throw more and more hardware at it (and to be fair, it's working, the latest generation of Android devices are finally as snappy as my pokey 500MHz iPhone). But consumers don't care about their megahurtz or their cores. They want a snappy UI that works for them - if Nokia can create a better experience for less hardware, they pocket that difference. This can also confer spec-sheet advantages that customers do care about - e.g. battery life. Secondly, as a "preferred partner" for MS, Nokia might have some say over where the platform goes. I think it's pretty safe to say that Google does what it wants with Android, and if Nokia wanted a feature they'd have to wait in line like everyone else. Given the poor sales of WP7 so far, I'm betting MS is willing to bend over backwards and Nokia may get to drive the platform development in a big way.
- nextparadigms 16y agoI wouldn't go as far as saying WP7 can run better on older or lower end hardware than Android. Remember Android runs pretty well on 500 Mhz ARM11 chips, while WP7 has to run on at least 1 Ghz Cortex A8 chip. I don't think that requirement is a coincidence after seeing how slow the Xbox Avatar was moving for example. The problem with Android has always been lack of hardware acceleration, and I agree that Google made a terrible mistake by not supporting it from the very beginning.
- StavrosK 16y agoI don't know about that, my iPhone 3G was unusable even before 4 was released, which doesn't bode very well for iOS. On the other hand, Android is very responsive on a $200 Samsung S, which can't be that much faster than the 3G...
- zmmmmm 16y ago> Would the other hardware vendors Microsoft has been working with be kicked out, leaving WP7 to run only on Nokia hardware? Exactly my thought. Even if they are not "kicked out" I can't see how it wouldn't have a huge negative effect on all the other manufacturers of WP7 phones if they perceive it is not a level playing field. They would immediately redouble their Android efforts and drop priority on WP7. To me, adding Nokia but losing HTC, Samsung, LG and Motorola would be a giant net loss. So it doesn't make sense for me on the MS side. And on the Nokia side, if Nokia goes exclusively WP7 with no fallback options they would seem to be taking an enormous risk - however much anybody likes it WP7 is just not proven yet - it seems bizarre to bet the whole company on something that is unproven and depends totally on another partner, especially one who has been so fickle in the past (eg: Kin).
- r00fus 16y agoI'm pretty sure Microsoft doesn't trust your HTC's anyway because those companies make so much more with Android than WP7. Also, I'm guess Nokia is aiming for the US market only (for now) with WP7. Single market, single OS, hopefully a single model. It just might work.