3 ms·
I often see the same sentiment here re:not just meego but also PalmOS and WP7. But the OS being 'well thought out and cool' simply didn't matter by that point.
by Steko 7y ago
I often see the same sentiment here re:not just meego but also PalmOS and WP7. But the OS being 'well thought out and cool' simply didn't matter by that point.
Apple had revolutionized the category and was making over 90% of the profits, had all the apps and other ecosystem lock-in, the ipad on top of that, the highest user satisfaction, an avalanche of free publicity, almost all of the consumer mindshare, and a fleet of rapidly expanding and phenomenally popular stores for distribution. A brand new "well thought out os" with no apps simply wasn't going to make any kind of dent in Apple's market share.
Meanwhile the anti-Apple enthusiasts had been coalescing strongly around Android for several years. A bunch of big companies were fighting tooth and nail for the scraps and who won? The guys with the "most well thought out Android skin"? No. It was the guys who were by far the most ruthless and shameless competitors. That's what won between all the android handset makers, that's who won between Android makers and other "well thought out OS's" and imho that's who wins all hypothetical matchups as well if all you're bringing to the table is being cool and well thought out.
Now if Intel wanted to lose $5B a year and buy marketshare then yeah they could have done that but they would have never made back that money.
- BubRoss 7y agoThe N9 was released in 2011, only two years into the modern smartphone era. The hardware and software were fantastic and it got a lot of attention but died due to no other devices following it, not because of a lack of demand. "Despite a limited release,[5] the N9 received widespread critical acclaim, with some describing it as Nokia's finest device to date. It was praised for both its software and hardware, including the MeeGo operating system, buttonless 'swipe' user interface, and its high-end features"
- abdulmuhaimin 7y agoMy sentiment exactly. Nokia was in a perfect position to launch a third mobile OS. even primer than windows mobile. Nokia was still on top eventhough declining. Many Nokia app dev are waiting to jump into the Meego ecosystem if Nokia commited. People are waiting for Nokia next move. Unfortunately, it was not a great move. At launch, we know that the software are great. Hardware are great. But the management was abyssimal. Alot of internal politics, burning money, and ultimately, Meego was killed before it was borne into the world. The irony is that N9 was still a great revolutionary phone critically acclaimed, despite knowing its gonna be short lived. I wouldnt have been so bitter about it if N9/Meego was not great.
- m4rtink 7y agoBTW, the Nokia people who worked on MeeGo and the N9 went to create the Jolla company and continue development as Sailfish OS. (Typed from a Sailfish OS running Xperia X. :-) )