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So now we have two companies (Nokia and RIM) in similar circumstances (the Innovators Dilemma). They each saw two paths forward. Each chose their own path. Neit

So now we have two companies (Nokia and RIM) in similar circumstances (the Innovators Dilemma). They each saw two paths forward. Each chose their own path. Neither are succeeding. So were they already doomed by the time they chose to act or did they misunderstand the dilemma they faced? It was both. After years of tech homogeneity, people were looking for a change. Apple came along and it was young and fresh, fun and had awesome technology to boot. The incumbents were slow to act. When they did act they failed to recognize that it was a branding problem as well as a technology shortfall. They are toast.

gnaffle 14y ago
I don't think Apple succeeded because people were looking for a change. They just made a smartphone that was usable for regular people (ie iPod users). Nokia could have done that too. Maemo was comparable to (or better than?) Android in 2007. If they had really understood what made the iPhone a success, they could have spent a year repositioning Maemo to be competitive with iOS, just like Google did with Android. Of course, they didn't since they were already heavily invested in Symbian, and that's why they stumbled.
- forgotAgain 14y ago
  usuable for regular people - that's awesome technology. Maybe Nokia could have made a technically competitive smartphone in 2008 but they didn't. Why not? They thought they were competing on technology and that they had time. They weren't though. They were in the middle of a market changeover and they didn't see it. If they came out with a phone that was technically competitive I don't think people would have bought it. They have one today and it's sales are disappointing.
  - gnaffle 14y ago
    I agree, although think if they had one not long after the iPhone launched, a lot of people would have bought them because of brand loyalty. If you already had a Nokia your default choice was usually a new Nokia. And they had a pretty strong brand at the time (and 70-80% market share?).
    - jordanthoms 14y ago
      This is true. I can remember waiting for a Nokia android device / a good touchscreen device with an app market before I got my first android. At that point I'd only really owned Nokia's and loved the reliability of them, but they just took far too long to come out with anything that could compete.

gnaffle 14y ago

I don't think Apple succeeded because people were looking for a change. They just made a smartphone that was usable for regular people (ie iPod users). Nokia could have done that too. Maemo was comparable to (or better than?) Android in 2007. If they had really understood what made the iPhone a success, they could have spent a year repositioning Maemo to be competitive with iOS, just like Google did with Android. Of course, they didn't since they were already heavily invested in Symbian, and that's why they stumbled.

forgotAgain 14y ago
usuable for regular people - that's awesome technology. Maybe Nokia could have made a technically competitive smartphone in 2008 but they didn't. Why not? They thought they were competing on technology and that they had time. They weren't though. They were in the middle of a market changeover and they didn't see it. If they came out with a phone that was technically competitive I don't think people would have bought it. They have one today and it's sales are disappointing.
- gnaffle 14y ago
  I agree, although think if they had one not long after the iPhone launched, a lot of people would have bought them because of brand loyalty. If you already had a Nokia your default choice was usually a new Nokia. And they had a pretty strong brand at the time (and 70-80% market share?).
  - jordanthoms 14y ago
    This is true. I can remember waiting for a Nokia android device / a good touchscreen device with an app market before I got my first android. At that point I'd only really owned Nokia's and loved the reliability of them, but they just took far too long to come out with anything that could compete.