Roughly two years ago, Nokia and Microsoft signed a huge deal to revamp mobile for Windows. Nokia was to be the face of the new Windows Phone 7 lineup. In doing so, it seemed Nokia had abandoned its home grown OS roots of Symbian, and their latest project, Meego. Well, today Nokia has announced a new $99 phone running their own Asha platform: The Nokia Asha 501.
So, what does this mean for Nokia's partnership with the boys at Redmond? Not much, short term. Nokia is highly invested in the Windows Phone market, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Despite some minimal success by HTC and Samsung, Nokia's Lumia line is pretty much synonymous with Windows Phone. They have brought many improvements in both app exclusives, and OS integration with Nokia Maps that has entrenched them as the strongest player in Microsoft's stable.
Despite that position, Nokia has actively been developing the Asha operating system. Nokia has realized that Windows Phone currently doesn't have the market share numbers to effectively attack developing markets with a low end, cheaply priced smartphones. We now have a full touchscreen Asha 501, which will join the already announced 210 QWERTY handset revealed last month.
It's easy to jump to the conclusion that Nokia is starting to develop an exit plan for Windows Phone's struggles in the industry, but I think this falls into the game plan set forth by CEO, Stephen Elop, when the Microsoft deal was struck. He was very vocal that Windows Phone was their new flagship platform, but they would continue to sell Symbian, as well as bringing Asha to the fold. It should also not be forgotten that Meego, and its awesome UI, are still a Nokia product, despite Jolla using the open source code to produce Sailfish.
While I don't think Nokia is ready to jump ship, they have obviously been actively adding new platforms to their portfolio. They made a calculated, bold risk to not go with Android to save their brand. However, just because they have chosen Windows Phone, it doesn't mean they are married exclusively to Microsoft. Many see this as a negative move by the company, but I simply find it smart. I find it much in the same liking as Samsung's Tizen division. Despite dominating the Android landscape they are not putting all their chips down on one play of the hand. Companies with the size of Nokia should always be pursuing new innovative products, and not become just another stagnant player in the market.
Source: Nokia
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