Photo by Brandon Shigeta

Apple and then Google. Who could have been next? Most of you would have already figured it out. For the rest, please do not question your general awareness; after we all are human! Yes it’s Nokia. The global telecommunications market leader Nokia has decided to launch its own Symbian mobile operating system which will happen to be open sourced. The launch seems to be a desperate attempt by Nokia to maintain its market leader status quo and a proffer to increase its current software developer base.

The launch of Nokia’s Symbian Mobile Operating system juxtaposes with the launch of Google’s Android source code being made available to developers. Remember the famous quote Strategy and Timing are the Himalayas of Marketing, Rest are just Catskills. Sure, it scores more than Catskills, but it needs more than strategy and timing for a product to be successful in the market (assuming that strategy and timing are correct!). Between, did anyone talk about the product? Guess, No.

Contribution to software development and betterment of a product on its functional parameters are the value propositions that Nokia is keen to tap in by making it an Open Source Project. Nokia needs to be appreciated for its effort to mark a global presence of the software platform by making it an Open Source venture. Theory in application – Consumer involvement, which might lead to a pre-purchase buzz being fashioned about the product. The question about the product being able to satisfy people on both functional and emotional parameters is a dangerous one to comment at this stage. The change in Nokia’s strategy can be considered a promotional gimmick as the Symbian Operating system being an Open Source Project would lead to an eyes wide open attention from software developers across the globe. An added effect of the above mentioned strategy could be a circumlocutory enticement to software developers across the world to help build a protected Operating System.

It will be a tough competition in the Open Source sphere between the advocates of Nokia’s know-how of mobile phones vis-a-vis Google’s pledge towards innovation, as the battle place is laid down to be the virtual world. The Competitive strategies of all the four competitors viz. Apple, Blackberry, Google and Nokia can be classified into two genres; the platform for Apple and Blackberry are proprietary as compared to Google and Nokia’s being Open Source.



The other beneficiaries of Nokia’s Open Source operating system would be Sony Ericsson and Samsung, as Nokia shares its platform being the members of Symbian Foundation.

Is it worth the wait for all those people who want to upgrade to the next generation mobile phones to wait for the reviews of Nokia’s Symbian Mobile Operating System? The betters can surely pour in their money, assuming the Fed has offered them financial support!