From the
original source:
Even if the Nokia name comes back to the phone business, don’t expect Nokia to launch huge new manufacturing operations. It just sold those to Microsoft and isn’t eager to replicate them.
Instead, the N1 serves as a model of what the company hopes to do: Design cool products and then license the designs and Nokia brand to a company that will not only do the manufacturing, but also be responsible for sales and distribution. It’s similar to the approach taken by
Kodak and Polaroid after those companies emerged from bankruptcy.
While licensing the brand to someone else reduces cost, it also leaves the success of those products at least partly out of Nokia’s control.
Plus, the smartphone business is a brutally tough one, and even companies pouring tens of millions of dollars per year into research and marketing have trouble standing out from the pack, as Nokia has already learned the hard way. Developing cool product concepts is one thing; committing the resources to make them successes in the market is quite another.
I wouldn't be confident buying another Nokia-branded device, since I'd be concerned about build quality (it would be outsourced, as they don't own any manufacturing facilities) and support. I'd be more inclined to go with Nexus, Motorola or Samsung for an Android device.
I also doubt if Nokia would return to Windows Phone, since they sold that division to Microsoft, and they'd still need to outsource manufacturing, whether they made Androids, Windows Phones or something completely different.
