Will Nokia become the only WP OEM?

[Liam Perry]

HTC haven't announced or even hinted towards a release of a new WP, and it's clear that their platform commitments are with Android. (Which again, I don't understand. they launched so many WP7 devices yet they've only managed to push two WP8 out of the door?)
Huawei's Windows Phone devices are at best an attempt to test the water and I'm actually surprised that Huawei is going ahead with launching a second device.
Samsung's bread and butter is Android, and the Ativ S, it's ONLY WP8 device, is aging quickly. I guess we'll find out in a few days if they have a new WP handset up their sleeve.
Alcatel made one WP device. And it was running 7.8. They haven't announced any further devices or plans for new devices.
ZTE's Windows Phone device seems to have disappeared (they were listed as a launch partner). There were murmors of a 5" or 6" device earlier in the year but they all seem to have vanished.
LG don't have any plans either. Which I personally think was stupid considering that the Optimus 7 actually sold quite well. There was a rumor we'd see them make a return but I doubt it.
Dell have dropped out of the phone market completely.
Acer won't make any new Windows Phones as the Allegro didn't do very well.
TOSHIBA haven't announced any new devices or plans either.


Nokia seems to be the only company that's taking Windows Phone seriously, and I wouldn't be suprised if they end up becoming the only driving force behind the platform.

Previous generation WP7 saw a much greater push from a larger number of OEMS. Samsung and HTC's efforts with WP7 were leaps and bounds ahead of the commitment they're making today.

 

[Huime]

Nope, if only MS is that stupid or Nokia became Microkia.

 

[neo158]

HTC haven't announced or even hinted towards a release of a new WP, and it's clear that their platform commitments are with Android. (Which again, I don't understand. they launched so many WP7 devices yet they've only managed to push two WP8 out of the door?)
Huawei's Windows Phone devices are at best an attempt to test the water and I'm actually surprised that Huawei is going ahead with launching a second device.
Samsung's bread and butter is Android, and the Ativ S, it's ONLY WP8 device, is aging quickly. I guess we'll find out in a few days if they have a new WP handset up their sleeve.
Alcatel made one WP device. And it was running 7.8. They haven't announced any further devices or plans for new devices.
ZTE's Windows Phone device seems to have disappeared (they were listed as a launch partner). There were murmors of a 5" or 6" device earlier in the year but they all seem to have vanished.
LG don't have any plans either. Which I personally think was stupid considering that the Optimus 7 actually sold quite well. There was a rumor we'd see them make a return but I doubt it.
Dell have dropped out of the phone market completely.
Acer won't make any new Windows Phones as the Allegro didn't do very well.
TOSHIBA haven't announced any new devices or plans either.


Nokia seems to be the only company that's taking Windows Phone seriously, and I wouldn't be suprised if they end up becoming the only driving force behind the platform.

Previous generation WP7 saw a much greater push from a larger number of OEMS. Samsung and HTC's efforts with WP7 were leaps and bounds ahead of the commitment they're making today.

Don't get me started on this subject because you won't like what I have to say!!!!!

Fact is that Nokia were haemorrhaging market share with Symbian and Meego was DOA, they had no choice but to put all their eggs in one basket with Microsoft so of course they are going to push it harder than other OEMs, typically Samsung, who also push Android devices. That's not to say that Samsung and other OEMs couldn't do more where Windows Phone is concerned, just because those other OEMs only push put one or two devices instead of a new one every week like Nokia don't mistake that for lack of support. Support is more than just pushing out devices, it's also making sure that the devices they do have are kept up to date.

On the subject of LG, they already stated that they were focusing on Android in order to keep costs down. I can only assume that in the current financial climate it made sense to do that from a business perspective. That's not to say that they won't be back in the future though.

IMHO Windows Phone needs all the OEMs it can get, why, because it helps to push prices down and gives consumers choice in a very small portion of the market.

 

[DavidinCT]

They could be waiting for WP 8.5....

 

[N_LaRUE]

They could be waiting for WP 8.5....

8.5 or 8.1? Or whatever you want to call it....

 

[theefman]

They effectively are the only WP OEM already. WP fans, tech sites, mainstream media all refer to Nokia phones when it comes to WP. They are all in on WP as their only smartphone OS so its not surprising to see them do the things they do but they also make the best WP handsets and with the EOS are going to push that even further. Some may choose an HTC or Samsung device but lets be real, they are primarily android OEM's and just release a WP handset and promptly forget about it. If they were the only WP OEM's the platform would be non-existent now.

Nokia has also covered all price points quite well, from the cheapo 520 to the 925 so they are actually providing a good range of choices, which cant be said of any other OEM. If they were theoretically to be the only WP maker they will still provide competitive devices. After all, they are still competing with android and ios. So I really dont see the downside when in reality that is the situation we have right now.

 

[Liam Perry]

The problem is other OEMs are only willing to invest a pathetic amount of resources into windows phone, then complain when their devices don't meet sales expectations. Acer shipped just one windows phone 7 device, and won't ship another until there is higher market demand. Yet the only person driving the market demand is Nokia. Sony, LG and ASUS have all said similar things along those lines. HTC is clearly disinterested in the platform, and the same could be said for Samsung. HTC was onto something when they shipped the 8S but never followed that up. Which is sad considering the amount of attention HTC gives to it's budget 'Desire' devices.

Likewise, I think OEMS will only get a good return if they are willing to invest significantly in the platform. Nokia is the only one reaping these benefits because no other OEM is willing to put the money or effort into Windows Phone which is quite disheartening.

In order for success I think Windows PHone needs all the OEMS it can get but the only models ASUS and Acer are interested in developing are High End Models, which are a tougher sell.
If Acer, ZTE and Asus all jumped on the low cost WP bandwagon, they'd see significant sales.

 

[MikeSo]

If Apple can be the only iOS vendor, then Nokia might as well be the only WP vendor, I guess.

 

[chezm]

It looks like Nokia may be the only OEM for WP8...and while that may seem negative to some, im pretty satisfied if thats the route being taken. I love my L920 and plan on sticking with Nokia forward. It would be a huge benefit if we had other HW manufacturers but if they want to stick with Android then so be it.

 

[martinmc78]

Simple answer - No.

Complex answer if you just take the top 3 WP OEM's - Maybe this thread should have waited a few days for Samsung's reveal event. They are definitely going to push out another WP model maybe even a WP phablet just because they want to and can have a share in everything. HTC are currently a pretty troubled company, massive high level comings and goings and a big management reshuffle the Tiara is rumoured to be out this summer as a new device, but with everything that's going on in the company I wouldn't expect another flagship WP until next year. And to say HTC are disinterested with the platform is pretty wide of the mark - the 8X in particular is a top device and well worthy of being a WP flagship - if they only put out one flagship a year with the quality of the 8x its still a good job which many people would be happy with.

 

[abel920]

The problem is other OEMs are only willing to invest a pathetic amount of resources into windows phone, then complain when their devices don't meet sales expectations. Acer shipped just one windows phone 7 device, and won't ship another until there is higher market demand. Yet the only person driving the market demand is Nokia. Sony, LG and ASUS have all said similar things along those lines. HTC is clearly disinterested in the platform, and the same could be said for Samsung. HTC was onto something when they shipped the 8S but never followed that up. Which is sad considering the amount of attention HTC gives to it's budget 'Desire' devices.

Likewise, I think OEMS will only get a good return if they are willing to invest significantly in the platform. Nokia is the only one reaping these benefits because no other OEM is willing to put the money or effort into Windows Phone which is quite disheartening.

In order for success I think Windows PHone needs all the OEMS it can get but the only models ASUS and Acer are interested in developing are High End Models, which are a tougher sell.
If Acer, ZTE and Asus all jumped on the low cost WP bandwagon, they'd see significant sales.

More OEMs != More market Share, if HTC One hasn't been enough evidence.

 

[neo158]

The problem with Nokia becoming the ONLY WP OEM is that those people who want a Samsung or HTC device will look elsewhere, regardless of the OS. Windows Phone needs to gain market share, not lose it.

 

[a5cent]

The problem with Nokia becoming the ONLY WP OEM is that those people who want a Samsung or HTC device will look elsewhere, regardless of the OS. Windows Phone needs to gain market share, not lose it.

While that may be true, the problem with having a lot of active OEMs in the WP market is that it amounts to nothing more than a circular firing squad. If HTC or Samsung were to make more of an effort, they could surely take more sales from Nokia, but they still wouldn't be anywhere close to making a profit. The only difference would be larger annual loses for Nokia (they are now just slightly short of breaking even).

The fundamental problem is that the WP market is a very small market. Any gains made by HTC or Samsung will come primarily at the expense of Nokia, not at the expense of Android or iOS devices. WP is making market share gains, but at the current pace, it will be quite a while before it is anywhere close to being large enough to sustain more than a single OEM.

 

[mrmdj31675]

If that ever happens, Nokia needs to really comes to terms with carriers not currently carrying their products, especially when they really need the CDMA market outside of China Mobile and Verizon (yes, the Qualcomm certified carriers like those in Japan, South Korea, and the USA where they have to face an alliance of all CDMA carriers lead by the most hated carrier here: SPRINT).

 

[Ridemyscooter86]

Samsung might put out another windows phone just to have a foot in the door, that and all of their previous efforts with windows phone were basically, effortless on their part. What I mean is really all they did is take the current galaxy S phone, change the outer shell of it, and then shove WP onto it. I had a focus S = Galaxy S2. Samsung Ativ S = samsung galaxy S3. Actually, the Ativ S and the galaxy S 3 look so similar its funny, I mean the specs are identical, the windows button on the Ativ S is more or less the exact same size (other than it looking a little boxier), and in the exact same place as the home button of the galaxy S3. I mean, screen size, processor, camera, literally every spec is identical to the american versions of the gs3 save for the fact that they stuck a different outer shell on the phone and loaded a different OS, so its not like it probably took them much time or manpower to do it.

I think samsung might, just to say they have a wp, even though it won't sell that well. Its more of a diversity thing, if android goes into a steep decline (which it probably won't), all their eggs aren't in one basket. Now if only we could get HTC to put a different shell in the ONE and call it the EIGHT and load wp onto it...I mean if they put half as much though into their windows phones as they do their android phones...

 

[neo158]

Samsung might put out another windows phone just to have a foot in the door, that and all of their previous efforts with windows phone were basically, effortless on their part. What I mean is really all they did is take the current galaxy S phone, change the outer shell of it, and then shove WP onto it. I had a focus S = Galaxy S2. Samsung Ativ S = samsung galaxy S3. Actually, the Ativ S and the galaxy S 3 look so similar its funny, I mean the specs are identical, the windows button on the Ativ S is more or less the exact same size (other than it looking a little boxier), and in the exact same place as the home button of the galaxy S3. I mean, screen size, processor, camera, literally every spec is identical to the american versions of the gs3 save for the fact that they stuck a different outer shell on the phone and loaded a different OS, so its not like it probably took them much time or manpower to do it.

I think samsung might, just to say they have a wp, even though it won't sell that well. Its more of a diversity thing, if android goes into a steep decline (which it probably won't), all their eggs aren't in one basket. Now if only we could get HTC to put a different shell in the ONE and call it the EIGHT and load wp onto it...I mean if they put half as much though into their windows phones as they do their android phones...

Don't be so quick to call out Samsung for putting a different outer shell on their phones for their Windows Phone devices. Nokia release a new phone almost every week and tell me, what's the difference in the hardware?

Take the 920, 925 and 928. The hardware is pretty much identical in all three of them and apart from some slightly updated software the outer shell is the only thing to distinguish between them.

 

[TechFreak1]

Don't be so quick to call out Samsung for putting a different outer shell on their phones for their Windows Phone devices. Nokia release a new phone almost every week and tell me, what's the difference in the hardware?

Take the 920, 925 and 928. The hardware is pretty much identical in all three of them and apart from some slightly updated software the outer shell is the only thing to distinguish between them.

Correction, the 920, 925, 928 are variants for different carriers not replacements (in certain respects have small aesthetic differences) and yes the Ativ S is the Samsung s3 LTE with a different shell with subtle differences, this is not a variant as it has a completely different O/S.
Besides WP8 does not need high end hardware to run smoothly you only need to look at the low end WP8 devices offering the same UI experience compared to that of High end Android devices in contrast to their lower end counterparts. Even then the high end devices have prominent stutter or perhaps micro-stutter if you wish to call it that.

 

[snowmutt]

Ahhh yes.... and I just commented on another thread that has Nokia going Android. Love me some diverse opinions.

At this point, it is silly to worry. WP is in great hands with Nokia, and Nokia is being treated right by MS. If only Nokia remains standing at some point, here are things other people worry about that I do not:

1) Lack of diversity will hurt WP due to lack of competition. Silly. Right now, only Nokia is creating exclusives and fighting for app support for this OS. All the HTC's, Samsungs, and other device makers did not produce the type of results that Nokia has since entering the WP ecosystem. No worries.

2) Lack of other OEM's will hurt sales. Silly. Nokia accounts for almost all sales now. I know the 8X is a good phone and has sold decently, but Nokia is like at over 80% and WP sales are rising every quarter. No sweat there.

3) Nokia will not innovate if it is alone in the WP jungle. This one makes me laugh until I about pee myself. Is Samsung still #1? Is Apple still the most profitable? Is BlackBerry still a viable threat? If so, Nokia is going to go full steam to compete with these and other companies. Nokia doesn't want to be #1 in WP, Nokia wants to be #1 OVERALL running WP.



I am worried about one thing: Can Nokia get to where it wants to go with WP? Can it appeal appeal to a broad enough audience? I hope so. I would be fine with only WP from Nokia. I wouldn't be fine with a world without the option of WP.

 

[trwrt]

If you're HTC or Samsung, what can you really do right now? They've already released phones featuring the most powerful hardware supported by WP8 up to this point, and solid midrange phones as well. They can't put out WP versions of their current Android flagships until Microsoft gets off its **** and upgrades the hardware support so I don't know what exactly people expect them to do.

 

[LMZR]

I do hope HTC does continue support for Windows Phone. I do love the idea of Nokia being Windows Phone's only OEM.