Time to talk Nokia

[Dave Blake]

Anybody have any last minute predictions?

From the Editor's Desk: Live in London, waiting for the Lumia 925 | Windows Phone Central

 

[mase123987]

Free phones to everyone compliments of Daniel?

 

[mase123987]

I hope it isn't anything too special. I still don't want any phone compared to my 920 and I would like that to stay the same until at least mid fall! I guess that is selfish though...

 

[christenmartin]

I hope it isn't anything too special. I still don't want any phone compared to my 920 and I would like that to stay the same until at least mid fall! I guess that is selfish though...

I hear ya. I'm planning on holding on to this baby for at least a year. I dig the z10 but I am really diggin' the 920. If they come out with something really friggin bad azz I'm going to be pissed. Haha

 

[mase123987]

If i could get my hands on a new Blackberry for $250, I would try it just for fun but I can't do 300 to 450.

 

[rmichael75]

Graphene Sensor. Amazing camera, slim body.

 

[christenmartin]

If i could get my hands on a new Blackberry for $250, I would try it just for fun but I can't do 300 to 450.

I hear ya. I'm strained. I pLayed with a z10 and it was setup perfect. If I wasn't so happy with this 920 I would have one. If I can pick one up for a decent price or I have alot of disposable income in the near future, I am going to get one!

 

[Elton Jothi]

Apart from Catwalk, I would expect some App's/OS update..
TBH, there has been a lot of lumia ranges released lately.. which is actually pissing off..

 

[abel920]

90 minutes. The wait is killing me!

 

[raycpl]

Clark Kent alter-ego will appear!!

 

[smerfy01]

Steve Ballmer comes out of nowhere and showcases the next Xbox. Brilliant.

 

[abel920]

Steve Ballmer comes out of nowhere and showcases the next Xbox. Brilliant.

Did you say Bald?

 

[AngryNil]

I hope it isn't anything too special. I still don't want any phone compared to my 920 and I would like that to stay the same until at least mid fall! I guess that is selfish though...

The thing is, half-yearly refreshes simply haven't worked out for any company in this industry. Apple doesn't do it, Samsung doesn't do it, Nokia's Lumia 900 flopped worldwide, Sony's a mess with its Xperia ABCs and HTC's holiday releases are always duds (Rezound, Butterfly, etc). All indications are that the Catwalk is a direct refresh of the 920. I personally think this is a very bad move, especially considering the 920 was still branching out into new markets as of this March.

You also have to look at this from a wow-factor standpoint. If the Catwalk is amazing because of its metal construction, then what's left to show for the holidays this year? A better camera may be nice, but it is not a killer feature alone. There will probably be 1080p and a faster processor, but Android devices already ship with those. Nokia's spreading its competitive advantages too thin and as such, making all its devices feel not-quite-there. The 925 is mid-range compared to Android flagships, the 920 is big, the 820 is weird, the 720 is underspecced, and so on.

Invest your best into a single phone in each "subcategory", ride it out for the year. That means sharper focus, better support, more recognition, happier existing customers and noticeable improvements when you ship its successor.

 

[GCrane1982]

If it were me I would release a hero handset i.e. Lumia 920 world wide over a 6 week period every 12 months starting in Oct then every 2 months thereafter release a lower spec phone i.e. Lumia 820 then Lumia 720, until you get down to the real low spec sub $200 handsets. This way Nokia gets year round publicity and product launches whilst not saturating the market with similar spec handsets. Also if you are a consumer that usually buys at a certain price point you know that Nokia will release a new handset in you price range in a specific month each year like the below

Lumia 920 (Hero handset) - Oct
Lumia 820 - Dec
Lumia 720 - Feb
Lumia 620 - Apr
Lumia 520 - Jun

The key to this is that each handset needs to be available worldwide at the same time or at least within a few weeks, and there needs to be consistent device names the need to stop adding a number just because the phone is in a different market I.e. Lumia 521 vs. Lumia 520

 

[devize]

All indications are that the Catwalk is a direct refresh of the 920. I personally think this is a very bad move, especially considering the 920 was still branching out into new markets as of this March.

You also have to look at this from a wow-factor standpoint. If the Catwalk is amazing because of its metal construction, then what's left to show for the holidays this year? A better camera may be nice, but it is not a killer feature alone. There will probably be 1080p and a faster processor, but Android devices already ship with those. Nokia's spreading its competitive advantages too thin and as such, making all its devices feel not-quite-there. The 925 is mid-range compared to Android flagships.

I don't see your point, what is wrong with a 920 refresh? The EOS, the major flagship, will be coming later this year as the true successor to the 920. You say there's nothing left to show in the holidays yet you then go on to say that the 925 is a mid-range device. If it is a mid-range device then clearly there is plenty more to show in the holidays. 1080p screens, faster processors, huge camera sensors are pretty big upgrades. Pretty sure these are the major things that Apple and Samsung upgrade in their yearly updates too.

The 925 is there to to fill the gap until the EOS comes out and for people who may have missed out on the 920. What could possibly be wrong with more options?

 

[ammarmalik2011]

All I want is for Nokia to actually live up to its camera hype this time around. They really messed it up with the 920. Hoping for something similar, if not the same, as the 808.

 

[AngryNil]

I don't see your point, what is wrong with a 920 refresh?

You don't see my point because you didn't read my post. I've already covered everything you said.

When you're a struggling company trying to obtain sales, market share and mind share, blurting out a new iteration whenever you can is not a winning strategy. I think the Catwalk is a bad idea in the same way that the 900 was a bad idea.

 

[gedzum]

I just saw in the comments of one the wpcentral articles about a rumoured 27MP camera. I'd really like that to be that case. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a refreshed 920.

I really like my Lumia 800, but I'm itching to try WP8 and I'm hoping Nokia can deliver with their upcoming devices, particularly with regards to the camera.

 

[AngryNil]

Let's get this straight: 928's screen, same internals, same camera module, still physically big, rather ugly metal band and no built-in wireless charging?
My goodness, it really does feel like the Lumia 900 all over again.

 

[kalo88]

We're getting Hipstamatic