There is a certain age group that tends to have a soft spot when it comes to Nokia cell phones. This is a company that was dominant in the 1990’s mobile phone market as it offered not only compact devices but also affordable ones. Forgetting the iconic ringtone has even become a problem.
But as competition became stiff, Nokia was unable to withstand. Apple came onboard with its iPhone brand and picked up by obtaining Nokia’s technology patent at a fee of course. Eventually, Nokia’s global supremacy came crumbling down, something that no one had ever envisaged happening, Verdict Foru reports.
Microsoft purchased its mobile phone wing in 2013 and rebranded them to Windows phone. These were meant to bring the computer functionality right in your hands. There are some who will argue that the Windows smartphones have been a success but others will earnestly disagree with that. One thing for sure is that Microsoft is a big name and can never fail to have numerous loyal fans.
The trick is usually simple, the bigger your name, the easier it is for you. Just try rebranding any simple smartphone and let it carry the name “iPhone” or “Samsung” then sit back and relax. It will not take you hours before you see the quick uptake the phone will receive.
Probably that is one of the benefits that Nokia will enjoy as it plans a comeback to the mobile phone market, a journey set to begin in China. Having decided to give it a go for the second time in smartphones, the Finnish will be betting in the huge and fiercely competitive Chinese market.
The first Nokia smartphone for Google’s Android operating system was unveiled at the CES tech show in Las Vegas on Sunday. The Nokia 6 will be available exclusively in China, through online retail giant JD.com.
The reality of the matter is that the old Nokia mobile will not directly make the smartphones. A fellow Finnish company HMD Global was licensed in 2016 to do so. This was decided after it got heavy cuts by its owner Microsoft.
Via CNN
While commenting on the enthusiasm, JD.com executive Shengli Hu said that the new move will assist Chinese consumers “reconnect with Nokia.”
A competitive market
HMD will be entering into a market that is by far offering stiff completion. Global leaders, Samsung and Apple, are already squaring it off with local brands like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi and Huawei.
But one thing that may work in Nokia’s favor is its brand awareness in China. However, that is not a guarantee fro success.
Nicole Peng, a China smartphone expert at tech research firm Canalys said that “Chinese consumers recognize the Nokia brand for sure, but how much of that will transfer to a buying decision? How many people will pay for it?”
Nokia was at one time the giant smartphone in China. Just within a single year in 2010, the firm sold off 82.5 million mobile devices in China alone.
May be that could have informed the decision to start off here again.
