By Lorien Crow | Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:19 pm |
AT&T plans to launch the Nokia Lumia 900, its first Windows 7.5 device, in the coming months, as the company bets big on Microsoft to expand its market share.
The Finnish phone maker is banking on the Lumia 900 to help fuel sales in the competitive U.S. smartphone market, dominated by Apple and Google. Nokia is one of the top phone makers in the world by volume, but has largely relied on sales of lower-end feature phones. Nokia's focus shifted with the hiring of CEO Stephen Elop in 2010 and coinciding with skyrocketing industry smartphone sales. To succeed in the U.S. market, the company realizes it needs a higher-end device offering a fast LTE network to lure consumers. AT&T will carry the new device exclusively, and the three companies are reportedly channeling a joint $100 million into an advertising blitz to propel the Lumia 900 to success. Even with strong sales of the Lumia 800 in Europe and a major marketing push, Nokia faces challenges building its brand in the U.S. The few existing Windows phones haven't garnered much attention from critics or consumers, and the software giant's app market still lags behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS as the company struggles to find new developers. The Lumia line and other Windows phones also faced criticism for taking too long to hit the market, offering a solid alternative to Apple's iPhone but nothing new or unique. Further, consumers are often reluctant to switch operating systems they've become comfortable using. Still, if any company has the potential to carve a stake in Apple and Google's territory, it's Microsoft. Nokia and the software giant plan to target first-time smartphone buyers accustomed to using Windows on their PCs, and a demographic of longtime Windows users could prove a solid new customer base. The Lumia 900 will debut in the U.S. sometime around mid-March, and the world will be watching to see if Nokia can become a household name once again.
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Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:39 pm | By
Nokia's recent loss in profits highlights the company's difficult transition, as it shifts towards Windows phones and gears up for big changes in this year.
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Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:14 am | By
Nokia's Windows Phone-powered Lumia 900 will sell for $100 when it launches at AT&T later this year, according to reports, in a move that will raise the profiles of the maker and the OS.
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Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:30 am | By
Nokia shipped more than one million Lumia handsets last year, analysts estimate, signaling early success for the company's critical Microsoft partnership.
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Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:02 pm | By
Analysts predict a surge of sales for the Windows Phone platform, as Nokia and Microsoft head into the smartphone market in 2012 with updated hardware and plans for heavy promotion.
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