Nokia boss confirms 2011 release of WP7
NOKIA boss Stephen Elop yesterday said he expects the first wave of Windows Phone 7 (WP7) handsets to be released later this year, as revealed by City A.M. earlier this month.
Elop said he has “increased confidence” that troubled Nokia will launch its first device based on the platform by the end of 2011, after ditching its in-house Symbian operating system.
He added the firm will begin selling WP7 phones in bulk in 2012.
Industry insiders said the first Nokia WP7 handset – which they said will be fully touch-screen – will be a “fantastic piece of hardware”.
The Finnish company is desperate to gain a foothold in the lucrative smartphone market, where it has been rocked by intense competition from the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC.
Nokia yesterday launched its N9 handset running the MeeGo operating system it jointly developed with Intel. Analysts have described the phone as an “orphan” as it is unlikely to be joined by other MeeGo phones, and could miss out on future updates.
The release will do little to reassure investors, who have seen Nokia’s shares tumble since announcing a shock sales and margin warning earlier this month, and admitting it may not make a profit this quarter.
To make matters worse, Nokia will this year be superceded by Samsung as the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, with Apple also biting at its heels.