Smartphones: Nokia to drop Symbian in favour of Windows Phone 7?
by Steven Mostyn - Feb 4 2011, 10:14
Sounding the smartphone death knell for Symbian? Image: Microsoft.
The Symbian operating system has enjoyed considerable traction in the mobile phone market thanks to its widespread use in the handsets of Finnish titan Nokia Corp.
However, with the world’s leading handset manufacturer struggling to compete in the U.S. market against smartphones carrying Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, it would appear Symbian’s days are numbered.
More pointedly, current industry rumour suggests Nokia is to announce a partnership with Microsoft Corp. that will result in the adoption of the Redmond-based software giant’s Windows Phone 7 operating system.
Whispers regarding the industry coupling began gathering momentum last week when Nokia CEO Stephen Elop—himself a former Microsoft exec—indicated the company is willing to “create and/or join other ecosystems” in order to remain competitive.
If analyst opinion is to be believed, Elop is now expected to uncover the deal during a meeting of Nokia investors that’s scheduled to take place in London on February 11.
The Windows Phone 7 partnership will then be officially announced at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which runs from February 14 to February 17.
Shares in Nokia have improved over the past few days since word of the possible deal began to spread.
In related news, Espoo-based Nokia recently cancelled the U.S. launch of its Symbian-powered X7 smartphone.
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