Nokia Hopeful of Windows Phone Success in China

By: Zain Nabi  |   March 7th, 2013   |   News, Smartphones

Nokia has always got a strong hold in the Chinese market, but its recent performance has raised a number of questions and doubts on its ability to sustain in this market in the longer run. However, authorities at Nokia are very much optimistic about the success of their Windows Phone in China, and believe that the company would overcome the recent slump.

 

There was a time when Nokia was the market leader in the Chinese smartphone market, but its share was taken away by ever-increasing competition in the industry. The new products introduced by Nokia did not receive the due response either and hence the company lost its market share significantly. However, Gustavo Eichelmann, chief executive officer of Nokia China, is of the view that the slow response is nothing to worry about. In an exclusive interview with China Daily, he mentioned the response received by iPhone and Android devices in their early days and said:

 

“Think about iPhone and Androiddevices in their first six months. If you look at the Windows Phone, its trajectory is actually right on track. There will be an increasing but gradual acceleration in 2013. If we fast-forward to 2016 and look back, you will see that 2013 was the turning point in terms of changing the trajectory.”

 

Nokia has collaborated with Microsoft hoping to regain its lost glory. The partnership between the two companies is expected to serve both very well as Nokia can take the Windows software to a broader audience and that too in the smartphone market, where Apple and Samsung are already showing their dominance.

 

Nokia has been in the Chinese market for more than 20 years and that is why it has a very huge customer base in China. It just has to take care of a few needs of its users so as to once again dominate this market. One of them is the cost of the new products and another is the features present in the operating system.

 

Nokia will not only have to compete with international players in the Chinese market, but it also has to beat the local players like Lenovo and Huawei that offer products at cheaper rates. Eichelmann said about the competition:

 

“The Chinese market is highly competitive. The dynamics of the competition are probably themost advanced I have ever seen. The product cycle in China’s smartphone is the fastest. Nokia needs to drive the consistency of its brand and innovation.”