Nokia abandons Japanese market

Man, and I had 20mil in my pocket just waiting to spend on an outdated phone! Where can I spend it now?

Nokia are all but finished in today's phone market

Even more damaging has been Nokia’s inability to meet modern challenges of the smartphone market, the lucrative sector in the handset industry.

Nokia is very smart and has the ability to enjoy huge business in world's largest countries i.e. China and India !

I dont think Japan will be the last market Nokia abandons - they dropped the ball 10 years ago and havent caught up yet... I doubt China and India will make much difference either

They made terrible management mistakes years ago by first going with proprietary software and then compounding that error with Windows software. Think about it, how many people do you know have Nokia phones? That answer is the same in Japan as in the States (maybe even Europe).

I always liked the bell of Nokia's phones. I have a Nokia phone, paulinusa and I know too hundrds of people who have one in Europe.

Yes, Microsoft is dragging Nokia down with it.

May both R.I.P.

actually Nokia makes a lot of its business in the Third World with cheap phones and can't excel in a higher end marketplace. They did have a chance some years ago and went for proprietary systems.

Ironically Apple iphone itself is losing progressively to Android so one king topples another temporarily it seems. Sad though that with so many viable choices, the market went with the phone with the worst human rights associated with it.

Read that Nokia's market share in Japan is 1%. If that's true, it's no wonder they're pulling out.

Second time they have pulled out of Japan

DUMB move not to go with SMARTphones. Nokia reminds me of my ex - out of touch with reality, not putting out and eventually getting the boot.

Interesting to see Apple succeed so well in popularising the Smartphone. The stylish, light, slim designs that Nokia made are rendered irrelevant by newcomers that can do so much more, that we never dreamed we would be able to with a pocket device. If they are smart, they'll move into Smartphones. There's also more money to be made with all the frequent upgrades.

Didn't they pull out of here before?

Think about it, how many people do you know have Nokia phones? That answer is the same in Japan as in the States (maybe even Europe).

I do have a wonderful Nokia N97 and i am not going to reject it for any Apple, Banana or Watermelon.

It is a fact though, that Japanese market is VERY competitive. Don't worry Nokia. There is plenty of space for you in India, China and Europe.

I do have a wonderful Nokia N97 and i am not going to reject it for any Apple, Banana or Watermelon.

Antonios: There is an alternative: Android, which, if you don't know, now has the world's largest market share. Nokia should have jumped on the Android bandwagon, but for whatever reason didn't.

I used Nokia's and stopped only after coming to Japan. I think their functions were better than that of Ericsson (now SonyEricsson) and Motorola. It depends on the model but the higher end models were excellent and in fact I would still use then if only I could swap Sim cards.

The Japanese market however isn't right for Nokia because they want all the additions needed like TV for when sitting on the train. I am sure they will still hold market for many of the other countries.

Vertu however I never understood but then again, I don't have 5 million yen to waste on a phone!

Cell phones, very much like people, want to be touched, not pushed.

Not everyone wants to have a smartphone. A phone should be a phone. I don't want to pay for all these extra new services I never use anyway. I am worried that soon all you can get are only those smartphones. I can send SMS and do phone calls with my Nokia and that is all I want to do with a phone.

Foxie> what other services? Smartphones are cellphones just like your outdated Nokia. Only difference is that they're easier to use and look way cooler. Doesn't cost you anything extra either. If you don't want to download and use any applications, then don't. Same goes with the already installed "services". You read the news online instead of from a newspaper, do you not? Same thing! Go with the times girl, otherwise you see yourself alone and booted just like Nokia before you know it. Don't tell me you also still use a fax machine...

Nokia Info: just FYI:

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki. Founded Tampere, Finland (1865), incorporated (1871) Founder(s) Fredrik Idestam and Leo Mechelin.....interesting...

Skeptical Hippo- Fax machine??? What's that? I love my outdated Nokia.

To say that Android is outperforming Apple is a bit misleading. Android is an operating system that is available on many makers handsets. iOS is only available on Apple devices and as far as phones are concerned Apple only has the iPhone so naturally Android is on more handsets. Apple isn't worried have you seen their earnings for last quarter? they are quite content.

Nokia made a huge mistake with teh symbian and their ovi platform is adistant third behind iPhone and Androids in the smartphone market. people are right in that Nokia still has a huge market share, but that is in cheap 2G handsets and low cost 3G handsets. They have no credible product in the smartphoen market which is increasingly becoming an iPhone, Samsung galaxy and HTC market. i would go so far as saying Motorola have great products compared to Nokia in the smartphone sphere having aligned with Android.

They need to cut the losses and drop symbian/ovi which is just crap.

@ some14some and Antonius_M - I doubt China is a good market for Nokia, how will they compete with imitation i-phones :) those things sell like hot cakes in the middle east, knock-offs for the win! :)

Nokia - ah yes, I remember them....

Nokia Info: just FYI:

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki. Founded Tampere, Finland (1865), incorporated (1871) Founder(s) Fredrik Idestam and Leo Mechelin.....interesting...

And your point is?

Roxie> My Dad loves his old IBM with Windows 95 on it. Maybe you should hook up....

The best phone I have ever had was a Nokia (N92), it was smart with many good quality features. And it rarely crashed. Symbian is still a good quality mobile OS.

Now I have an iPhone simply because of the App store.

Ah Nokia, things were so much simple back then...in 2003. Gone but not forgotten.

http://www.freakingnews.com/Modern-Antique-Phone-Pictures-21738.asp

Nokia are all but finished in today's phone market

Agree. Nokia are all but Finnish'ed in today's phone market.

I spend a lot of time back home in a remote area in a Third World country. The Nokias they sell there are simple, have strong antennas for weak signsl areas, and great battery life The features they have there are the ones Third World people need, like a bright built-in flashlight (our village has no power supply). And those phones are super affordable. No one there could or would buy an expensive iphone with its relative complexity (for illiterate villagers), poor antenna power and short battery life. But for Japan? People have money, strong signals, and power to charge their phones. Not to mention being techno-savvy. Nokia can't compete here with iPhones and Androids.