When You Deny The Truth, You Deny Your Progression …
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April 22, 2008, 7:45 am
Filed under: Comment
Filed under: Comment
Despite the fact Nokia are scrambling to develop their own version of the iPhone, their CEO has just told a group of analysts that they don’t need to do more to fight the Apple phenomenon because it’s a “niche product”.
Yeah right – a niche product that not only caused the share price of the major manufactures to drop the moment it was announced, but has since gone on to sell by the bucketload and remain one of the most desired pieces of technology on the planet.
Statements like that don’t show bravery or confidence, they show stupidity and arrogance.
But then as the owner of a Nokia N95 piece of shit, I realise Nokia are quite out of touch with what the Real World want and think!
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what a cock. him, not you.
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 8:05 amWell, Nokia don’t need good products because they have a fuckin’ ace ad agency. Ha, no seriously. From reading the blog of one of their developers I always thought Nokia would be a great company with a bucket load of visions and ideas. A company that truely wants to change things and bring people together.
Comment by Seb April 22, 2008 @ 8:11 amBut this comment is just absolutely ignorant and idiotic.
isnt the ceo of nokia a finnish accountant?
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 8:17 amthat should explain your vision issues seb.
You’ve said many times that corporate ego is one of the most dangerous things in business today and the Nokia CEO is a perfect example of that with his ridiculous comment about the iPhone.
Comment by Pete April 22, 2008 @ 8:26 amMaybe if Apple’s wonder hadn’t been so successful he may of had a point but as you point out, it’s been a phenoemon so it comes across as naive or just plain bluster.
I understand him not wanting to give credit to a competitor, but he could of handled it very differently and even come out looking good if he said it was a good product but Nokia are working on creating a product which doesn’t leave people wanting for some basic features.
I wonder if Nokia’s shareprice fell after this outburst?
Finnish accountants have visions.
Comment by Seb April 22, 2008 @ 8:27 amI guess. They do, do they?
I am close to 100% sure.
Or something like that.
Anyway, Scandinavian women look gorgeous.
Point.
i couldnt agree more with your comment seb, scandinavian women are fucking hot.
finnish accountants arent
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 8:34 amBut the Swedish women are the best.
Comment by Seb April 22, 2008 @ 8:36 amSecond is Danish dynamite.
yes seb but they have fucked taste because neither nationality has had the pleasure of being entertained by me where as that ugly fuck campbell has shacked up with both swede and dane babes in his time. fucking weird.
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 8:54 amJealousy is ugly
Comment by Bazza April 22, 2008 @ 8:55 ami can fucking see you grinning from here baz you smug little shit. you good darling?
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 9:00 amHello!
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 9:04 amwhere the fuck have you been?
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 9:06 am🙂
Comment by Bazza April 22, 2008 @ 9:12 amShockingly I’ve been working.
I know … I know … it’s amazing, but when Lee turns up on your doorstep [literally] there’s not much you can do but actually earn your keep, ha!
Now can we get this back onto whatever subject matter I was trying to start a discussion on?
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 9:15 amyou smug fucking bastard baz, youre as happy as a midget in a mouse house arent you. prick. and no ro, of course we fucking cant, stop talking shite.
Comment by andy@cynic April 22, 2008 @ 9:19 amWell that’s ended any more comments on this post – well done Andy, you’re empathy and sensitivity really has shone through today, ha!
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 9:24 amIphone is pretty niche in the uk at the moment. Hindered by being O2 only… and no 3g, and no picture messaging… and being huge.
Comment by Rob Mortimer April 22, 2008 @ 12:05 pmAlot of ‘niche’ markets still make up a fuck load of phones though.
What the hell ar eyou doing up at this time Mr M?
Comment by Robert April 22, 2008 @ 12:10 pmare girls using iphones yet? once the girls are into them, they’re around for the long haul. and if the ladies aren’t loving them, there’s still work to be done on the drawing board methinks. [well that’s my theory, anyways]
Comment by lauren April 22, 2008 @ 12:38 pmIt’s a phone. Of course women are using them 😉
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 1:26 pmI seem to remember reading an interview with this chap (maybe it was another chap) which I found inspiring. In it he talked about the fact that Nokia didn’t see themselves as “phone makers” and wanted to concentrate on services and software instead.
I find what you describe him saying here rather odd and a bit fucking stupid and deep down inside I feel proud about switching from Nokia (I’d been using Nokia phones since 1995) to sony.
Comment by Marcus April 22, 2008 @ 2:07 pmTo someone like Nokia, wouldn’t any phone that sells less than 5 million units of a particular model represent niche?
I agree it is a rather silly comment but had an analyst asked what his criteria was for qualification as a “niche product”, he could have quantified his answer and potentially avoided further ridicule on this blog.
I wonder if he would class his N-gage fiasco as a “niche product”?
Comment by Lee Hill April 22, 2008 @ 2:07 pmNokia aren’t a mobile phone manufacturer – they make rubber boots too 😉
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 2:09 pmThat’s it Lee, you big business types stick together 🙂
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 2:10 pmNiches are your future competition. They’re the potential disruption of your marketplace. You have to pay attention to your competition when they’re small because once they get big it’s probably too late. Mobile phones were niche once.
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 4:19 pmTrue John – but my argument is the iPhone is not a niche and for the CEO of NOKIA to classify it as such is both arrogant and demonstrative of a brand that is lacking direction and an appreciation of who it’s future competitiors could be – the China brands who are absolutely niche at this moment but have the hunger and money to start truly encroaching on their stronghold business if they address a couple of small – but fundamental – issues.
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 5:16 pmIt’s all getting a bit semantic. The arrogance is undeniable and inexcusable (the Nokia guy’s that is – not yours on this occassion) but when does a product stop being niche? It used to be tied into a combination of not being big enough to generate economies of scale and/or meetug a need that the mainstream didn’t supply. You could therefore argue that the pose factor of the IPhone makes it niche. Or you could argue that 3g is the mainnstream these days so the non-3g iPhone is niche. Similarly I would guess that your niche Chinese brands shift more units than iPhone so which of those is the niche? Lose the jargon.
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 5:36 pmSidenote for Andy – what about female Finnish accountants?
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 5:39 pmJohn, Freud would like you to write his next chapter on ‘what is beauty’, having read your response to this post, he thinks you’re suitably qualified.
Would you like to make a point or just go round in circles for a while longer?
[Oooooh I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed writing that!]
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 5:43 pmThe point is that I’m right and you’re not.
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 5:45 pmIf it saves me having to work out what you’re saying….
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 5:46 pmWho do you think you are Dodds? Brian Clough.
You’re on the ropes, we can all see it …
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 5:49 pmThe niche comment was designed to show the circularity of your argument. Whether iPhone is niche or not is irrelevant – it’s ignoring the competition that is the issue here – as I said before. And that my friend is what we call the rope a dope. 8…9..10
Comment by John April 22, 2008 @ 5:59 pmNo, your comment was to show you’re a smart-arse Mr Dodds – and what’s worse is I can understand what you’re saying and even agree with it – well, if you take your examples in isolation, because by your reckoning every product evolution means it either starts as a niche product [or makes the previous mainstream product, niche] and whilst that is a purist response, it’s not a realist one 🙂
Comment by Rob April 22, 2008 @ 6:12 pmYou clearly have no clue about my work and Im frankly appalled that you take my name in vain to defend your spurious arguments.
Comment by Sigmund April 22, 2008 @ 6:31 pmthe iphone is completely niche…parker makes more sense than you here:
http://adscam.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/the-future-of-t.html
Comment by Tom April 22, 2008 @ 11:50 pmAha – now we see George is on my side on this one – let’s see what happens now.
Comment by John April 23, 2008 @ 2:08 amIf Rob finds out George was drinking before he wrote that post, your victorious smile may be wiped off your face Dodds.
Personally I don’t give a shit whose right or wrong, I just know Rob is a terrier when there’s a debate so don’t get too comfortable in the glow of victory because he’ll probably get Steve Jobs to write a post telling you all you’re assholes.
Comment by Billy Whizz April 23, 2008 @ 7:10 amHi Tim, I’ve read George’s argument and on face value I can understand why you would slag me off – however what George is talking about is Nokia’s total sales for god knows how many variants, all globally launched and all in the market for years whereas the iPhone is still not universally available, has only been in market a relatively short time and has only one variant [at this point]
I’m not denying it is a very small player in the big scheme of things, however when you accept it’s time in market, global awareness/impact and every other phone manufacturers scramble to try and create a comparible variant product, I believe that while it may still be niche interms of current sales [but still better than most other specific phone launches] it’s impact on the industry and market is of a true mainstream player.
Comment by Rob April 23, 2008 @ 8:26 amTold you
Comment by Billy Whizz April 23, 2008 @ 9:03 amThis creeping still won’t get you to get to the SF office Billy. Sorry, but you’re Andy’s “pet”!
Comment by Rob April 23, 2008 @ 9:05 amI couldn’t wade into this one yesterday for comments because of net restrictions. All fair points made about the iPhone and Nokia. I think Lauren’s is one of the best. I’ve not seen many women using the iPhone yet. They will I’m sure but nice observation.
As for the Nokia CEO, he knows damn well that the Nokia rip-off of the iPhone is coming shortly its tentatively called Tube and I’ve no idea how good it will be. I do know that its a follower and not a leader though.
Comment by Charles Frith April 23, 2008 @ 9:23 amthank you charles. one day i’ll get paid for that kind of insight.. 🙂
Comment by lauren April 23, 2008 @ 9:31 amCharles can’t respond to you Lauren, he’s become another victim of the elite Nokia Hitman squad.
And that kind of insight does get paid well – but only if you work for McCaan’s 🙂
Comment by Robert April 23, 2008 @ 10:15 am