Many have speculated that if Windows Phone 8 should somehow flop, then Nokia's goose is cooked. Not so says Nokia board chairman, Risto Siilasmaa. In his first television interview on Thursday, Siilasmaa said that Nokia has a "contingency plan" in place just in case Microsoft's mobile OS "fails to live up to expectations." That being said, he stressed that the company was confident that it would be a success, describing Windows Phone 8 as "a technological first, providing users with a seamless user experience across multiple platforms, from PCs to tablets and smartphones."
He defended Nokia's decision to ditch their own operating system after “Symbian’s market share has come down close to zero,” since it began to decline in 2008. Siilasmaa also stood by CEO, Stephen Elop, who "came in at a tough time." Nokia's stock has plummeted since making the move to Windows Phone and the Finnish manufacturer has announced that it will be cutting 10,000 jobs.
Contingency plan or not, Nokia's fate seems to be closely tied to the success of Windows Phone. They took a huge hit after the change in strategy, and it's hard to believe that they could survive a second one in such a short time.
Source: Yle Uutiset; Via: CNET; Thanks, everyone, for the tip!
