Nokia's Next Big Thing
posted Sunday Apr 15, 2012 by Scott Ertz
Since its initial announcement at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, it has been clear that Nokia and Microsoft had put all of their Easter eggs in one basket, the Lumia 900. It has been a week since the official launch, so now is the time to look at how it has gone.
Laptop Magazine got to talk with Chris Weber, president of Nokia North America, about how important this launch was for Nokia and AT&T. AT&T, the exclusive handset partner, has said this is their most exciting handset launch ever, even bigger than the iPhone. That puts a lot of pressure on Nokia, but they believe that the unique design styling and the exclusive apps only available on Lumia devices is enough to differentiate it.
So, how has the Lumia done so far and how will they decide if it was a successful launch? Hit the break to find out.
So far, Nokia's Lumia series has had some decent numbers. In the first quarter of the year, the earlier Windows Phones sold over 2 million units, which isn't bad considering they all premiered later in the quarter. Nokia and Microsoft have hoped that their new flagship phone would topple all previous models. Picking a holiday to launch the phone was an interesting choice, especially Easter, where most AT&T stores were closed. This led to a less than stellar start, but with pre-orders it didn't hurt too much.
On the other hand, an early software glitch that caused many new users to lose network connectivity was a problem. The glitch has now been patched, but it was not a great way to start out. It certainly doesn't inspire confidence. The good news is that anyone who had already purchased or purchases by April 21 will receive a $100 rebate as an apology from Nokia. This seems very reminiscent of the Nintendo 3DS price cut, issuing early adopters a wealth of free games. The difference here is that it makes this hardcore 4G LTE Windows Phone free. If that isn't incentive to buy one, I don't know what is.
All of that said, Weber isn't focusing on units sold, but instead of the level of satisfaction users have with their new device and how willing they are to recommend it to family and friends. Windows Phone just won Laptop Magazine's phone challenge, so it would seem that users are already happy with their experience, so my guess is that adding a free 4G handset into the mix that is beautifully styled will only make that rise.
So, we want to know - do you have a Lumia 900? Did you experience any of the early data glitches? Did the price point affect your decision? Let us know below!
