Nokia 5230 running the AV8Services Application
Currently a lot of my focus is on the development of the FBO guide, and how to deliver the information to the prospective audience.
Given the very nature of the service, delivery on a mobile platform is taken as a given.
Having read this morning that the iPad has arrived, I started thinking about the mobile strategy and which platforms to deliver on.
I’ve always had a time for Apple and think that it’s healthy that alternative platforms exist. When the iPhone first came out I think it was universally regarded as “cool”. However as the other phone manufacturers have now caught up, I think Apple is over-rated and certainly overpriced.
I have discovered the iPad with mobile connectivity is going to use a non-standard SIM, what a joke ! – Does the iPad data have something magical about it ? – other than the ability to allow the mobile service providers to rip you off for the privilege of being an Apple user. I can see no technical reason, it’s purely a marketing scam.
Sorry it’s not innovative or “cool”, Apple – your doing just because you can.
My first exposure to mobile data was back in the late 90’s when I was working at Ideal Hardware, the Nokia banana made famous in the Matrix was all the rage – I wanted one and immediately set about using the 9600 baud data connectivity. Websites still where largely designed around a dial-up-audience. So I’ve seen the game evolve from day one.
Well yesterday I’ve invested in a new Nokia 5230 – OK it’s the budgetary mainstream for Nokia at the moment, but here are my four reasons for choosing Nokia over Apple
1/ It’s a phone first – At a meeting in central London the other day, the only attendees who could get a signal where those with Nokia phones. Your blackberry, iPhone or whatever is useless if it cannot communicate with the outside world.
Nokia built a lot of the mobile infrastructure and transmitters as well – it follows therefore that it should have a head start on the reception front
Round 1 – Nokia
2/ Cost of Ownership
Firstly I am with T-mobile, therefore I either need a jail break phone or to change to 02, at £50 per month for 18 months, so £900 worth of contract or £500 to purchase a phone.
Then we turn to data, I currently get unlimited (well I’ve never hit the barrier) as part of my monthly tariff, I think it added a £5 to the monthly costs. iPad option see to start around £20 per month for realistic monthly usage.
Round 2 – Nokia
3/ Extras
Lets see – Nokia’s entry level sub £100 touch phone has given me – full GPS mapping and directions for most of the known world, 10 tracks to download from the Music Store, 10GB of online accessible storage, e-mail clients and access.
Understand from my Apple friends that Apple’s policy is like a 1980’s BMW – anything you might desire is likely to be on the options list with a suitable price tag attached.
Round 3 – Nokia
4/ As a Development Platform
Now I don’t have a Mac, but to develop iPhone applications you need both an iPhone and a Mac computer and a later model intel chipset one at that.
Nokia have actually made the process of developing Apps so easy, that I already have one in the works already – due for publication in the next week or so
Round 4 – Nokia
So now back to the serious business of which platform
Market Share
Well, this is where we get to the power of marketing and brands – essentially I get the same functionality form my Nokia as my friends do from the iPhone – but Apple have taken a huge market share in the markets that matter to me in the past five years or so.
Market share for Q4 2009 is coming in at 40% for Apple in North America, v 11% for Nokia, and things are even better for Apple in Nokia’s backyard with market share at 68% and Nokia hanging in at 8%
So unless my specific aviation market feedback reflects that aviation professionals across Europe are bucking the trend, reluctantly the iPhone platform must be on the agenda and is more important than the Nokia one.
So on that note, whilst I will always champion Nokia, my head say’s it has to be Apple.
Roy 28th May 2010
Hi Roy,
I Just had to make a couple of comments as I think you missed the mark in a couple of areas.
Firstly, the SIM in the iPad is a ‘Micro SIM’, which is not non-standard; it is just not common place yet. In the same way my HTC Desire uses the newer a MicroSD memory card instead of the older larger sized ones, and the new Micro USB connection instead of the standard and mini USB connections. Its wrong to think of them as non-standard – they are not Apple, or HTC proprietary designs, they are just modern standards. BTW the Micro SIM used by the iPad was developed by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to offer things like more storage space on-chip for provider applications, increased control and security functions. Whether it does become common place is another matter!
My second comment is that Nokia has no network advantage over Apple – it’s the network operator that counts here (or so I understand), so it’s not about Nokia vs Apple, its about O2 vs T-Mobile etc. I may be wrong so let me know if I am!
Anyway, I wasn’t deliberately setting out to pick holes, because I agree with some of your sentiments – especially around needing competition. I bought the HTC Desire (Google Android based) as it simple blows the socks of the Smartphone competition at the moment, including the iPhone. Android has certainly done wonders for the market and I think for the foreseeable future there are only 3 players in the game, Apple, Blackberry and Google Android based Smartphone’s. Microsoft’s market share is dropping all the time, and unless Nokia move to Android I think their market share will continue to drop also.
The one thing Apple do still lead on is the app store both in terms of application numbers and variety, and in terms of user friendliness. No one else has managed to replicate the size or organisation that Apple has achieved, but then again they got there first so have had more time to get it right – plus iTunes gave then a futher head start with regards to experience. Some people may not like Apples “Policing” of the content – and it does make me question thier motives at times, but I guess that “Policing” helps allow them to maintain the quality of the user experience.
Keep up the blog, its all interesting stuff!
Cheers
Matt
Matt – thank you kindly for taking the time to put some more detail into a couple of points.
Firstly you are correct for highlighting the micro SIM is clearly a open-standard (poor choice of wording in the original posting on my part) and in future should bring benefits for the user, however as it currently stands the only adopter for the standard is currently Apple, and to be honest I have to be cynical and say they choose to adopt it for marketing / partnership reasons rather than anything else – knowing that many mobile subscribers already have conventional SIM that has data provision. I remain to educated otherwise, but can see no logical engineering reason for the choice of the micro SIM.
I will have to disagree with you however on the point of network advantage. RF design is a specialist field and I doubt if any of the other vendors can match Nokia in this area. Incidentally two of the attendees at the meeting in London where on the same network but could not get a signal. I’ve seen similar issues else-ware such as on large open airfields. During my days at Plymouth studying electronics, we where careful in circuit design to prevent interaction between RF and non RF circuitry.
As for the closed nature of the Apple eco-system that could yet be there undoing, because despite other failings Microsoft positively encouraged application development on it’s platforms and did not “police” what was going on. Granted it may help maintain quality standards, but in the end users will revolt, especially as they have also just become the new “big bad corporate guys”.
Thank you for watching this one evolve – when I need to deliver to the Android platform I shall put you down as a tester!
Roy
Hi Roy,
I take your you point on RF design, Nokia may well make the best systems. However they are certainly behind the times in many other areas when compared to other companies (HTC, Sony, Apple…) – and their current financial situation reflects this.
Interestingly re the Apple / Microsoft software development situation and policing policies, its worth noting Apple is now bigger than Microsoft in financial value terms (the first time since the mid 80′s), so they must be doing something right. Apart from coming up with two game changing products in recent years (no other tech company even comes close to the market influence and change that the iPod and iPhone have made in the last 10 years), they have also managed to attract a completely new audience to technology – one that doesn’t care about how it works (SIM cards, standards, wireless connections, etc.), but simply cares that it just does work – almost magically without any effort or configuration (unlike Microsoft – although they are getting better) – this is the mass market, the thing that takes you to the tipping point. Perhaps getting the right policing balance is vital in this success and keeping that “Magic” going – if you let any old rubbish in you would very quickly have broken apps breaking the product they run on!
It’s an interesting debate, perhaps you should email Steve Jobs and ask why they have made the decisions they have on the SIM, their app policing policy and your preference for Nokia (seriously – sjobs@apple.com), just make sure you are to the point and have a subject that will catch his attention! From what I understand if you catch his attention he will reply personally – although he probably gets 1000′s of emails a day, he doesn’t mind criticism and is fairly open with his responses should you be lucky enough to get his attention!
Cheers
Matt