Skip to main content

Nokia may move to Silicon Valley, adopt Windows 7 or Android

Nokia CEO Stephen ElopOnce king of the wireless world, Nokia has fallen behind recently, with a 21 percent drop in revenue in the final quarter of 2010, and a recent loss of its hold on the worldwide smartphone market share to Android. But if recent rumors are true, the Finnish mobile giant isn’t taking the beating laying down.

A report by Andrew Orlowski at The Register says that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop plans to move the “executive center” of the company to Silicon Valley, where a “virtual HQ” is planned. If true, the move — considered a “radical” change for the 150-year-old company — would require Nokia’s board of directors to spend a significant portion of their working hours outside of Finland.

Elop, a former Microsoft executive who appears determined to regain Nokia’s competitiveness, is the first non-Finnish CEO the company has had. A move to the United States would only add to the dilution of the brand’s national identity.

The report of Nokia’s potential Silicon Valley move coincides with multiple reports that the brand may ditch its Symbian and Meebo operating systems — both of which Elop has labeled as lacking competitiveness — in favor of either Windows 7 Mobile or Google’s Android OS.

This rumor is at least partially based on a leaked internal memo, entitled “Standing on a burning platform,” in which Elop says Nokia is being attacked on all fronts — by Apple from the high-end, Android from the middle and MediaTek from below.

In a recent statement, Elop also says Nokia’s only options are to “build, catalyst or join a competitive ecosystem.” The “build” reference purportedly pertains to Symbian and MeeGo; “catalyse” is about adopting Windows 7 Mobile; and “join” means going to Android. (At least that’s the way TechCrunch Europe‘s Steven O’hear is interpreting it.)

As we’ve already noted, a Nokia-Windows 7 partnership would be disastrous for a plethora of reasons, starting with the fact that neither has the momentum to save the other from drowning — even if Microsoft does have deep enough pockets to keep a dead horse on its feet.

Unfortunately, a report from the Financial Times indicates that Nokia is receiving pressure from a range of its European carriers, including Vodafone, Telefónica, and France Telecom, to not adopt Android, as the market is already saturated by handsets running on that OS.

Whatever the rumors, we should have a better idea by the end of the week what Elop has in store for Nokia when he takes the stage at the company’s annual Capital Markets Day this Friday.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
iOS 17 might add a huge Android feature to your iPhone
App Store displayed on an iPhone 14 Pro against a pink background

As Apple’s Wideworld Developers Conferencce gets closer, the rumors have continued coming in at rapid succession. Over the weekend, in his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that iOS 17 will support app sideloading to comply with European regulations. This would allow iPhone users to download apps and games that are hosted on digital storefronts that are not Apple’s official App Store — something Android phones have been able to do for years.

With the ability to sideload apps, customers don’t necessarily need to use Apple’s App Store to download and purchase apps or make in-app purchases. This change would also mean developers can bypass Apple’s 15% to 30% fees from all purchases.

Read more
Your old iPhone may not get iOS 17 this year, and that’s good
Apple iPhone X Review

With Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference coming on June 5, we’re expecting a lot of cool things to be announced during the keynote. This could finally be the time that Apple unveils its mixed reality headset, and — of course — we’ll be getting our usual slate of software updates for existing products. That includes iOS 17, which will no doubt ship with the iPhone 15 later this year.

But one rumor going around recently is that iOS 17 could be dropping support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. iPadOS 17 may also be leaving the first generation 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, as well as the fifth-generation iPad, in the dust. Though many people who are using these devices seem to be outraged at the possibility of not getting iOS 17 on their older iPhones, I think it’s the right decision. Here’s why.
You already got over 5 years of software upgrades

Read more
How to back up an iPhone using Mac, iCloud or PC
iphone x notch

Backing up your iPhone will come in handy if you ever lose your phone or need to transfer contacts to a new device. Your iPhone probably contains thousands of pictures of places you visited, the moments you shared, and adorable pet photos you captured.

Backups are also a good way to restore your phone if something happens to iOS, or you're sick of dealing with a buggy beta. We recommend creating regular backups of your phone to avoid losing pictures, contacts, and any important files that you've downloaded.

Read more