Nokia can’t seem to catch a break right now. Just as things were starting to calm down after an autumn of turmoil which saw the arrival of a new CEO, a string of top level resignations and the delay of MeeGo until next year, Nokia N8 problems have reared their head again.
The much-delayed Symbian 3 flagship is now the centre of a power failure problem, which sees the phone either fail to turn on, or conversely, turn off.
Nokia has admitted to the problem, its EVP Niklas Savander taking to the official Nokia Conversations blog to explain that this was a “small” and “limited” issue. Savander also said that the warranty covered the problem. That’s no surprise seeing as the phone has barely been on shelves for two months.
Despite its swift attempts to own the story, there’s no denying that this is embarrassing for Nokia. Word is already flying that the C7 is also affected, with chatter about custom care workers not realising that there was a problem. Esteemed Russian mobile watcher Eldar Murtazin has even claimed as many as 5 per cent of Nokia N8s in his home country have problems. That’s a pretty significant minority and a figure which will doubtless give Nokia plenty to think about.
Savander and co have been keen to characterise rivals as not being up to scratch, reserving special words for Apple and its antennagate woes. It’s evident that Nokia has learned from their rivals in Cupertino and come flying out of the blocks in order to prove that this is not widespread. But this is not good for a phone on which so much is riding. Symbian smartphone share continues to slide and the N8 still has a good few months in the limelight before Nokia decides to gazump it with its next-gen flagship, most likely at February’s annual Mobile World Congress.
But be under no illusion. This will hamper the N8. The web is alive with commenters making plenty of noise. Anyone who researches the Nokia N8 before buying it will doubtless come across Savander’s interview on YouTube and comments which allege it’s denied the problem, as well as words from Nokia fans who’ve now decided not to take the plunge. This all adds up and Nokia will be desperate to get this swept away sharpish. It’s embarrassing and caps what has been another frustrating year at Nokia’s Finland HQ. MeeGo and 2011 can’t come soon enough.
Comments