Nokia has pledged allegiance to Symbian, refuting a belief that the decade-old mobile operating system is being phased out.
Speaking at a company event today, Nokia Chief Executive Olli Pekka-Kallasvuo said the company "will continue to invest in Symbian as our dominant smart-phone platform in the foreseeable future," according to MarketWatch.
"Let me be clear. Symbian is our platform of choice. Today, and in the future," Kai Oistamo, head of Nokia's handset unit, added.
The claims echo a rumor that Nokia is planning just one Maemo smartphone in 2010. The flashy operating system powers Nokia's N900 smartphone, and I think it's what the company needs to go toe-to-toe with Apple, HTC and Motorola in the battle of high-end handsets. However, Nokia believes Symbian is needed to power cheaper smartphones around the globe. The company does want to improve Symbian, which has been criticized as clunky and outdated, and says future versions will be three times faster, with better graphics and navigation.
I don't think Nokia's remarks rule out an earlier story that Nokia will ultimately phase out Symbian on its high-end smartphones by 2012. That's three years from now, giving Nokia plenty of time to develop a brand around Maemo.
I just hope that Maemo trickles down to devices that aren't as pricey as the N900, which lists for $650, unlocked. With the ability to run full Flash in its Web browser (and, apparently, emulators), the N900 seems more advanced than today's smartphones, and it has the potential to lead the market towards more feature-rich offerings. It'd be a shame if Nokia hung back on Symbian for too long. It may be a workhorse, but to tech watchers it's pretty dull.
