Gian-Luca Cioletti, Nokia
Gian-Luca Cioletti, Nokia
Mobile application development is the heart and soul of the smartphone and mobile computing market. Without mobile application software, billions of mobile phone users around the world could make phone calls–not surfing the mobile Internet, playing mobile games or sending and receiving emails.
While the iTunes and BlackBerry App stores have received the most press attention of late, Nokia of Finland, through its Forum Nokia operation, has assisted mobile developers for many years.
Despite Nokia’s loss of market share in the handset market, the company believes offering innovative applications by working with developers is the road to profitability. Assisting developers with technical support (see the Forum Nokia Developer Community online) and the marketing of their applications through the Nokia OVI store are critical.
Bloomberg in a recent article wrote that Nokia’s failure to beat Apple’s iPhone and software puts its market share at risk, while a number of mobile app developers have migrated from Nokia’s Symbian OS platform to the iPhone, Android and other mobile platforms.
Gian-Luca Cioletti
As Head of Business Development–EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Gian Luca Cioletti is primarily responsible for evangelizing Forum Nokia’s services within the Nokia organization and developer communities, Cioletti also coordinates business opportunities with developers through Nokia channels, operators, integrators, aggregators and content providers.
One of his critical tasks is to build a strong Business Development Team in Forum Nokia EMEA. Gian was formerly in business development with Hewlett-Packard. He says he also loves to listen to music, read books on leadership and other subjects and explore innovative ideas.
During the podcast interview, Cioletti discusses Forum Nokia’s services, its role in Nokia’s overall strategy, opportunities for application developers writing apps for Nokia’s Symbian OS, Apple’s iPhone, the meaning of innovation, marketing to countries on multiple continents (especially developing mobile areas in the world) and the importance of mobile worldwide.
The mobile development business is not necessarily lucrative for the developer since many applications sell for less than $5. (App stores, such as Nokia’s, Apple’s and others take a percentage of the sale.)
Despite Nokia’s loss of smartphone market share, it remains the dominant player in the world market for mobile phones. Most phones in India, for example, are made by Nokia.
Update – December 28, 2009
Luca Cioletti just emailed me these YouTube links about Nokia and mobile applications. You may enjoy viewing them:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY85yV_3x0g
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2KXSGf0qJ0
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd4hD-GLbEM
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQL2imnjkuU
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting perspective. While Apple gets most of the buzz about their apps, it’s significant that Nokia has been doing this for years now. I’m a huge fan of Nokia phones and their UI; I wish more Nokia models were available in the US. Sounds like Mr Cioletti and Nokia are heading in the right direction — thanks for showcasing this.
Would be great to hear what people think about the podcast ;-)
Gian Luca
Forum Nokia EMEA
I think main Nokia problem is a smaller level of freedom which developer gets compared to iPhone. And Android developer is able to develop every piece of mobile software not limited with API boundaries.
Additional problem couldbe not so user friendly interface in Nokias (except last models like N97 which I dream of :-) having N96 now). This is to say it is not enough to attract talented developers worldwide. If they have limitations form Operational System provider (Nokia) and design team (handsets designers) they couldn’t beat Android. iPhone will die itself :-) I think ;-)
Hi Denis,
thanks for the comment. We are improving all the time and the N97 is a good example of that. We are coming out in this year also with a device with the Maemo platform that is a Linux based platform.
I’m ready to work harder to attract talented developers worldwide.
Gian Luca
Forum Nokia EMEA
Being a Indian i agree Most phones in India, for example, are made by Nokia.
Nokia is dominant player in India’s growing market because of its user friendliness.
India as 70% of rural (village) population, where more than 85% of people use Nokia handsets.
Hi NaveenKumar,
thank you very much for the comment.
Understand the market and the customer needs is crucial and especially in emerging markets. I believe that providing the right services to the customers is the key for the success.
Gian Luca
Forum Nokia EMEA
Gian,
Interesting PodCast, a bit too long though :-) did not have time to listen through it all the way. However permit me to make a comment as a user. My first mobile (1996) was a Nokia and have since had only Nokia. To me and guessing this goes for many, Nokia was always fast in bringing new and better devices. Basically the engine in making a mobile phone a fashion item. Menu’s and applications have remained very recognizable over the years, which was another incentive to stick with the brand. In short I would say Nokia has always been hardware driven.
To my feeling, today Nokia misses out on the gadget factor which is what drives an iPhone. The seamlessness of their applications or when talking Blackberry the easy of use. Nokia can do all and more than the iPhone and blackberry together I am sure… But is today just not as funky.
Interested in your comment about podcast length. If this and other podcasts were broken down into 10-15 minute segments, would that encourage you to listen more?
100% correct. “…the…[podcast] should be [shortened]…to 10 minutes.
Agree with comments re length of podcast.
We dont find development on Nokia platforms harder than say Palm, WM or iPhone. on the contrary, its often easier as you can use std C/C++. ObjectiveC on iPhone is just as ‘bizarre’ in the way it goes about things as Symbian C++.
Our main issues are commerical. Ovi Store itself is currently poor. I am unable to use any complimentary words about Ovi Store QA people, I fear publishing our true thoughts would upset too many Nokia people + we would be banned from the store. Whilst Apples QA gets bad press, Ovi Store QA is at least an order of magnitude worse – and this is from real world experiance.
Very interesting comments you all had above. Some of them I agree some are not, let me share with you my thoughts about Nokia, I agree the application of the software is very important, but also there are so many thing Nokia can do better: (Just my own views)
Nokia situation:
Nokia Brand: Early comer, Biggest player, with most reliable phone on the market
Nokia Competition: High-end (smart-phone)- No advantages compare to apple, RIM, HTC, and google phone’s in terms of outlook and application) , Middle-end- big competition from Samsung and Sony-ericsson, Low-end: Samsung and Chinese local brand (ZTE, Huawei, ZTE has the biggiest market share for CDMA phone in India already) -people want to pay low cost but also have all the smartphone functions nowadays.
Nokia Branding and market promotion: Not creative enough compare to Apple and RIM. I think one of the reason Apple and RIM are getting more and more market share in Europe and North American because: 1. AD and branding strategies. 2. Target focused market segment.
RIM is talking of China- telcom: If RIM is going to be in China, Nokia will lose more
If you ask me as a consumer: When I want to buy new phone: if I want fashion and fun with this phone I pick Apple. If I want to use it for my work I pick blackberry, if I just want make phone calls I pick Nokia. (Currently, I use Blackberry storme, when people ask me why you pick this one, I would say Obama is using same phone as me! Before Blackberry I was using Nokia E71, because I needed to check my stock, the screen was too small for me, but overall I was very happy with the phone)
Last but not the least:
How can Nokia be more competitive in various market segment?
- Desgin of the outlook surface effect, different market segment have different look
- Improvment of application to (easy to use-very small details as such less step of sending sms)
- Branding and New phone out of market’s promotion camp has to be more creative and innovative (Different Phone target different cosumer with different market channels, one AD for mass market can’t work well)
- Internal structure of decision making (You are in a crazy fast moving industry, you got to be fast and flexible)
Hope my view can be valued for you
It is very funny since Nokia keeps repeating a message that we are still the biggest mobile phone producer and they loose the smart phone market share all the time. How many 50 euro phones you need to sell that you get the same than selling 1000 euro smart phone ?
Nokia produces expensive smart phones without enough computing power and with not userfriendly application. How many clikcs you thing I’ll take while loging to OVI Store ? I’m ready to take one and then I’m ready to wait less than 5 seconds and all ‘smarties’ has to be there easy to take into use. If I want to buy I’ll give my purchase details once don’t come and ask me every time some 10 digits credit card number.
If I buy 700 euro phone I don’t like to read newspaper next day how lousy was the purchase and realize this same fact as well by using the ‘smart’ phone. By releasing next coming week another expensive smart phone that ‘should’ work better you’ll make me crazy. Do I believe your message after all that ?
If Nokia wants to compete in America they have to better phone than iphone and it has to be cheaper. The ‘OVI Store’ has to be very tempting to customer first then you’ll see if you need some application developer outside. Please do make first even one good set of applications to one phone istead of making hundereds of application of hundreds of phones that needs to be updated every now and then and even doesn’t work from another symbian version to another.
Nokia announced that they will hire lot of people from silon valley to make their mobile applications to fly. You are really funny guys … Do you really thing that american developer will give all by his heart to help your business top class ? They will give all they best to Obama and american companies. If you don’t understand where is located your best committed resources I’m not going to tell you that.
Let’s make a test give me the same budget and same task you give guys in silicon valley. I can give you guarantee you’ll see amazing results here on my behalf.
Agree in many ways with Ellen’s post. There then lies as well the dilemma that Nokia faces. An iPhone or a BlackBerry are relatively “small” players on the mobile market serving what is today a niche.
Serving a niche is a different ballgame all together. You would not want to appeal to all you would neither want to be good in everything nor would you want to be available everywhere… Targeted to an extreme though you satisfy a particular need. BlackBerry is a nice example. Hardware wise a rather un-attractive looking device but brilliant business software! Or the iPhone… the device looks fantastic, the software and all the gadgets you can get are brilliant… the use of the device though (my humble opinion) is crap.
My point being is that serving a niche means compromise towards the mass. Same the other way round, serving the mass means compromise towards the niche’s
My guess is that Nokia is not at all planning to change the core of the strategy. Their efforts will aim to stretch their range a bit further… reaching out a bit further to the corners of the different market segments. But they will remain a hardware and mass/sales driven organisation.
They are loosing market shares at the moment, or at least this is what one can read everywhere. This should be no surprise to Nokia. Personally I look forward to see if they can re-invent their user interface spice it up a bit, funk it up a bit and make it as seamless and effortless in use as iPhone and BlackBerry. I would look forward to that.
I have to say that my first cell was a Nokia. At that time (showing my age) they seemed to be the leader cell in technology. However, as the brand did not have a true identity nor seemingly a strategic directive as to targeting and channel development, they lost share to start up companies and general competitors. Part of the issue was the development of email platforms/handhelds such as the BlackBerry or Palm Pilot. In the pharmaceutical indsutry which is part of my background, the Palm and then BBerry and now iphone have become the organizer of all data-no more carrying around a planner-it is all in one compact space. How do you climb the mountain of public fervor for the new iphones? You have to be extremely focused on target audience and build a strategy that captures that particular group boldly. Apple targeted the hip, mid twenty crowd and has been extremely well received. Part of that uphill battle may involve differentiation while at the same time utilizing the same type of platform with different features/benefits that are a step or more above what is currently out there.