George Tuvell

Mobile = software not hardware

People love talking about Microsoft vs. Google. How is Microsoft going to stop Google? Google is going to push Microsoft out of the enterprise…etc.

Why is no one talking about the equally important battle of Nokia vs. Google?

These two giants are battling a silent war that is flying under the radar, and it’s amazing. They both want their software in front of the 3 billion mobile users around the world, more so than they want PC Internet users (only 1 billion globally).

Nokia clearly dominants the mobile space today (like +40% market share), and is facing ongoing pressure from both Google and Apple, but are marching forward without hesitation.

Here’s the short version of the latest between these two:

•  Nokia buys social mobile app Twango (now ovi)
•  Nokia buys NAVTEQ mapping system
•  Google releases open source mobile OS Android
•  Nokia purchases Symbian (already dominant OS) and is taking it open source
•  Google does deal with Tele Atlas mapping system
• Both are aggressively growing the development community – Nokia with more experience here.

The point is, you don’t see these companies touting the latest processors, displays, speakers, or keyboards. It’s all about software, not the hardware. Hardware still plays a factor, but let’s face it that Apple makes everyone look silly. So, I believe the war will be won with the best software and services, not hardware. I also think Nokia is in this game for the long haul – the “Microsoft” of the mobile space. Wondering if Yahoo/Microsoft has gotten in the way of talking about this one

update: Nokia today signs  Warner Music Deal

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