This year's Nokia World was huge. Huge not just in terms of the sheer number of participants from over 70 countries, but also in terms of Nokia's future.
The handset maker, under severe pressure to fight back against Apple and Google, announced two Windows phones – a product which they believe will bring them back in the reckoning in the smartphone segment.
The two Windows phone – Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 — relies heavily on Micrsosoft's software prowess to make it comparable to the Apple's iPhone.
So will Nokia's gamble pay off? The company certainly thinks so and is pulling all stops to make it work. A clear indication of that is that it does not have a Plan B in case the bet on Microsoft doesn't work out.
For starters, there are number of things going in favour of the company. Firstly, the Lumia phones are priced cheaper than iPhone.
Though Nokia has been struggling in the smartphone segment since 2007, most analysts feel that this is a good start.
Nokia's India Chief, Mr D. Shivakumar, says although the company has been catching up on missed opportunities it has brought more innovations on the table. “There are other Windows phones in the market but the Nokia phone brings more value to users,” says Mr Shivakumar.
In India, the handset maker is in talks with operators to bundle data plans with the device. Lumia will be available in the country by year end starting with 5,000 retail points.
But the biggest challenge for the company would be to create a desirability factor in order to wean away high-end customers from Apple.