WP7 vs. iPhone & Android: Nokia Says Young Smartphone Users Are "Fed Up" With iPhone, Android

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Nokia has a new marketing push. In targeting a mostly youth demographic, company representatives say their target market thinks Apple iPhones are boring, and that smartphones using Google’s Android platform are baffling.

Nokia wants to establish a new image, especially among the youth market. Given the dominance of the iPhone and Android smartphones from various manufacturers, Nokia — and Windows Phone 7 — now plays the underdog, and wants to set itself apart from the crowd. In an interview with Pocket Lint, director of portfolio, product marketing and sales Niels Munksgaard says the youth are “pretty much fed up with iPhones.” Given strong demand for the iPhone, eventually everyone will have one (or a similar product) and consumers will want a change at some point.

Everyone has the iPhone. Also, many are not happy with the complexity of Android and the lack of security. So we do increasingly see that the youth that wants to be on the cutting edge and try something new are turning to the Windows phone platform.

Munksgaard says Nokia wants to deliver a different user experience to set itself apart from the “sea of sameness” that he considers the current smartphone market to be. Nokia thinks their different approach lies in mobile entertainment, such as Nokia Mix Radio. The service is set to allow users play their tracks on other, compatible devices. But while Apple’s iTunes match does pretty much the same thing, Nokia’s service is likely to be more social. There are no details at this point, although it is speculated that Nokia Mix Radio will let Windows Phone 7 users share their tracks with other WP7 smartphones wirelessly.

Nokia has recently launched its Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 smartphones powered by Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone 7 “Mango” operating system. WP7 itself is seeing a dwindling market share, falling from 2.7% in 2010 to only 1.5% as of third quarter of 2011. Microsoft is banking on Nokia’s strong market presence in Europe to help jumpstart its efforts in the mobile phone business. Rumor has it that Microsoft will be combining the Windows Phone and Windows 8 code base to unify desktop, tablet and mobile devices, which will provide for a unified experience for Windows users.