The rise and fall of Nokia's mobile phones: from the uncrowned king to the revival of a new hope
In today's smartphone market, brands such as Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi are undoubtedly well-deserved protagonists. But if we go back to the 90s of the 20th century and even the beginning of the 21st century, we must mention a legendary giant that has been brilliant several times - Nokia. This communication giant from Finland has been a leader in the field of mobile phones, dominating the development trend of the entire industry, and its products have become a cultural symbol.
However, the advent of the intelligent era has brought a huge impact to Nokia. Due to strategic mistakes and a lack of innovation, the company, which had long dominated the mobile phone market, eventually withdrew from the market and was left far behind by up-and-comers such as Apple and Samsung. However, in recent years, with the intervention of HMD, Nokia's mobile phone business has regained some vitality, and we have unexpectedly seen it "sold out" again in 2024. What kind of uncertain story is this? Let's review the rise and fall of Nokia phones.
Pioneer of the era of the wireless revolution
When it comes to Nokia, many people may only know it as a mobile phone manufacturer, but in fact, this old company that originated in 1865 was originally engaged in the wood pulp and paper industry. It was not until the early 80s of the 20th century, with innovative breakthroughs in the field of radio communication, that Nokia officially entered the mobile communication industry.
In 1982, Nokia launched its first mobile phone, which, while bulky and old, marked the beginning of the Finnish company's long-term leadership in the era of the wireless revolution. In the early 90s, with the rise of the second-generation mobile communication technology GSM, Nokia keenly grasped this development opportunity, with its own technical advantages in the field of GSM, seized the rapid development of the global mobile phone market, and became the largest mobile phone manufacturer at that time.
A model of design and technology
In the late 90s of the last century, Nokia can be described as a well-deserved leader in the mobile phone industry. With outstanding design concepts and technological innovations, it has made its products to the extreme and created classics.
At that time, the most representative was the Nokia 3310. This tried-and-tested phone has won the hearts of users around the world with its sleek shape, ruggedness, rich practical features and long standby time. Not only that, but Nokia's unique ringtone became the most iconic sound of the era. In the later stage of development, Nokia took the lead in launching a number of revolutionary mobile phone black technologies, such as built-in cameras, color screens, etc., which made people see its ability to continue to innovate.
By 2000, Nokia had become the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, with products in almost every corner of the world. It can be said that in that era of relatively lagging technological development, Nokia mobile phones are simply the uncrowned king, dominating the trend of the entire industry.
Missing out on the era of intelligence
Just when Nokia seems to be walking in the clouds, the first horn of the smartphone era has been sounded. As a revolutionary change in the entire mobile communication industry, smart phones have brought unprecedented challenges to traditional mobile phone manufacturers. In 2007, Apple redefined the new concept of "mobile phone" with the advent of the iPhone, and then the rise of the Android camp turned the entire industry landscape upside down.
It is not difficult to find that Nokia has fallen into serious passivity in this process. Due to restlessness, strategic mistakes and a lack of innovation, the once-glorious mobile phone giant lost its lead. Nokia insisted on using its own Symbian system and failed to transform and upgrade in time, resulting in outdated products and declining market share. Later, although I also tried to cooperate with Microsoft's WindosPhone system, it was too late.
In 2013, Nokia was finally acquired by Microsoft, and the mobile phone business became part of Microsoft. But soon after, Microsoft began to split and reorganize the Nokia brand, treating it as a rival's patent, burying all hopes of Nokia in the field of mobile phones. For a while, the stunt of "Nokia smashing walnuts" can only become an eternal memory in people's mouths.
Start afresh in search of hope
Despite such a blow, Nokia did not give up all opportunities in the field of mobile phones. In 2016, a company called HMD obtained a patent license for Nokia-branded mobile phones and began operating the Nokia mobile phone product line. Since then, Nokia's mobile phone business has regained a bit of life.
In recent years, Nokia, a subsidiary of HMD, has successively released a number of new models, including Nokia 8.3, 9PureView and other mid-to-high-end models. But the most impressive thing is probably the replica 3210 feature phone that will be launched in 2024. As a commemorative product, this classic shape of the straight phone restores the fun of the "snake" game back then, and makes countless old Nokia mobile phone users have endless memories.
According to the news, this 4G replica version of 3210 was sold out as soon as it was released, which is undoubtedly a good use of classic IP. However, it is more interesting to note whether HMD has laid some foundation for the re-emergence of Nokia's smartphones in the future. Will it follow the example of Nokia after its troubles and launch another stunning game? It's still too early to tell, but there's no denying that we all hope to see a real comeback from our old rivals.
summary
Looking back at the development trajectory of Nokia mobile phones, it is not difficult for us to find the rise and fall of glory and disgrace. From the 90s of the 20th century with GSM technology and outstanding design to occupy the peak, to the early 21st century by the smartphone revolution to the ground, and then to the intervention of HMD to bring a new dawn to it.