Nokia knows how to throw a party; the booze was flowing and food was everywhere. I’ve never seen so many N95s in one place and not just the demo units but the ones brought in by guests. Getting a chance to talk with Nokia staff was the best part of the evening and I learned a few things about the U.S. launch.
Nokia isn’t responding to Apple’s launch of the iPhone. They’ve been planning a U.S. campaign for years and it seems the tall ivory towers at Nokia HQ were the cause for delay. It was largely an analysis and numbers game compared to Apple’s “innovation at any cost” strategy.
Nokia USA exec Bill Plummer thanked the crowd for being early adopters and spreading the word about Symbian. He went on to say, and it was mentioned by other Nokia staff and users, that the Nseries devices are for content-creators compared to the iPhone’s position of content-consumption. After witnessing the capabilities of the N95 I’d agree, but the “creator vs consumer” comparison changes based on the context.
Who, exactly, is creating this content with the Nseries and are they willing to spend $500 to $700 to do so? I have an unlikely, but perfect, target customer and it’s not college kids or aspiring YouTubers.
One word: parents.
It’s not always possible, or convenient, to have a still camera and camcorder lying around for capturing those spur-of-the-moment childhood memories but a mobile device is always at hand. The N95 grabs those memories with a 5 megapixel still camera and can capture full-motion video. It may not be HD but neither is my Digital8 camcorder.
What about the N95’s other multimedia features?
How better to silence an upset child than playing their favorite movie. I keep Pixar’s Cars and The Incredibles at the ready on my E61. I also load up on still photos because my son loves seeing his grandparents.
Movies and photos not doing the trick? Load up an educational game (a la the resurrected N-Gage gaming platform) to keep your child occupied while you wait in the pediatrician’s office.
What did I forget?
Phone-to-phone videoconferencing at a moment’s notice, wherever you are. Save money on your mobile bill with the N95’s built-in VOIP (a la Truphone or Gizmo) or the soon-to-be-released Skype client. Use the built-in GPS receiver and Maps application to find your way. Sync your calendar and address book. Read your e-mail.
Parents spare no expense for their children especially when it comes to taking photos and video. Is the ability to watch movies, videochat, have GPS, and use VOIP worth the N95’s $700 price tag? Let’s see what separate devices would cost you.
- 5 MP still camera: $250
- Camcorder: $500
- Video iPod: $250
- Portable GPS: $350
- VOIP phone: $150
- Total: $1,500
The N95’s feature set is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition and $700 is a bargain compared to buying separate devices. Dad and mom can have their own N95 for less than one set of cameras, portable GPS, etc. Some people don’t like an “all-in-one” device but the overall convenience and capabilities outweigh the negatives.
I almost forgot to mention the N95 can make an ordinary phone call.
The last post mentioned my impending purchase of an iPhone instead of the Nokia N95. I’ve got another post coming with very practical reasons why the N95 is ahead of its time in the U.S. market.
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Apparently Nokia’s fan base turned on its head when Apple released the iPhone. I suppose Nokia thought itself the undiscovered flower of the mobile world…the Apple of mobile devices as it were. When the iPhone dropped, so did Nokia’s jaw when they discovered the ship had sailed.