Electronics Production |
Nokia could have beaten Apple to it
Nokia apparently had an internet-ready prototype—display, touchscreen and all—already in 2004. However, Nokia did not pursue it for fear of it being a flop.
Ari Hakkarainen, then working as marketing manager for Nokia’s flagship Series 60, told journalists from the New York Times: "It was very early days, and no one really knew anything about the touch screen's potential. And it was an expensive device to produce, so there was more risk involved for Nokia. So management did the usual. They killed it."
Another—unnamed—employee also said that Nokia rejected a design for an online application store; again already in 2004.
The question is: What will Nokia do now?
