A Lumia by any other name

THE past year has been a very interesting one for the company formerly known as Nokia.
Ever since Microsoft announced it was acquiring the company in a multi-billion-dollar deal, many have wondered what this would mean not just for the company and its employees, but also for Nokia’s smartphone range.
Today, six months into the acquisition, the rebranded Microsoft Devices Group is still in transition. The company is concentrating on its expanding range of Lumia smartphones, and it was recently announced that all future devices would be known as as Microsoft Lumia devices.
While sentimental Nokia fans mourn the loss of an icon, the good news is that the Nokia name still exists, but only in the entry-level smartphone market.
For the Malaysian market, one of those charged with leading the newly-revamped company is New Zealand native Bruce Howe.
A 10-year Nokia veteran, Howe was recently appointed general manager of Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
At the Kuala Lumpur launch of two new devices – the Lumia 830 and Lumia 735, Howe displayed an optimistic outlook for the company’s future in an exclusive interview with theSun.
Talking about the acquisition itself, he said that both Microsoft and Nokia ended up helping each other. “[It was] an absolutely fantastic time for Microsoft [people] to come along and look at our assets and their strengths and see what we can do together.
“We complement each other in many ways. It’s a perfect synergy.
“For example, when Microsoft looked at us, they saw innovation, a legacy of quality [and] ease-of-use and a customer base that is generally attached to the brand.
“Microsoft itself has amazing software and services, but [has] struggled to integrate its devices at an early stage.”
According to Howe, consumers can already see the results of that integration in the Lumia 830 and 735 devices, which allow users to sync their phones with their other mobile devices through the cloud using OneDrive.
These and future Lumia products will also see a continued focus on other Microsoft services like OneNote and Skype.
“It’ll be really interesting to see what innovation we can bring in the next six to 12 months,” How added.
“That’s when we will be releasing products that were developed together by the Microsoft operating system team and our hardware team.
“I think the operating system will be our starting point. What Microsoft has done with Windows 8.1 has created an incredible smartphone experience. We will be able to take that operating system to new places.”
Asked what innovations consumers can expect to see in the future from Lumia, Howe played coy for a while – “Well, what innovations would you like to see?” – but, otherwise, spilt no secrets.
He did reveal that there would continue to be an emphasis on the Lumia range’s imaging capabilities, as seen in the PureView cameras with Zeiss optics, and the development of the selfie phone in the 735.
“Naturally, we have leadership in imaging,” he said. “Some of the developments are unique to us and we will continue to leverage that. But I think innovation will continue to come not just in imaging.
“If you look at the way products are being built, the quality of materials and hardware specs, there is still innovation in that sense.”
However, one of the challenges with the advancements in research and technology is that there will come a stage when hardware specs between smartphone models will be negligible.
“One of the problems at the moment [is] that consumers are delaying their purchases because they don’t see a reason to go and trade in that old phone and spend money on a new one,” Howe said.
“It’s a dilemma that sits across the industry. What is the next piece of innovation that will make people trade from one operating system to another [or] from one brand to another?”
While this is a daunting challenge for all the players in the industry, Howe is confident that the company will be able to get the job done.
“Our intent is to bring something to the market that hasn’t been seen before, and that delivers on the promise of this new partnership,” he said.
“And we can’t wait to show our customers what we have in store for them in the future.”