Ovi – The Next Mobile Me?
Nokia’s recent announcement and launch of their own cloud based media and information management service called “Ovi” is a good thing. But it will be interesting to see if it catches on in the United States. I have my doubts in the near-term. Not about Nokia, just about the market in general. Cloud based services have not caught on with consumers yet. Apple’s MobileMe is a good example. I’m a subscriber but I’m toying with the idea of not renewing. I just don’t use it. I’ve got my iPhone, I sync it with my Mac and all is good. I share photo’s on Flickr and Picasa, videos on Vimeo or simply from within my Flip Video application.
What Nokia is trying to do is smart. As a device manufacturer they realize the importance of moving into the applications and services market. Devices with plenty of horsepower will soon be a commodity but the relationship with the consumer will never be. Cloud based services are still in a deep fog and how they end up enabling a better and more valuable consumer experience remains to be seen. One thing Apple can already learn from Nokia is to make their service free and figure out how to monetize the relationship in a better way. Until then, I’m probably going to opt out for now.
Update: When looking at the several free cloud based services that compare to MobileMe I overlooked a critical element; privacy. I renewed MobileMe because it works and most importantly provides a level of privacy not matched elsewhere.
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@Patrick – I never renewed my MobileMe account and I don’t miss it a bit. Pete
Flying back from Seattle to DC last night I read the Fast Company cover article on Nokia’s strategy. What Nokia has going for it is access to the bottom 2/3 of the market that no other smartphone supplier can claim. I believe the limited resources of both this market segment and the devices they use will only serve to help Nokia and Ovi disrupt Apple, Google and RIM. When resources are scare is when innovation accelerates. The combination of Nokia’s cash and the creative willingness of Ojanpera is already leading to the ability to hook tens of millions of users on lesser devices. It’s not a stretch that this will build a foundation of younger users that will not switch platforms as they gain buying power.
I just love Ovi and it’s getting better everyday. Things I like: It’s free, many options like 10 gb online storage, calendar, contacts etc.. I hope Nokia will keep this service free forever. That’s why I love Nokia, not only selling you a phone and that’s it, no they give you a lot of extras with your phone.
Agree. I think Apple is missing the market. Services gain value only through adoption and the fee is a barrier. While MobileMe is finally getting many things right and there is a tight integration between ones Mac and iPhone, there are plenty of third party free services that can fill the void left open by the paid service. I don’t suspect it will be long before Apple’s MobileMe adopts a more advanced model that doesn’t require a subscription. We’ll see!
I have just ordered a new e75 and just signed up for an OVI account. I have been studying for days WHY I have had a Mobile Me account for the past couple of years and I can’t justify it further. I just don’t use it. I cannot wait get this set up on my new phone. With the economy constraints, I don’t see why people would not utilize this free service.