Nokia was on the top of the world before smartphones came along. More specifically, they were the phone to have for personal use until the iPhone came along. Apple changed everything for the company and they never fully recovered. Here’s why:
In August 2008, Helsingin Sanomat journalist Lauri Malkavaara wrote the company saying that while Nokia had established itself as a maker of easy to use phones, its latest models were confusing and frustrating.
Malkavaara described the Symbian-based Nokia E51 as being the third cellular phone he had ever owned. But unlike earlier cellphones from Nokia that “were very easy to use” and “no manuals were needed,” the latest model lacked either quality.