Dumbest Move in Smartphone Marketing This Year - Sony Rebrands Xperia Z4 Into Something Less

This is sheer madness at Sony. I can't believe they did this, and more than that, I can't belive they would make such a massive - unforced - marketing blunder now. Now. When they were about to have their Razr Moment of quick market gains while the rivals stumble, and also while Sony has fired over 1,000 people so there is confusion in the ranks and that is when you want stability from the strategy. This is such an epic mistake, this is 'Eloppian' as in the worst CEO of all time, Stephen Elop over at Nokia its shortest-duration CEO who wrecked their growing and highly profitable handset business. And hat tip to Ewan Spence who wrote about this over at Forbes last week.

What is going on? The Sony Xperia Z4 was set to be the top dog, at least briefly, in the Android army and arguably the best smartphone in the world. The Apple iPhone launch cycle is peculiar with their phones released only once per year (I expect as Apple expands its product portfolio, it will move away from this rather bizarre pattern and give us some new model/models also in the Spring to even out its iPhone business per quarter rather than having that sales spike once per year). So we already see looking from Kantar numbers comparing this ended period to Kantar numbers from Q1 (ending March) that iPhone sales are down - that is normal pattern no reason to panic - but also Windows Phone ie Microsoft Lumia is down. That means what, it means Android sales are up (Kantar reports by market share and only by OS).

So its a good time to be an Android maker right now. And what about their big dog, Samsung? Samsung stumbled badly with the redesign of the flagship Galaxy S6. While it was smart to move away from the plasticky materials that seemed cheap compared to the rivals, Samsung in some silly management brain-fart decided to abandon several competitive advantages the Galaxy series had held over the iPhone for many years. The Galaxy S5 was waterproof (the S6 is not), the S5 had a removable microSD slot that allows users to instantly swap memory including videos and pictures etc both for themselves and between other smartphones the user has, and swap content between other users (except not iPhones). And suddenly the S6 doesn't have a microSD slot. And finally, the S5 had a removable battery, the S6 doesn't. Again this is no big deal in the most advanced economies where electricity supply is always reliable (and this is where most iPhones are sold), but much of Samsung's global market is in the Emerging World where electrical supply is not reliable and a removable battery is a great sales advantage. Samsung voluntarily threw away three competitive advantages, while changing the casing materials for the Galaxy S6. Why? What sense was there in that? These were not mutually exclusive, Samsung could have made good materials and good-looking Galaxy S6 class - WITH waterproofing, microSD support and removable battery. To add to its arsenal a better build material while keeping those competitive advantages loyal Galaxy buyers have come to belove and to expect. 

I predicted when the Galaxy S6 (and Edge) were released that their sales would disappoint. It would still sell well but this was not good enough to recapture growth to Samsung. They would yes remain as the biggest smartphone maker, but voluntarily abandoning several competitive advantages was a stupid move that would hurt Samsung. And I said the biggest wins would go to those brands that had a flagship closest to the Galaxy class, but which had those features. The LG G4 has the removable battery and microSD slot (but not waterproof). The LG is sold worldwide, it would take some of that lost business and LG should be seeing a nice surge of those Android users coming to buy the G4. And the other winner? The Sony Xperia Z4 which didn't do the removable battery but did do the waterproofing and the microSD slot. While Sony doesn't sell in all markets anymore it should still see a healthy rise in its business, and I went so far as to promise that on the published specs of the Sony Xperia Z4, it would get to rule as the best Android smartphone of the whole pack, and I urged Sony to rush the Z4 to the market fast.

Some rushed to this blog and on Twitter argued with me that waterproofing, microSD and removable battery don't matter. That the Galaxy S6 and Edge are so beautiful, they will bring huge sales to Samsung. I said maybe, I stand by my prediction. Now we are seeing the early evidence. There are reports that Galaxy sales to the channel have been strong but sales to end-users have been weak. So the love of the shiny new object has indeed produced shipments from Samsung to the store, but in the store we see consumers trying out rival phones and the new Galaxy is suffering. Very fresh reporting from South Korea says that Samsung has reduced Galaxy production by 16% (one sixth!) because demand is so soft and the channel has so much unsold inventory. The growing consensus among Samsung-watchers is that the new Galaxy S6 has not reignited a huge boom for Samsung in ways that past S4 and older Galaxies did and rather the S6 now seems destined to be a disappointment flagship like the Galaxy S5.

THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR XPERIA

Thats your competition Sony. Stumbling. On a self-induced error. And you, with your Xperia Z4 have the best rival to steal business from loyal Galaxy owners, to take business from the biggest Android manufacturer and capture new top-end customers. Especially those who loved the waterproofing of the Galaxy S5 and also those who want a microSD slot. By its looks, the Xperia has always had a distinctive stylish appeal so on that side Sony isn't suffering ether. The management has been quite happy with how well the Xperia Z3 has sold and briefly the loss-making handset unit even reported a profit one quarter powered by the Z3.

And the world awaits for the beautiful, top-spec flagship from Sony the Xperia Z4. It was shown to the world a few weeks ago and sales have already started in Japan. It is in reality only mild evolution from where the Z3 was but its the true top-dog smartphone and the Z4 has been receiving tech reviews calling it the best of the Android flagships. For example PCAdvisor called it a close race between the S6 and Zr but called the Z4 ow the better smartphone. The Z4 Tablet also has been rated very favorably against the latest iPad such as at Tech Times. This is what Sony had been waiting for. For once the big giant is down on its knees and the Xperia stands alone. The Z4 specifically. This is Sony's moment. Its Razr Moment when iPhone sales are in their regular annual decline period, Samsung inexplicably shot itself in the foot, and the Z4 had just hit that sweet spot, it is receiving excellent tech reviews. Now just get it to the market and sell it everywhere possible and work on the distribution (and rake in the money).

The Sony Xperia Z4 has been shown to the world. It. Yes the Sony Xperia Z4 has also already been launched and is now selling in Japan. And we, the rest of the world, were supposed to get our Xperia Z4 now in the summer. What did Sony do?

Pinheads! They rebranded it. Rebranded their flagship? Now? AFTER THE MARKETING WAS DONE? After reviewers have been raving about the Z4? Yes. Did they rebrand it into something awesome like Xperia Z5 or Xperia Playstation or Xperia Z10 (haha Microsoft Windows 8 going to Windows 10). No. Some Sony nincompoop decided to call the new global flagship something 'less than the Z4'. So they announce the Z4, then Sony give the specs of the Z4, then they launch the Z4 in Japan, but the rest of the world get... the Xperia Z3+.  The Z Three Plus. What the fuck!

You don't go BACKWARDS in your flagship numbering! Not if you want to get any market SUCCESS. Even a first-year graduate at Tokyo University knows this. When Nissan - you in Japan recognize Nissan a big Japanese car manufacturer? - when NIssan decided to give the world the newest supercar to replace the 350Z, it called it the Nissan 370Z. Bigger number equals better in this kind of marketing. I know you in Japan don't know the car by that name, In Japan its the Fairlady Z, so yes, same thing - EXACTLY the same thing, Fairlady Z33 (to us in the West known as Nissan 350Z) was updated it was called the Fairlady Z34 (aka Nissan 370Z).. If you announce the Nissan Fairlady Z34 (Nissan 370Z), then have Top Gear type TV shows test-drive the Fairlady Z34 (NIssan 370Z) and then actually sell us the Fairlady Z33 Plus (the Nissan 350Z plus) nobody is going to rush to buy that 'minor upgrade' to the past product! Instead they will WAIT for that promised awesome new Z34.

What kind of lunacy is this? Lets take another example for our marketing-challenged Japanese readers. Listen carefully. Lets take Nikon, the icon of professional cameras and one that - haha - uses Sony sensors in most of its DSLR cameras. Nikon. Its flagship professional camera line. What did they do with its branding and numbers? The Nikon D1 was their first professional DSLR camera in 1999. That series was replaced by the what? The D2 series, the D2H came out in 2003. And then Nikon replaced that line of top-of-the-line DSLR cameras with what? the D3 in 2007. And what was the line that came next? If you know how to count in Japan, you know the answer. The Nikon D4 released in 2012. Its latest iteration is the D4S which is the current top line.

In all other companies the math goes like this 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. In Sony Xperia division the math goes like htis instead Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z3plus. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! When BMW release their newest top car they call it the 7 series, not the 5 Series Plus!. 

The phone is the same! What the world was shown as the Xperia Z4 is now to the rest of the world only the Z3 Plus. All the marketing was done to convince the world to want the Z4. Now we only are given a Z3 Plus instead. What is wrong with Sony? Do they WANT their sales to fail? This was their Razr Moment. Some who own a Z3 have been waiting eagerly to buy a Z4. Some Samsung owners who were disappointed with the Galaxy S6 were told that wait a few weeks, the brand new Sony Xperia Z4 is coming. Now they will be offered a Z3plus instead. Nobody with a Z3 will bother to buy the 'modest upgrade' Z3plus and will rather WAIT for - yes - the 'real' Z4 that will come some time much later when this exceptional moment for Sony corporation is long gone. And any owners of Xperia Z2s (or Z1s) will also see, this new box is the Z3plus - I already saw the Z3 last year and decided not to buy it, I will WAIT for the Z4.

This is OSBORNING your current product line but even worse than Osborne, this is without a newer/better product even to be shown. There is ZERO redeeming qualities to this marketing blunder. No good outcome from breaking with the successful Xperia Z1 Z2 Z3 Z4 branding to now rebrand the Z4 - after it has been marketed and sold - as the Z3plus. This will not increase Z3plus sales over what Z4 could have had. It will not help in ANY instance to rebrand a BMW 7 Series as a 5 Series Plus. Some can see past it, and for some it won't matter. Others are not like that, and will think a Z3plus is an inferior product and only a mild upgrade from the Z3 - and they will not buy the Z3plus. They will wait for the Z4 or Z5 or whatever might be on offer six months or a year later. By then this opportunity of a mis-designed Galaxy S6 will be long gone and Sony's Razr Moment will be gone,

So was this smart? Was this clever? Or is this a marketing disaster even elementary marketing students can see is a blunder! The marketing boss who authorized this should resign in disgrace! Offer the resgnation today and the CEO of Sony you have to accept that resignation! I am saying this with my greatest, deepest, gravest respect of all that Japan has given the mobile industry, and the long history of excellence Sony has brought to mobile phones for several decades - and as a proud user of numerous Sony flagship products over the years including many of your top phones. I love Sony but Sony listen. This is embarrassing Sony Corportation. You are losing face! You are now a laughing stock! You are a case study in stupidity in marketing!

I first say this in phonetic Japanese, this is my message to Sony corporation after this the biggest marketing blunder of 2015 (via Google Translate):

Anata wa, anata no kaisha, sono eikō no rekishi to sono hokori isan o hazukashī sa rete imasu. Anata wa, sonī no na ni haji o motarasu to chūjitsuna sonī no kokyaku no mae de kao o ushinatte imasu. Hajiwoshire!

I also provide it in Japanese characters (I apologize for bad grammar, it is Google translate, you get my point):

あなたは、あなたの会社、その栄光の歴史とその誇り遺産を恥ずかしいされています。あなたは、ソニーの名に恥をもたらすと忠実なソニーの顧客の前で顔を失っています。恥を知れ！

And the English translation;

You are embarrassing your company, its glorious history and its proud legacy. You are bringing shame to the Sony name and losing face in front of loyal Sony customers. Shame on you!

I am appalled and disgusted and cannot understand how anyone at Sony could have approved this obvious amateurish basic marketing mistake. And it is even worse right now, as Sony is firing over 1,000 people in its handset division, so there is severe turmoil right now. What the handset division needs is stability. It is the ABSOLUTE wrong TIME to play silly rebranding games which deplete scarce marketing resources now, in a totally unnecessary (and counter-productive) change. You are fools at Sony! I am ashamed of you as a 'leader' of this industry and if this is how Sony management intends to fight in the smarttphone wars, you fell out of the Top 10, you have no place in coming back to the Top 10 if such idiots are allowed to run the handset business. 

Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai-san fire that moron who made this decision to rebrand the already-marketed, already-sold Xperia Z4 as the inferior-sounding Xperia Z3plus. If that is Mike Fasulo or Hiroki Totoki or whoever it was, someone has to be fired for this. You are now a laughing stock in the tech industry. This is elementary level mistake. This is an error so grave, Stephen Elop of Nokia would make this type of errors DELIBERATELY to destroy handset sales (so he could collect his bonus)

Comments

[Matjaz]

Well, the Xperia Z3 was not the best Android phone last fall and Z4/Z3+ is nothing more than a refresh with a newer chipset. Even if they branded it Z4 everywhere, people would see through it and would know that it's an old hat. Display and camera are a generation behind those found in Galaxy S6 and LG G4. Sony needs to do much more that name their new phone Z4 to be really competitive.

[Wayne Borean]

What if it was Kazuo Hirai-san who made the decision?

Personally I don't think it will make that big a difference. Sony is dying.

[John Phamlore]

@Tomi,

A brief web search reveals that the number 4 may be considered unlucky in various Asian cultures, including Japan's. Furthermore the Wikipedia article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia

claims that Nokia itself for certain products avoided using the number 4 as the lead number.

[RottenApple]

Then they should have used 5, but making promotion with 4, then going back to 3+ is stupid. It clearly sounds like an inferior intermediate product.

[abdul muis]

Tomi,

Here's my thought.

In Japan and other part of asian where the upgrade rate were faster, they will love the incremental upgrade, and buy the Z4 with incremental upgrade.

But Sony face problem in the west. The american reviewer hate sony's twice a year phone release, and mock them. Every time they review the sony handset they always said. "this only incremental upgrade to previous (6 month ago) of the sony product. So, no good. don't buy". Sony think that maybe they could just make it a Z3+, so the Z5 will be compared with Z3 by those reviewer.

Yeah, i think it's annoying to have Z3+ and Z4 as the same product. But sony think the apple way of 3g/3gs, 4/4s might be the naming scheme that american could accept.

[E.Casais]

@abdul muis

"But Sony face problem in the west. The american reviewer hate sony's twice a year phone release, and mock them."

What is the presence of Sony in the North American market? Negligible. If your read newsgroups, people in the USA are often complaining that "the Sony model XYZ looks really nice, but we cannot get it in the USA".

I cannot imagine that Sony rebrands its product just to grab a hypothetical advantage in a market where it has not had any success for ages, in the hope that this slight change will completely upturn the sentiment of reviewers in the USA and lead to significant sales there.

The "4" phobia in Asia is more relevant. But then, issues remain:

How come Samsung could come up with a Note 4 and a Galaxy S4 without problem with the "4" then?

If "4" is indeed a real problem, how come no marketing-man in an _Asian_ company had identified the issue in the first place?

In any case, how come the marketing-men _downgraded_ the product code?

As for the other suggestion by Baron95 that the reason is a cease and desist warning, it fails for similar reasons: BMW Z1, Z2, Z3 lived with Xperia Z1, Z2, Z3 without fuss, whereas Z4 for a wine cannot be confused with Z4 for consumer electronics (a common argument in trademark disputes).

Overall, this renaming looks very much like complete disarray at Sony marketing -- and from the story of Nokia we know where it may end.

[Winter]

So Tomi has blocked his signature?

Now it is very easy to spot the Fake!

[Spawn]

https://mobile.twitter.com/kookiz/status/572306916166254594

It, the Eloppian, spreads over air!

Warning: not send your CEO at conferences Elop Luminas around if you care about your company :-)

[AtTheBottomOfTheHilton]

Well, Apple named their phones like iPhone 3, iPhone 3gs, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and now iPhone 6s.

Apple is still in business and why would the naming kill Sony and not Apple?

[Tester]

It's not the naming but the rebranding. Those on the look for the advertised Z4 won't find it in the stores anymore.

[TI]

R U serious Tomi? All this just because someone named their phone 4 --> 3+? People are not as stupid as you think, they will still buy 3+ if they were to buy 4 or 4+ or even 5-! Do you really think naming makes the difference?

Even if it's a mistake it is not like the end of the world. Stop writing like you set the pace.

[Per "wertigon" Ekström]

@TI:

It is a big deal. Their potential customers have been waiting and drooling for the Z4 for quite a while now, many will surely think "WTF? Z3+? That like the Z3 with a bigger screen or? That what we waited for?"

Any other time it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but right now Samsung is standing with their pants down and wondering why their latest party trick isn't as good as it should be. Now is *THE* perfect time to strike when it comes to premium Android phones.

And instead Sony basicly says "You know that Z4 that were gonna rock your world? Turns out it isn't that world-rocking, so we gave it a more proper name. But Z4, that WILL rock your socks off!"

That is the message they are sending to their loyal customers. Z3+ might rock your world, of course. But Sony downright admits, they don't think it will by branding it as Z3+ and not Z4.

Marketing 101: You never, ever downplay your flagship product. Sony just did.

[Tomi T Ahonen]

Hi everybody

Good comments. I'll do replies

Matjaz - The flagship cannot be best in every area, it is a compromise always from any brand. The Z4 aka Z3+ is exceptionally well balanced this time round and already the previous Z3 was doing very well for Sony. Specifically on the camera its better than the LG G4. On the display yes Samsung Galaxy is top dog currently. But against that the Xperia has two of the three things Samsung stupidly left out for the S6. I am certain the Z3+ will do ok in the market but this is silly by Sony because Z4 would have done better. Some customers won't buy the Z3+ thinking its a lesser product than what would have been the Z4.

Wayne - haha in that case he needs to resign. But this is something the CEO of Sony would not do suddenly. Its clearly the sign of the 'new guy' either at CMO or at the handset unit. And clearly its iEnvy doing what Apple does. Except done in an idiotic way. If they did it with their NEXT phone, going from Z4 to Z4+ that would not at least DAMAGE the existing business, because all marketing would then be for that next phone ie Z4+. But to go from marketing Z4 to selling Z3+ this will definitely cost them sales. This is costing sales - for which the marketing expenses have already been taken!!!! So its pure loss of profits, profits down the drain. Idiots.

John P - haha ok. I know that but first, if Z4 was such a bad thing 'in Asia' then WHY launch it at all in Japan? Secondly, if this was such a big deal for Sony, then they'd never have MARKETED the Z4 at all, and would have jumped from Z3 to Z5, like how Microsoft went from Win 8 to Win 10. But next, it clearly is not a deadly thing for most brands such as the Nikon I mentioned and their D4. But even if this was so - then why the change of the brand globally, why not only in those parts of Asia where the numerology is relevant like say China, Hong Kong etc, not Europe or the USA etc, where it matters exactly zero. And finally, if suddenly Z4 is a poisonous branding, then don't go back in numbers, go ahead. Make it Z5 not Z3+. After marketing Z4, to sell Z3+ suggests the product is a lesser thing.

Rotten - agreed. Thanks.

Baron - haha that might be, but we'd have heard about it. Nothing anywhere, not a whisper. And BMW Z4 has very little to argue about a phone, I don't think this is the case. In fact, Z3 is also a worse name for Sony right now than Z4 because Samsung's next - and definitely cheap - Tizen phone has been rumored for quite some while to be the Z3. If the Z3 branding is associated with cheap, best thing you can do is move away from it before Sammy gets that marketing going, and launch your Z4.

abdul - good analysis and perhaps that was part of what they thought. But. The twice-yearly launch cycle from Sony had ended already, with the Z3. The Z4 aka Z3+ is the first of the new once-yearly launch. So even if that was the case, it no longer matters because that twice-yearly cycle has already ended. It had ended BEFORE the Z4 marketing had started.

E - excellent analysis and responses to previous comments, thanks. I agree and I like the last part too, that this clearly signals just confusion at their marketing (bad management, fire the guy in charge!)

Spawn - haha...

AtTheBottom - no, its not that they have 'interim' numbering. Nothing inherently wrong with calling the NEXT phone the Z4plus or Z4Super or Z4C or whatever. The IDIOT thing is that this current product, the Z4 aka Z3+ had been MARKETED and shown to the world as the Z4. It has been in all sorts of tech reviews, clearly as the Sony Xperia Z4, compared to the Galaxy S5 and Edge, compared to the LG G4 and all sorts of other flagship phones. And its been launched for sale as the Z4 (in Japan). At THIS POINT to rebrand that individual device is ABSOLUTELY BAT-SHIT CRAZY. Especially for a small not-even-in-Top-10 sized player who cannot afford massive marketing expenditure for rebranding. What is even worse - truly ELOPPIAN blunder is to now go to a LESSER branding than what was marketed. If they went from Z4 to Z5plus, I'm ok with that. Or instead of Z4 to sell it as Z4+ that is fine. You can always claim in the marketing/branding that the latest thing is 'even' better, but you CAN'T go BACKWARDS.. From Z4 to Z3+ is a step backwards. After the initial branding was already done, that is TOTAL ERROR. There is ZERO utility or benefit out of this. Nothing. There is NO TEXTBOOK that suggests this is a smart thing to do. NEVER. This is only a mistake. 100% a mistake. No redeeming factor whatsoever (because the branding was already done on the Z4).

Tester - thanks, yes.

(ok more replies coming)

Tomi Ahonen :-)

[Tomi T Ahonen]

More comments

T1 - No. I literally wrote the book on the marketing for this industry. If I see a colossal mistake, I would be cheating my readers and this blog would be a fraud. I was VERY clear when Sprint started to 'fire' some of its customers for 'complaining too much' that this was a MARKETING mistake that would damage the company severely (and it did, the CEO and CMO were later fired). I wrote very clearly when Nokia new CEO Elop made his MARKETING errors that they were destroying the company and would result in the handset business being sold - as it happened.

I see the biggest marketing error in mobile telecoms of the year, done by Sony, I will of course call it here on this blog. It IS a big deal. I was not the first to say so, go read Ewan Spence's article at Forbes, he called it a huge mistake as well - before I did. Plenty more mocking of Sony marketing going on right now by those who know.

About customers not being that stupid. I WROTE IN THE ORIGINAL that some customers will not care, and can see this is just a bizarre name but the phone is exactly what they came to buy, ie that Z4. Some will see that yes. OTHERS WILL NOT. Most don't care about this industry enough to bother. But when the Sony loyalist wanted 'the next' Z-class, they own a Z2 or Z3 Xperia, they will not now buy a Z3+, they will wait for 'the next proper Z' ie the Z4. Because Sony never had this 'iPhone-style' branding, the loyal Sony owners expect a Z4. Some will be - yes - dumb to fall for this and MANY will have been in the store looking at the Z3 perhaps wanting it, but not buying it, and thought, I'll wait for the Z4. They will now not even LOOK at the Z3+ thinking this is just a minor revision. And worst is the customer who knew to want the Z4, saw it reviewed somewhere. They will walk by the phone store, check out the Sony offering, might not even talk to the salesguys, and see, no Z4 yet here. I thought it was supposed to come out, its not out yet, ok I wait... and Sony loses a sale. By the time their NEXT phone comes out, whether its the Z4 or Z5 or Z3++ or Z3X whatever, by the NEXT phone the Samsung mistake will be corrected and Sony's short window of opportunity is gone.

Per - excellent points and that reminds me. The Plus concept is REALLY weird for Sony in iEnvy, in that the iPhone 6 Plus has the big screen. The Z3+ doesn't have the larger screen than the Z3. Why call it the Plus? It totally doesn't make sense even as iPhone-envy it is badly excecuted copying.

And yes, agree with all you posted especially the end, Marketing 101, you don't downplay your flagship product, ever.

Ok thats everybody so far, keep the comments coming

Tomi Ahonen :-)

[Stormwatch]

@Baron95, it's a bit silly to say Nokia was doomed when they were still in the lead. If they had played their cards right with MeeGo, they likely would still be one of the big dogs, rather than Microsoft's pocket chihuahua.

[Tester]

@Baron95:

"No one cared."

That's clearly not correct. What is true is that no AMERICAN cared. But people like you seem to get hung up on the bogus belief that the entire world consists of Americans.

[abdul muis]

@Tomi

"abdul - good analysis and perhaps that was part of what they thought. But. The twice-yearly launch cycle from Sony had ended already, with the Z3. The Z4 aka Z3+ is the first of the new once-yearly launch. So even if that was the case, it no longer matters because that twice-yearly cycle has already ended. It had ended BEFORE the Z4 marketing had started. "

Z4/Z3+ was release in H1 2015
Z3 was released in H2 2014
Z2 was released in H1 2014

No, the half year cycle has not gone yet as of now.

I think Sony planning to keep the half year cycle, but renamed it to 'small increment' for the country that can't afford 2 flagship/year idea. If you follow consumer product news (real smartphone rumors). Sony plan to release the Z5 with snapdragon 820 in H2 2015. and this time all market will have Z5. So, the western market will jump from Z3+ to Z5.

[John A]

Saw some reviews of this new Sony. Much better than Samsung Galaxy S6 in general. But yes the name is confusing.

[Winter]

@Boron95
"It was 100% apparent and obvious in 2009, that the trendsetting crowd was moving completely away from Nokia and Blackberry."

To Android? Because that is what happened, Android took over. And Nokia could still sell Android phones by the boat load if they produced them.

[chithanh]

It's pretty clear that Nokia self-destructed by becoming a WP-only shop. Any claims otherwise are revisionist or self-deluding.

Nokia had developed Android devices during the time of the Microsoft contract, but only the Nokia X/XL made it to market. The Qualcomm hardware that Windows Phone runs on is also suitable for Android. Nokia had a major inventory write-off during WP7 time. None of this points to supply or engineering problems preventing the launch of Android phones.

I have posted several times the excellent interview with Jean-Louis Gassee with Computing.co.uk
http://computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2188976/nokia-elop-board-jean-louis-gassee

He suggested Nokia to go Android before Elop became CEO. The reasons they didn't? Nothing about not being able to source enough components. Nothing about not having competent engineers to write low-level code. Nothing about fearing they wouldn't sell enough phones.
No, the reason he cited in the interview was fear to "lose control of their destiny".