Nokia (NOK) to Tout Superior Mapping Platform in Battle with Apple (AAPL)
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Trying to "find" a weak point in Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) seemingly impenetrable fortress, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is taking it to where Apple is hurting the most: maps.
In social media and blog posts, Nokia is touting the reliability of its mapping application, which it has spent billions to construct. The lead for Nokia's location and commerce unit recently told Bloomberg that consumers are now looking more than just whether or not you have a map app; the map app is now being scrutinized for quality and precision.
Most of Nokia's mapping technology came from an $8.1 billion acquisition of NAVTEQ in 2008. Following the buy, Nokia has retained thousands of employees in the unit to help improve the software in house, unlike Apple, which licenses technology from TomTom NV. The push has broadened Nokia's coverage from 27 countries at the time of the NAVTEQ acquisition up to 100 navigable countries as of the most recent data.
Given that Nokia will begin a much stronger push for its upcoming Lumia 820/920 line, of which the 920 will initially be carried exclusively on AT&T's (NYSE: T) network, the company is likely to pull out all the stops when it comes to better positioning the devices.
Nokia also wants others to enjoy its mapping technology, haviing struck several key deals recently to expand the platform's presence. Licensees include Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), and several large automakers like BMW and Daimler AG.
The biggest challenge to Nokia's maps is clearly Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Maps, which has been an industry leader for a number of years. Apple's recent move to exclude Google Maps from iOS 6, however, has opened up the door rather wide for Nokia to make a splash with some of the most dedicated wireless and tech customers around.
Shares of Nokia are indicated lower Wednesday morning.
In social media and blog posts, Nokia is touting the reliability of its mapping application, which it has spent billions to construct. The lead for Nokia's location and commerce unit recently told Bloomberg that consumers are now looking more than just whether or not you have a map app; the map app is now being scrutinized for quality and precision.
Most of Nokia's mapping technology came from an $8.1 billion acquisition of NAVTEQ in 2008. Following the buy, Nokia has retained thousands of employees in the unit to help improve the software in house, unlike Apple, which licenses technology from TomTom NV. The push has broadened Nokia's coverage from 27 countries at the time of the NAVTEQ acquisition up to 100 navigable countries as of the most recent data.
Given that Nokia will begin a much stronger push for its upcoming Lumia 820/920 line, of which the 920 will initially be carried exclusively on AT&T's (NYSE: T) network, the company is likely to pull out all the stops when it comes to better positioning the devices.
Nokia also wants others to enjoy its mapping technology, haviing struck several key deals recently to expand the platform's presence. Licensees include Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), and several large automakers like BMW and Daimler AG.
The biggest challenge to Nokia's maps is clearly Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Maps, which has been an industry leader for a number of years. Apple's recent move to exclude Google Maps from iOS 6, however, has opened up the door rather wide for Nokia to make a splash with some of the most dedicated wireless and tech customers around.
Shares of Nokia are indicated lower Wednesday morning.
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