About Eagles, Turkeys, Penguins, Apples and Berries
The Nokia-Microsoft strategic alliance has generated a lot of buzz. The alliance, while undoubtedly newsworthy, was made all the more interesting by the colourful phrases that jumped out in headlines over the last few days. With gems such as Nokia CEO Steven Elop’s, “burning platform” from a leaked memo, or Google VP’s Vic Gundotra’s tweet “two turkeys do not make an eagle” and “neither will the penguin soar” at regular intervals, the scene is set for an exciting period of what should probably be called the “Ecosystem” wars.
A look at some data tells a story. Check out the table below;
| Store | No. of Apps | Download Count | Installed Base | Download/Installed Base | Established |
| Android – Google | 2,50,000 | 3.3B | 77M | 42.86 | October 22, 2008 |
| AppStore – Apple | 3,50,000 | 10 B | 160M | 62.50 | July 10, 2008 |
| Ovi – Nokia | 45,535 | 710M | 610M | 1.16 | May 26, 2009 |
| Windows Phone Marketplace- Microsoft | 8,033 | - | 2M | - | October 21, 2010 |
Notes :
1. B- indicates billion, M is Million
2. Numbers for Android, Apple and Microsoft are based on Jan 2011 figures; the numbers for Nokia are based on figures released in October and Dec 2010
There is no disputing the fact that a thriving and active ecosystem of developers and partners is behind the success of Apple and Google. The numbers prove that. They have done a better job of attracting developers than Nokia or Microsoft have done so far.
The numbers also show that Nokia-Microsoft have a mountain to climb. On the positive side, there are a lot of strengths both parties bring to the relationship; Microsoft’s deep pockets, developer relationships, Nokia’s large installed base and relationships with carriers and more. But the trick lies in the ability of both these market leaders to bring their individual strengths to the alliance in a manner that result in true synergy. Otherwise an anecdote featuring George Bernard Shaw comes to mind;
A beautiful movie star is reported to have asked Mr Shaw, “…what a wonderful thing it would be for us to get married. Think of the children we could have. Why with my beauty and your brains they would conquer the world.”
“Yes, Madam,” Mr Shaw replied, “But what if they had my beauty and YOUR brains?”
References;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_digital_distribution_platforms_for_mobile_devices
One more comment to add – “two wrongs don’t make a right” I think this was said by somebody at Google.
The interesting thing is that apparently the “two turkeys don’t make an eagle” comment was made earlier by a former Nokia-VP on the BenQ-Siemens deal in 2005. What goes around comes around!