A Nokia executive “close to developments” has apparently told the Hindustan Times that 30% of the 40 phones launched this year will be smartphones: “We will be launching 40 models in 2011 of which at least 30% would be smartphones.”
The reason for so many new handsets is said to be competition. The Hindustan Times writes: “Threatened by competitors gobbling up the market share in India, Nokia is planning to aggressively launch 40 cell phone models.”
And internationally, the company has been facing tough competition from other phone manufacturers including Apple and BlackBerry. According to IDC (International Data Corporation) figures, Nokia has experienced a fall in market share while rival companies have enjoyed an increase in the smartphone market share over the past 2 years.
The planned new phones will launch from mid-April onwards, and D Shivakumar, vice president and managing director of Nokia India, has said that things will start happening after the middle of this month.
