Nokia said they didn't care about the iPhone back when it was introduced, not even commented on it beyond a brief "smeh." Then, they presented their iPhone killer concept, a demo that looked and acted exactly like Apple's handset, even while it was "no competition for Nokia." Now they have announced they are "readying" the final product, code-named Tube. They showed it yesterday, while pooh-poohing on His Steveness' toy:
"We've done that [volume] since we've had dinner on Friday."
That SteveBallmerism was pulled out of his hat by Tom Libretto, vice president of Forum Nokia, talking about iPhone's sales, apparently forgetting that taller giants have fallen after similar words. Specially when he is conveniently ignoring that Apple's record volume is just one non-subsidized model that competes with your top of the line—handsets like the Nokia N95 and the N96—in just a handful of countries (and for the longest period of its lifetime, in only one market, which is not as big when it comes to mobiles like Europe or Asia.)
Now, it's not that we don't think Nokia's Tube can't be a great success or that Nokia is in a bad position at all. They are clearly the Número Uno, without a doubt, and for all we know, Tube could be the best thing since either the iPhone itself or the Beamz. However, publicly smashing a newcomer, a still small and young player in the cellphone market, doesn't give credibility to Nokia, as the incumbent player: it gives credibility to the new kid on the block, who doesn't only look smarter and cooler to the general consumer, but now also looks like a clear and present danger to the Finnish company.
And while all that happens in a single quote, there's just a slide to show about Tube and still no planned date for shipment. [Inforworld]