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While the Internet is rife with rumor surrounding what embattled Nokia Corp. plans to do next, cross platform app store GetJar has thrown its hat in the ring with the opinion Nokia should go Android and not Windows Phone 7.
“We are all wondering what will happen with Nokia and its potentially drastic shift of OS strategy – any moment now,” said the firm, which actually has a fairly good market overview thanks to its position as the world’s largest platform agnostic app store.
GetJar’s CMO Patrick Mork pointed out that while the tech press and industry insiders might be making a big deal out of Nokia’s OS dilemma, consumers themselves “don’t care about platform.” Nokia, he said, should really concern itself with where to get the best content, as that seems to be the driving factor for smart phone consumers today.
“Nokia should choose Android rather than Windows Mobile 7 as it is an open platform,” he asserted, adding that GetJar’s platform agnostic approach had shown the firm “that openness is what is best for consumers and developers.”
Google Inc.’s Android has also grown leaps and bounds over Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 7, said Mork, noting that it’s the No. 2 platform by submission of apps after Java and has grown more quickly than any other platform by downloads in 2010.
Not that Google’s OS was without its issues of course. Mork admitted that Android still faced severe challenges including fragmentation of the OS, monetization of apps for developers, discovery of apps on the market and limited scale in reaching countries like China.
Whatever path Nokia chooses, however, GetJar says it will remain supportive. “GetJar embraces Nokia as a partner,” Mork said concluding, “we are still one of the largest Nokia app stores globally – even including Ovi.”
