Nokia’s new smartphone not seen as ending its troubles

Struggling handset maker Nokia has just unveiled its latest smartphone as it tries to fight off Apple’s iPhone and devices using Google’s Android software.

The problem is that the new Nokia N9 has an operating system that the firm plans to dump very soon as it switches to software from Microsoft to work its phones later this year.

The software changeover and Nokia’s slowness in developing smartphones means it has lost its dominance.

Mobile phone research firm Gartner calculates Samsung has now taken over the top spot, with Apple’s iPhone in second place and Nokia dropping to third.

By the end of 2012 the prediction is that Nokia will have just 11.4 percent of the smartphone market, down from 25.7 percent at the start of 2011.

Once the undisputed handset leader, Nokia is not just rapidly losing ground in smartphones but also at the cheap end of the market to Asian rivals such as China’s ZTE and India’s Micromax.

And analyst said the N9 will not help the company out of its troubles.

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