Nokia's B2B Focus Takes Map App War in New Direction

by Holly Shoemaker

Nokia’s recent announcement that it will continue to leverage its maps and locations platform by licensing its technology to Oracle will help Nokia build a niche with business-to-business (B2B) customers. It could also assist the company with its financial and perception problems in the smartphone industry.

Nokia Reaches B2B Clients

Opus Research reported that mobile advertisements associated with maps or locations made up approximately 25 percent of the $2.5 billion spent on ads in 2012, with the figure expected to grow as mapping technology does.

While Nokia formed a deal with Groupon in August, the company’s map offerings to large corporations holds a distinct advantage over Apple and Google, companies that focus more reaching individual consumers. Currently, more than 110 countries use Nokia’s turn-by-turn directions compared to 56 countries for Apple and 39 countries for Google Maps.

By partnering with a large company like Oracle, Nokia shows what its Location Platform offers to corporations. Oracle gains the ability to combine Nokia’s mapping capabilities with its own software. Nokia also retains a good position because it owns, builds and distributes its mapping content. Furthermore, Nokia does not require a data connection to run its location-based applications.

Concluding Thoughts

This is a good strategic move for Nokia, and the company makes the most out of its acquisition on Navteq, which it acquired in 2007. To date, Nokia’s location and commerce unit makes up four percent of its revenue. As the company continues to enter into agreements with large Internet companies, Nokia escalates the map app war in a new direction. It also makes a statement when a competitor ditches its own maps for Nokia - that is what Microsoft did with Bing Maps. The company showcases Nokia’s Location Platform on its Windows 8 phones.

iPhone 5 Debuts Strong, but Map App a Mess

by Holly Shoemaker

The iPhone 5 debuted strongly today with long lines in many locations. An analyst estimated that demand for the new device was 70 percent greater than when the iPhone 4S debuted. Apple is expected to sell eight million smartphones over the weekend, and the strong showing has once again upped the company’s stock.

Apple Map Issues

Despite the hype and the sentiment from consumers that they just need to have one, all is not well with the device, especially when it comes to maps. The iPhone 5, and the new iOS 6 that became available earlier in the week, now uses Apple Maps. Apple announced at its annual developer’s conference in June that it would drop Goggle Maps as the default map application.

The strategic move to further distance the company from Google has users concerned and mocking the company on this humorous website. Here people may view some of the map errors that have appeared from using Apple's new application. The errors show incorrect directions, multiple state capitols and faulty search results.

Concluding Thoughts

Apple prematurely dropped Google Maps, an application that worked well. Just because Apple can do something does not mean it should, and without more testing. While the company has asked for patience, some of its errors are dangerous. Apple listed a working farm in Dublin, Ireland as a residential airport. In this case, the pictures speak for themselves, and the point goes to Google. Map enthusiasts may also check out Nokia Maps. Nokia escalated the map app war when it announced in August that it would partner with Groupon.

Nokia Ups the Map App War and Partners with Groupon

by Holly Shoemaker

New map app features, or new partnerships to promote apps, have garnered much attention over the months. Now, Nokia has announced that it will promote Groupon deals on phones that run Nokia Maps. As part of the update, Nokia also introduced an “advanced route setting” that allows users to get and save directions to their screens. Nokia Maps is compatible on the Lumia 610, 710, 800 and 900.

Nokia's s Focus on Updating Maps

Nokia has focused much energy on its map feature. The company released an update to its map feature in March. In June, the company once again updated the feature to sync with favorites so users could view photos and reviews.

By continually updating the map app, and by partnering with a well-known company, Nokia has shown it understands the need to capitalize on the news garnered by Google and Apple with their maps. 

Targeting Late-Adoption Smartphone Users

The challenge for Nokia is that the company remains more popular among those who do not use a smartphone. The latest announcement shows the company understands the need to target later-adoption smartphone users. While it may seem like a slight reversal from its beta test campaign ads, it appears the company may be shifting away from those ads. That could work for Nokia because it gets the company closer to public opinion. People who do not own a smartphone have a more favorable view of Nokia, and consumers who have yet to purchase a smartphone may still use Groupon. Those looking for an alternative map device and shopping for deals on Groupon may find that a Windows Phone brings together two complementary parts.