Nokia targets Blackberry post Apple beating - GOOG, MSFT, BB, KO, HD & 005930

Northern, WI 02/27/2013 (avauncer) - The Finnish Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) beat a retreat from its competition with Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd (KRX:005930) and has now turned its headlights onto Blackberry, a decidedly weaker rival. Nokia is banking heavily on its partnership with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and hopes that it can make a chink in the Blackberry armor. It is hoping to gain business users. The latest Lumia smartphone range including the two new models that were introduced at the Mobile World Congress this week use the Microsoft OS and have Word, PowerPoint as well as Excel, all of which are business-use applications.

Holding its ground

At this point it is critical for Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) to gain a strong hold on the market as it fights with Blackberry for third place in the smartphone segment. Currently, Samsung is the market leader in the Android OS-run mobile market. Apple holds top spot with its own OS. Nokia as well as Blackberry shares have slid 90% over the past 5 years as consumers switched to the iOS and Android operating systems and companies followed suit. Winning in the business segment is of great relevance and a prominent business analyst expects the Windows-run handsets to outrun Blackberry ones this year, with Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) in the lead.

Changing business tactics

Blackberry was a pioneering company in the North American mobile device market and was known as Research In Motion Ltd (TSE:BB). The company still has a strong presence on Wall Street and Washington which are primarily business areas. Nokia is the largest seller of the Windows-based handsets and it is planning to put forth an appeal to information-technology chiefs for simplified synchronization between smartphones and computers in companies which more often than not, use the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) OS.

The opportune moment

Stephen Elop, a Microsoft ex-employee and currently CEO of Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) made a strategic move by backing the Microsoft OS when the company’s home-grown software Symbian started losing its following. As a result, almost 7.5 percent of the total of Windows sales was attributed to Lumia and in the fourth quarter sales climbed to 4.4 million. Elop feels that the time is just right to target business customers such as the ones that Blackberry depends upon.

Corporate accounts are very important to carriers as there could be thousands of users within a company who prefer expensive handsets and run up higher phone bills.

Creating a new world

Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) said that Cambodian and Vietnamese salespeople who work for Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) process orders via Lumia smartphones while on the move. Foxtons Ltd a large brokerage company in London ordered over 900 Lumias for its employees. The mobile devices market is growing at an impressive pace and many companies are deciding on which handset provider will match their needs best. Weber, Nokia sales chief agrees that Android and Apple are powerful foes but he believes that there can be a “third ecosystem” in the smartphone market and Nokia wants to makes sure it’s theirs to rule. The market is ripe for the picking and Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) is picking up pace.

Shares of Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) were steady at $2.72

Shares of Shares of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) went up by 1.39% to close at $448.97

Shares of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) went down by 0.08% to close at $790.13

Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) were steady at $27.37

Shares of Research In Motion Ltd (TSE:BB) went down by 0.15% to close at $13.46

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) went up by 1.03% to close at $38.11

Shares of The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE:HD) went up by 5.69% to close at $67.56

Shares of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd (KRX:005930) went up by 0.20% to close at $1,527,000.00