Nokia shrugs off fear of Lumia 900's obsolescence
A Nokia senior VP says his company's Lumia 900 is still worth "recommending" despite its inability to work with the upcoming Windows Phone 8.
Although current Windows Phone devices, like the Nokia Lumia 900, won't be upgradeable to Windows Phone 8, one Nokia executive says it's not nearly as big of a deal as some might think.
"I think that ultimately your typical customer probably isn't all that aware of this upgrade thing," Kevin Shields, Nokia senior vice president of program and product management, told The Verge in an interview published today. "I definitely think with products like the Lumia 900, where a consumer walks in and buys that product they're getting great value and they're getting a great offering that's gonna have a long lifetime of innovation."
Shields was also quick to point out that the Lumia 900, like other current Windows Phone 7 devices, will receive the Windows Phone 7.8 update, delivering the new Start Screen interface found in Microsoft's upcoming mobile operating system.
Microsoft's decision to not provide an upgrade to Windows Phone 8 has, of course, incited some strong reactions on both sides of the debate. Those in favor say it's about time Microsoft moves beyond its penchant for legacy support and forces all stakeholders into the next-generation. Others aren't so sure why the company would so quickly turn its back on devices like the Lumia 900.
"Well, it's clear now everyone should have waited for the Windows Phone 8 version of the Lumia," CNET executive editor Roger Cheng wrote yesterday in a commentary on the Lumia line. "Rather than a flagship phone, it now appears more like a stopgap to something better."
Shields, of course, disagrees. In his interview with The Verge, he said the Lumia 900 is still worth "recommending."
