AT&T Nokia Launch Too Little, Too Late? (T, NOK, MSFT, AAPL, GOOG)

It goes without saying that Nokia and Microsoft have a lot of catching up to do, given the enormous clout that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and its iPhone and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and its Android operating system have built up in the smartphone market. AT&T is offering the Lumia 900 for $99.99 with a minimum 2-year contract for both voice and data service.

Perhaps the biggest problem Nokia/Microsoft face is the relatively small number of apps available on the new phone. There are about 70,000 apps currently available for Windows Phone, but that is a far cry from the more than 500,000 apps available for iPhones or Android phones. Nokia/Microsoft plans to spend $24 million to juice that number, but let’s face it, the companies are starting in a big hole.

Paul Ausick