Just when you thought talk of Nokia's
The data implied that Nokia lost ground to Samsung and Motorola
On the other hand, right here at the Fool, we've heard the compelling argument that perhaps this is a temporary moment of weakness and that Nokia may return, judging by its sisu, or "pride and fortitude in the face of adversity."
However, I recently went to Radio Shack
The bargain-priced Nokia certainly didn't include the bells and whistles many people now expect from new cell phones; it wasn't a clamshell flip top and it lacked a camera. In fact, it resembled the cell phone models most of us upgraded from years ago. (Remember those? They had a bad tendency to dial from pants pockets or handbags if the key lock wasn't on.) Cell newbies might go for it, but at this point, those are fairly few and far between.
Now, it's time for the grain of salt. Although the sales guy's probably front line to customer complaints, I doubt there's no conflict of interest in suggesting the least expensive handset. However, when I first wrote about Nokia's shortfall, I received reader feedback claiming poor quality of Nokia handsets. Maybe Nokia handsets have been striking consumers as, well, cheap... as in, low quality.
Regardless, the argument remains that Nokia's a good company that took a strategic wrong turn. If there is indeed a quality issue, though, Nokia may have a more difficult time regaining lost market share. While the chance for reward seems great considering the stock's plunge over the last month, there's still risk in this recent stumble.
What do you think? Is the market's reaction to Nokia's tough times an overreaction? Talk to other Fools on the Nokia discussion board.
Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.