Nokia not big in Japan anymore

Japan is the world’s fourth largest mobile phone market after the United States, China and India.

So reports Reuters.

And Nokia is now, officially, outta Japan. It’s hardly been in the States either, to be fair.

China’s a nation of Nokia-knock-offs although they’ve got a reasonable presence in India.

Quitting Japan does, alas, makes sense for Nokia. Whilst the company offers some simply stunning devices (tested to within an inch of their mechanical lives), they don’t cut it Japan. Not when your average Japanese handset can make the dinner, wash the dog and read bedtime stories to your kids without breaking a sweat. Not when your average Japanese handset can store the Library of Congress archive 16 times over and transmit all the data on the planet, point-to-point in 10 seconds.

Ok. So I exaggerate.

But for the reverse reason as NEC don’t bother doing anything much with mobile consumer handsets in Europe (we’re simply too far behind for them to bother fitting out their factories with ‘3G’ equipment), Nokia might as well stick to the knitting.

I would, ordinarily be giving the Big Finnish Blue Giant a right royal kicking at the moment. Just think of the rant you could get out of this news.

But I’ve modified my viewpoints, particularly after seeing the way they test their handsets.

Brilliant handsets. Your average Nokia at least can make phone calls (I’m spending my days telling folk ‘Sorry, I’m, er.. I’m on a Blackberry.. can you hear me?).

Rubbish rubbish user interfaces. Decrepid shitty rubbish peice-of-shite interfaces.

Bring me a Nokia with a decent interface and you can have my Kingdom.

For a few minutes. Leasehold.

So Nokia’s out of Japan and I don’t think that’s much of an arse really. Neither dos IDC Japan analyst, Michito Kimura in that Reuters piece: “I’m not very surprised by the decision.”

Are you?