The economics simply don't add up, says MEX boss
Nokia's recent London developer day has come in for short shrift from Marek Pawlowski, founder of the MEX mobile experience conference.
In a piece that makes very interesting points regarding the ultimate worth of developer programmes generally, the Finnish firm neatly summed up many of the pitfalls.
Specifically, Pawlowski says Nokia was unable to bridge a sizable metaphorical distance between itself and its developer event audience, and wasn't particularly forthcoming when it was asked questions.
Anecdotal developer unhappiness at the event extended to overcrowding, too much heat and an over-earger helping of Powerpoint.
To be fair, many of these issues could be transplanted to any developer event this writer has been to over the years, it's just that Nokia happened to hold one at a time when they really do seem to be ten a penny.
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Pawlowski's wider point is that the current ecosystem, with its myriad handset manufacturer and operator developer programmes is unsustainable - those hosting the events can't possibly expect to recoup the investment through app sales, while content providers can't possibly support all the channels open to them.
This is backed up by some maths: "The total combined profit made by [Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson] has fallen from about $5.1 billion in 2007 to $5.8 billion in 2009," says Pawlowski.
"They are caught in a negative spiral. On the one hand, they are cutting handset prices so as to grow market share and rapidly provide an attractive target audience for developers. On the other, the cost of wooing developers and supporting them is increasing."
