Why I don't think Intel's CEO is right about Nokia

Yesterday, HP’s CEO admitted that his company has to be faster about getting their products out to consumers and I agreed with that statement wholeheartedly. And now Intel’s CEO, Paul Otellini, has come forward and let loose a few choice words about what he thinks Nokia should have done. A few of you out there probably won’t be surprised to hear that he believes Intel should have skipped over Windows Phone 7 in favor of another mobile operating system: Google’s Android.

Otellini believes that Nokia will have some trouble differentiating itself from the competition if they use Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, and wouldn’t have that problem with Android. Most wouldn’t argue with that statement, with the considerable amount of customization that comes inherent with Android, and the lack thereof that comes with Windows Phone 7. But, we do know that Nokia is allowed to customize WP7 as much as they want, but that the Finnish manufacturer is choosing not to do so to make sure that consumers still get software updates.

But, I disagree with Intel’s CEO when he says that Nokia should have gone with Android. The first reason is because I think Nokia can make an impact in the Windows Phone 7 market. Even with Microsoft’s set parameters for hardware, Nokia is perfectly capable of making high-end devices that look interesting, and feature great stats. And, the tweaks they do make to the software will be enough to be different versus the competition.

And second, I want to see another major manufacturer supporting Windows Phone 7. And with the support that Nokia is putting behind the mobile operating system, there’s a real chance here for WP7 to start making a real impact. With Nokia, Samsung and HTC putting their support behind Microsoft’s mobile effort, I think the future is pretty bright for the platform.

There’s no denying that Nokia would have been able to do some good things with Android, too. I’m personally glad that the manufacturer went with Windows Phone 7 and not the little green ‘droid, though. I’m curious to see the handsets that Nokia releases, and if the changes they make to the software are worthwhile. That, and if they look like anything like these concepts, I’m already sold.

What do you think? Should Nokia have put their chips on Android? Or do you think they made the right decision with Windows Phone 7? Let me know in the comments below.