So the Nokia N9 got finally launched, nearly 2 years after it's predecessor Nokia N900.
When N900 was show to the world, it demonstrated new ways to do full multitasking, integrated Skype and VOIP experience, a good solution to conversational SMS and instant messaging, online presence, integrated sharing, a very capable web browser... And a Unix terminal program installed by default on device. In a sea of smartphones of various degrees, it showed what a powerful mobile computer could be like. With a primarily landscape-oriented UI.
To this day, N900 is a device that is still referenced in blogs, when people talk about UI innovation, particularly when it comes to offering a full-scale multitasking experience. This is pretty remarkable especially considering that N900 has not received any mainstream-level adoption when it comes to the amount of devices sold. It's more of a "proof of concept" that leading-edge people can have as their own phone.
And now, the N9 takes the multitasking to the heart of the device, designing it so that it almost disappears. Compared to N900, the N9 is much more of a consumer product than any Maemo device before it, but its potential as a high-volume mainstream device is dampened by Elop's current Nokia strategy. But in fact, this means that the heritage of OSSO/Maemo/Meego continues - as a disruptive device to talk about. Again, it may not be the device that everyone owns, but it still will be a device that the blogs will reference to, when they talk about UI innovation. And that has an effect on how the other devices in the market will be designed.
These devices are the key for putting Nokia and "thought leadership" back together.
