Nokia Looks to Gamble With Apple-Like Windows Phone 8 Euro Launch

From DailyTech: Finland's Nokia Oyj. narrowly bested analysts' pessimistic expectations, moving 4 million Windows Phone 7 smartphones in Q2 2012. But the company is still posting big losses and is in the midst of painful layoffs. Most dangerously, Nokia is unlikely to fully complete its transition to Windows Phone until fall's launch of Windows Phone 8, nearly two years after Nokia's announcement of its decision to fully switch to Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) smartphone operating system.

With many viewing the Windows Phone 8 launch as Nokia's last chance to stay competitive, Nokia is reportedly considering a risky approach to try to change its fortune.

According to a report in The Financial Times, Nokia is looking to adopt an approach similar to that used by its rival Apple, Inc. (AAPL) during the 2007 launch of the iPhone. At the time Apple gambled, going with a single carrier in most regions -- for example AT&T, Inc. (T) in the U.S.

In the past, Nokia and others typically tried to get on as many carriers as possible, thinking that would attract the most customers. But in a strange way, the exclusivity of the iPhone helped Apple build its all-inclusive ecosystem and unprecedented hype surrounding the device.

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