Stephen Elop: Windows Phone handsets mark “a new dawn” for Nokia

With Finnish handset-maker Nokia having introduced its first Windows Phone smartphones - the flagship Lumia 800 and the low-cost Lumia 710 - earlier this week, what the industry-watchers are now trying to assess is whether or not Nokia will be able to attract the US customers.

The question is a very pertinent one, given the fact that Nokia, which a decade back held 50 percent of the US wireless phone market, is currently left with a measly, below 7 percent, share --- thanks largely to the entry of more competitors, like Apple, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. In fact, Nokia's total market share has plunged from 40 percent in 2009 to just about 20 percent in the most recent quarter.

Since Nokia has been steadily losing its US market share over the years, critics are of the opinion that the new Windows Phone handsets - for which the manufacturer has teamed up with Microsoft - might not be able to bring about any noteworthy turnaround in Nokia's US fortunes.

However, the executives at Nokia are quite optimistic that they have the right handsets, equipped with the right software, to attract consumers, including the mobile phone users in the US.

Noting that the Windows Phone handsets marked "a new dawn for Nokia," CEO Stephen Elop said at the recent Nokia World conference: "We believe the world is ready for something new, something more integrated and more beautiful. And we think we can break through."