Nokia frustrated with lack of apps, progress on Windows Phone

A Nokia executive aired out his frustrations with partner Microsoft in a recent interview concerning the company’s line of Lumia smartphones.

Nokia’s vice president Bryan Biniak told the International Business Times that in order to sell phones, the Microsoft needs to have apps consumers love and make sure they are better on the Windows Phone operating system.

“We are releasing new devices frequently and for every new device, if there is an app that somebody cares about that’s not there, that’s a missed opportunity of a sale,” Biniak said, according to the report.

VIDEO: Unboxing the Nokia Lumia 1020

Microsoft has multiple partners for Windows Phone, but Nokia is by far its most important one. The Finnish phone maker has been releasing a new device nearly once a month over the past year. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been updating Windows Phone at a slower pace.

“We are trying to evolve the cultural thinking [at Microsoft] to say ‘time is of the essence,’ ” Biniak said. “Waiting until the end of your fiscal year when you need to close your targets doesn’t do us any good when I have phones to sell today.”

Biniak said Windows Phone has a great catalog of apps, but there are still a few missing that are essential to consumers. He said consumers don’t want to compromise how they live, and without those apps, they won’t switch operating systems.

“It’s not just about the hardware, it’s about the tools that are on the hardware,” he said. “You can’t sell a phone without the apps, you just can’t.”

And Biniak has a point. In the past year, Nokia has released some of the most innovative smartphones available on the market, but with some vital apps missing, consumers are holding off from buying.

Its latest device, the Lumia 1020, features perhaps the best camera of any smartphone, but Instagram, the most popular mobile photo social network, isn’t available on Windows Phone.

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