Caveat Emptor: Gizmodo and the Pulp Press at its worst ...
NG767,
<< “In the current ecosystem wars we are using Windows Phone as our weapon,” Elop told El Pais. “But we are always thinking about what’s coming next, what will be the role of HTML 5, Android… Today we are committed and satisfied with Microsoft, but anything is possible.” >>
I am hopeful that by now that you are aware of what Elop who communicates exceptionally well and chooses his public utterances exceptionally carefully and precisely actually stated in a late December interview with Stephen Elop conducted in English by Manuel Ángel Méndez (who I assume speaks English as a 2nd language but not necessarily well) for an article that was published in Spanish on January 6 in the Spanish daily "El País" and also published in Gizmodo en Español which Manuel is the editor of.
The following day Jesus Diaz of Gizmodo UK published the article titled Nokia Boss: “Today We are With Microsoft, But Anything is Possible” that I posted and linked here.
That article by Jesus led off with the words: "Gizmodo es Español reports on some surprising words by Nokia big chief Stephen Elop. Asked about a potential Android phone in Nokia’s near future, Elop said that “anything is possible” ... followed by what you quoted above. As it turns out for convenience and "for the sake of brevity" this paragraph from Angel's Gizmodo en Español article that Jesus referenced in his Gizmodo UK article ...
"En la guerra actual de ecosistemas, luchamos con Windows Phone. Pero siempre pensamos qué viene después, qué papel juega HTML 5, Android… HTML 5 podría hacer que la plataforma, sea Android, Windows Phone u otra, pierda importancia en un futuro, pero todavía es muy pronto. Hoy estamos comprometidos y satisfechos con Microsoft, pero cualquier giro es posible".
... was actually a condensation and interpretation of three Elop answers to 3 questions posed by Manuel from the interview into a single paragraph and Jesus Diaz translated Angel's Spanish translation of what was stated in English by Elop back into English, interpreting it to his own satisfaction as he did so.
As this cockeyed and cockamamie Gizmodo mess featuring a translation of a translation of a condensed mashup ricocheted quickly around the Internet many members of the pulp press construed this as a signal that Nokia was considering changing strategic direction (and in the context of the interview any changing direction, not 'any rotation,' not 'any twist', not 'any spin', and not 'any draft' or 'any turn,' was the most plausible translation of "cualquier giro") and that Nokia was considering manufacturing and distributing Android (or HTML 5 based) smartphones. Others construed it as an attempt by Elop to take a warning shot at Microsoft, something he would be very unlikely to do in an interview with an undistinguished Spanish interviewer, and probably with anyone other than his old boss Steve Ballmer who he may someday replace if he succeeds in putting Microsoft on the mobile map ny 'jointly building' the (2nd or) 3rd mobile ecosystem which I believe he is likely to do.
I would invite you (and others) to run the Spanish articles through multiple online translators.This is the translation of just the title of the 1st article by Manuel ...
• Nokia will cease to be true to Microsoft? Any rotation is possible, says its CEO (Google)
• Will you stop Nokia true to Microsoft? Any rotation is possible, says its CEO (Microsoft Translator)
• Nokia will cease to be faithful to Microsoft? Any spin is possible, says its CEO (SDL)
• Will it leave Nokia of being faithful to Microsoft? Any draft is possible, says its CEO (Promt) Nokia forwarded their own transcription of Elop's response to the 1st of several questions asked by Manuel to various members of the media (including Gizmodo) to clarify what Elop actually said.
"So, the way I think about it is, in the current war on ecosystems, we are fighting with Windows Phone. That’s what we’re doing. Now, what we’re always doing is asking, how does that evolve? What’s next? What role does HTML5 play? What role does Android or other things play in the future? We’re looking further into the future, but it terms of what we’re bringing to market, and what we’re immediately focused on, we’re focused on Windows Phone."
That of course is entirely consistent with the third pillar of Nokia's 3 pronged strategy (future disruption) initially announced by Stephen (and Steve B.) on February 11 2011 and it is what one would expect Elop to say if they have followed him and followed Nokia in response to a loaded question asked by Manuel in late December: "Do you rule out 100% launching a device, a smartphone based on Android next year?"
To Manuel Angel Mendes' credit he subsequently added an important clarification to his original El Paris article in which he published a credible transcription of the complete original late December interview with Elop. That clarification and a translation of the paragraph that commences it (by a bilingual personal friend of mine who probably despite his advanced ESE degrees earned in Glasgow probably speaks Spanish at least as well as his native Scottish English and better than his North American English) is in the post that follows this one.
Jesus Diaz? He's still 'spinning' in the wind (while blowing wind) while trying to justify what he wrote in the fashion he wrote it while concurrently attempting to criticize Nokia's reaction to the adulterated mess he (and Angel) created.
- Eric - |
