Nokia investors have told chief executive officer (CEO) Stephen Elop they are losing patience with his current tactics for challenging Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market.
Reuters reports many shareholders used the Nokia annual general meeting (AGM) to tell Elop his 2011 decision to switch to the Microsoft operating platform should be reversed.
“You’re a nice guy … and the leadership team is doing its best, but clearly, it’s not enough,” shareholder Hannu Virtanen, told Elop. “Are you aware that results are what matter? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Please switch to another road.”
Though there has been a growth in sales of Lumia smartphones – 5.6 million units were sold in the first quarter – using the Windows Phone 8 software, Nokia still lags well behind Apple and Samsung in smartphone sales, with just five per cent of the market.
It has also seen a decline in mobile phone sales and a falling share price.
But Elop said he remains committed to Windows Phone software.
“We make adjustments as we go,” he said. “But it’s very clear to us that in today’s war of ecosystems, we’ve made a very clear decision to focus on Windows Phone with our Lumia product line.”
“And it is with that that we will compete with competitors like Samsung and Android.”
Reuters reported some older AGM attendants as saying they only continued to hold Nokia stock due to sentimentality, with Nokia symbolic of Finland’s rebirth in the 1990s.
