Nokia sells 4 million units of the Nokia N8, still swamped by Apple and Samsung

The Nokia N8 is the closest challenger to the Apple iPhone that the Finnish based manufacturer has ever produced. Nokia fans responded to the first Symbian^3 powered device by reserving the handset in droves. Prior to the launch of the handset, Nokia said it "has received the highest amount of consumer pre-orders" in company history. So how did the Nokia N8 fare in the marketplace?

From the October launch through now, Nokia has shipped 3.5-4 million units of the N8 according to Finnish research firm Inderes Oy. According to the research firm, the Nokia N8 is popular in India, Finland, the UAE, and Malaysia. But how did it fare versus the phone it was designed to challenge? During the third quarter, the Apple iPhone 4 sold 14 million units. It is likely that the Samsung Galaxy S also outsold the Nokia device in the quarter.

All of this has led many to predict that Nokia will turn to Android or Windows Phone 7 to replace Symbian as the OS. Many would be buyers have praised Nokia's hardware and have said that the problem is in the software. About two weeks ago none other than Google's Andy Rubin said that he would like to see Nokia adopt Android. As we reported, Rubin noted that with the closing of the Symbian Foundation's web site, Nokia is the sole licensee of the Symbian platform. Still, 4 million units is nothing to sneeze at, especially since the Nokia N8 is sold in the States without a subsidized price and advertising is minimal at best.

source: Inderes (translated) via UnwiredView