The successor to the Nokia N8 could be the Finns' last Symbian handset according to the latest rumours.
The Register reports that Nokia has cancelled the development of all but one Symbian handset, said to be a high-end N8-alike smartphone.
We reported last month that Nokia seemed likely to ditch Symbian earlier than expected as a result of the company's decision to place most of its eggs in the Windows Phone basket last year.
Symbolic
When CEO Stephen Elop announced that Nokia was backing Windows Phone in 2011, there was quite a lot of confusion over what would happen to the ailing OS – first Nokia said it would simply keep supporting Symbian, then it said Symbian was here to stay and would power its 'next million' phones and then it said no more Symbian phones would be coming to the US…
Like we said, confusing. But what's weird about this current rumour is that Nokia is supposedly planning a high-end Symbian device – why not stick to the low-end feature phone market where Symbian thrives and let Windows Phone keep the high-end ticking over?
Anyway, noted Nokia commentator/agitator Eldar Murtazin seems to agree with The Register's pronouncements, so there could be something in it. Either way, Symbian doesn't seem likely to be long for this world. Just as well.
