Nokia Lumia gets love in the US but UK's a challenge

Nokia Lumia sales 'mixed': US good, UK a challenge
US exceeds expectations, UK must try harder

Nokia has released its financial results for the first portion of 2012, admitting that sales of the Lumia have been mixed and posting a £1 billion ($1.7 billion) loss.

Sales of its smart devices are down by 52 per cent compared to the same time in 2011, while its old cash-cow mobile phones are also down by 32 per cent.

CEO Stephen Elop noted that the company has faced bigger challenges than it had anticipated, adding that, "The actual [Lumia] sales results have been mixed. We exceeded expectations in markets including the United States, but establishing momentum in certain markets including the UK has been more challenging."

Trying times

In the US, where the Nokia Lumia range launched early this year, device and service sales as a whole were up 75 per cent compared to the end of 2011, while in Europe they were down by 30 per cent.

Nokia hasn't had much luck with the US in the past, having never really gained any kind of following for its Symbian phones.

In contrast, the UK has long favoured Nokia (is there anyone who didn't have a phone with Snake on it?) until its decline in recent years - perhaps the company has more ground to make up than it first thought.

Ever-bullish, Elop commented that Nokia remains "confident in our strategy" but admitted that it feels "a clear sense of urgency to move our strategy forward even faster".

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.