14 DAY TRIAL // Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is reportedly pushing back the launch of its music service in the United States. The company promised earlier this year that it would launch Comes With Music on the US market in 2009, yet it seems that now it has decided to make the service available for mobile phone users in the country only in 2010.
According to Forbes, the delay has been already confirmed by a Nokia spokesperson, yet no other details on the company's plans for Comes With Music have been unveiled. Currently, mobile phone users in nine countries can enjoy the service, which was initially launched in the UK back in October last year.
“Comes With Music has been below expectations in developed markets, though Nokia is having more success in emerging markets,” said Mark Mulligan, an analyst with Forrester Research. “In Western Europe and specifically Great Britain, Nokia has been hindered by not having a strong operator route to market.”
A recent article from Reuters says that the Nokia spokesperson actually stated that the company hadn't yet provided a launch date for the service in the US. “We've actually not given a firm time-frame yet for when it will be launched in North America. Our priority is on creating and delivering an optimal experience as we roll this service out in each market,” the company representative reportedly said.
As many of you might already know, Nokia's Comes With Music is a service that enables users to enjoy unlimited free music downloads from major labels and independent artists upon the purchase of select mobile phones from the maker. The poor reception the service has seen is proved by the fact that only one operator in the UK has adopted it, Orange, and it might also be the cause for the delay. On the other hand, Nokia might plan the crafting of the service to fit the needs of US users perfectly, which should make it worth the wait.