After posting a tantalizing countdown clock that points to a September release for the Nokia N9, it looks like Nokia will not be selling the phone in America — at least not right away. Engadget has received a PR statement from Nokia that said that the N9 will not be launching in America. Here’s the deal:
After the very positive reception to the launch of the Nokia N9, the product is now being rolled out in countries around the world. At this time we will not be making it available in the US. Nokia takes a market by market approach to product rollout, and each country makes its own decisions about which products to introduce from those available.
Nokia N9 News wrote:
The site is taking this to mean that the Nokia N9 will not be released in America at all. However, the statement could mean that a U.S. launch will take place after the N9 is available in other territories. One conspiracy theory floating around is that Microsoft doesn’t want the N9 available in America because it wants Nokia to focus on its Windows Phone products in the U.S.
I would have loved to have seen the phone released in the U.S., but it looks like that won’t be happening in September. Also, I’m not buying the theory that Microsoft is blocking the release. As beautiful as the N9 is and as slick as its version of MeeGo seems, I really don’t think Microsoft gives a damn. The N9 geek-chic cool, but it isn’t a threat to anyone. That said, I still plan on picking one up…even if Nokia is making things difficult.
