Why should we pay for software updates

Question

i know that nokia has turned to providing software updates on the internet. But based on my experience if someone has to update their firmware and is not under warranty they hav to pay for the update !
wait a second, i payed(read : invested) in a nokia phone and it dint even work properly for one straight day & to sort this problem(which started by me doing nothign but buying a nokia phone) i have to PAY for an update!
this means i as an investor am wrong? i should not buy nokia phones?
YES
because as a corporate business nokia doesnt have the decency to correct their own mistakes.
This is unethical business practice.
PS: i bought N73 from dubai and am in uk as of now, so cannot use the warranty to get a free update- but cmon its not my mistake that the software has bugs, nokia should take its responsibility.
i regret buying a nokia

Answer 1

Nokia do sell phones all over the world, this is correct. But one thing you miss here is that they do not sell the same phones all over the world.
Phones sold in the US are for the US market, so this could mean they are CDMA in design, use such technology as BREW etc. Phones sold in the middle east and in APAC will also cater to the needs of this area, such as chtml and imode as well as different menu structures and character sets in the phones font.
Creating a support network that can repair a damaged phone or updgrade a faulty phone anywhere in the world would be a bad thing. For one thing, the cost. If such a service existed this would be passed on to the end user, this would mean customers in the US who never leave their country would be paying for the support services (even if never used) for a customer in China who regularly travels to Austrlia and may need a firmware update or repair done anywhere in between.
The only thing Nokia really needs to address is hardware repairs. It would not be beyond the realms of reasonable to have a hardware repair service at premium for imported phones (people travelling could wait until they arrive home or mail back to their country). However the update system that Nokia now has in place on the Internet and OTA simply means you do not need to go into a shop to update your phone. You either connect to your pc or just start the update from the phone itself.
One final note, no one pays for the update, you only pay for the service. This is why OTA updates are free (apart from the data charges) and so are Internet updates (apart for the monthly charge etc) Message Edited by karym6 on 15-Dec-2006
02:10 PM