Nokia is set to perform an ethics review for itself, after they get caught lying to the masses in a misguided effort to gain some hype for a device they did not trust.
We all know how Nokia pulled out all the stops in their presentation of the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Nokia Lumia 820, but little did I know that they also pulled out their code of ethics, and decided to lie to their potential customers in the Nokia – Microsoft joint event.
The bright and colorful Nokia Lumia 920 was presented to the public as beginning of the “New” Nokia.
Taking help from Microsoft, they began making Windows mobile devices using Windows 7. The Nokia Lumia 900 was burned due to the fact that they lacked foresight into the requirements of the Windows 8 mobile operating system. Microsoft essentially declared the Lumia 900 obsolete when they said it will not get Windows 8.
It looks like they lacked that foresight once more, as they gambled the future of the company in a video full of lies. During the event, they presented a video of a couple taking videos and photos of each other using the Nokia Lumia 920. The video highlighted the OIS or Optical Image Stabilization capabilities of the PureView camera built into the device.
Everyone was awed at the clarity of the video taken with the device with OIS on. In fact, those who saw the video would have traded their phone in right there and then just to get a smartphone with a camera as good as that.
Sure, Microsoft might have some more work to do with their Windows 8 operating system, but Windows 8 is already pretty stable, and looks very good on a smartphone. With all the little kinks they might have to deal with at launch, people thought it was worth it for a mobile camera that good.
However, eagle eyed observers noticed something very peculiar about the video. They noticed something wrong in one scene, where the couple was riding their bikes and the guy was filming his girl with the Lumia 920. The couple passed through a trailer that gave a reflection of a van carrying 2 people pointing a camera and lighting equipment while filming the girl on the bike.
It was clear right there and then that the video was taken not on the Lumia 920, but on a DSLR camera. It was blown into the high speed world of the internet as a marketing hoax.
Nokia was quick to admit their fault as there is no way they can fake this now. They issued an apology stating that they “failed” to “make it clear” that the video was a simulation and not an actual product demonstration as they originally said.
They later on added some notes in the video at the right moment describing that it was a simulation of the OIS possibilities, and not a demonstration of the product’s capabilities.
Nokia got burned on that end already, but they were about to get really scorched a couple of days after the initial PR nightmare.
A native from Helsinki was on his way home when he passed the set where Nokia was taking photos. He took a quick shot of the scene. Little did he know that he would be involved in busting the company later on when he learns of how the Nokia tried to pass those DSLR shots as photos taken on the Lumia 920.
You see, the latter half of the product-demo-turned-simulation-video highlights the photo taking ability of the Lumia 920. The PureView camera was advertised to be a very capable camera when taking shots in low light conditions. Granted, the Verge did prove that it was very capable, but not on the same level as the DSLR camera used to fake the advertisement.
Nokia demonstrated the “capabilities of the device” by showing in the film the difference between a normal night shot and an enhanced night shot with the Lumia 920 OIS system. If you didn’t know it was a fake, it would have wowed you to no end.
Fooled me once, shame on me, fooled me twice in the same video, shame on you Nokia! Microsoft may have to think twice about being associated with a company that is trying to make its way back into the limelight through deception. Nokia admitted to it too, issuing a second apology pertaining to the faked photos in the presentation.
I understand that Nokia needed some hype to get their product going, but they should know better than that. Lying to your customer is a good way of defiling a brand and leaving a bad mark on the company.
The world was watching them at that point, trying to see if Nokia is back on track. We wanted to know if Nokia with Windows 8 will be a winning combination. It could have been, but now everyone is more wary about Nokia now that we know they will blatantly lie about their product if they could get away with it.
Luckily for Microsoft, they have other partners using Windows 8 on their products, so they won’t really be the losing party here.
Nokia, who is trying so hard to get back into the game, might have just nailed the final coffin unless they do something really good to make up for this “lack of foresight”. Maybe if they can perfect the PureView tech to actually take photos and videos as good as the DSLR they used to cheat us with, the lie will become the truth. Until then, we’re wary of you, Nokia.
Image sources: pcmag.com, redorbit.com, foxnews.com, verge.com
