Apple had 50,000 apps in its first year. By 2010, the Nokia Ovi Store had just 13,000. Why? Nokia demanded a 70/30 revenue split (30% to Nokia), but the real killer was the certification cost. Developers had to pay for Symbian Signed—a bureaucratic, expensive validation process. A small developer could publish to Apple in days; publishing to Ovi took weeks and hundreds of dollars.
By the time Ovi Store gained traction, Apple had established that $0.99 was the psychological price point for apps. Developers were making millions. Nokia, however, had a different strategy: They wanted to sell "premium" apps at $5, $10, or even $20. nokia ovi store
More damaging was the revenue split. Nokia took 70% of revenue—the same as Apple. However, Nokia provided zero marketing support and required developers to test their apps on dozens of different screen resolutions (from 176x208 to 640x360) and input methods (touch, keyboard, stylus). In contrast, Apple had three screen sizes. Developers abandoned Symbian in droves for iOS and the rising Android SDK. Apple had 50,000 apps in its first year
As Nokia struggled to compete with the iPhone and the rise of Samsung Android devices, the "Ovi" brand began to fade. Nokia demanded a 70/30 revenue split (30% to
In 2011, as part of a strategic alliance with Microsoft, Nokia announced it would phase out the Ovi brand. The services were rebranded to "Nokia Services," and eventually, the focus shifted entirely to the Windows Phone ecosystem (the Lumia line). The Ovi Store morphed into the "Nokia Store," and eventually, for Windows phones, it was replaced by the Windows Phone Store.
The "Ovi" door had officially closed.