Intel says it will push ahead with its development of the MeeGo operating system despite Nokia’s decision to use Microsoft’s Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform.
In a statement, Intel said it would continue to include MeeGo in its mobile strategy, which also includes support for Windows and Android.
“While we are disappointed with Nokia’s decision, Intel remains committed to MeeGo,” Intel said in a statement. “Since day one, our strategy has always been to provide choice when it comes to operating systems, a strategy that includes Windows, Android, and MeeGo. This is not changing.”
Intel went on to say that its MeeGo “silicon will be in a phone that ships this year.”
MeeGo is an open source project between Nokia and Intel that combines the handset maker’s Maemo platform with Intel’s Moblin project. The MeeGo operating system was targeted for use in high-end smartphones, as well as in-car entertainment systems and consumer electronics like connected televisions and laptops.
Under Nokia’s move to use Windows in its smartphones instead of Symbian, MeeGo will become a project that “will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences,” Nokia said, implying the operating system will serve more as a research project than an initiative to bring out a commercially-viable smartphone platform. Nokia still plans to ship a MeeGo-based product later this year.
