The truth about Apple lies somewhere in between 'sheer hype' and 'genius innovators'. They are genuine innovators in slick design and ergonomics, but much less so in technical aspects. There were plenty of media players before the 1st-gen iPod, plenty of tablets before the iPad
Apple's combination of high-pricing, speedy obsolescence, closed systems and surprising technical flaws* may still cause the company to stumble.
No question but Apple are marketing geniuses though. And the iPhone 3 is probably the most influential and successful handset ever.
Back to the OP. Nokia will definitely start making Android handsets at some stage, as it is a good fallback position, and development costs would be relatively low. If Meego doesn't come out soon, it may be still-born. I remember months ago attending an app developers' seminar (I'm not a developer), and a speaker comparing OS's told us forget about Windows 7. No matter how good it is, even if it comes preloaded with apps that allow free parking anywhere you like, and infinite e-money, it's too late, MS have missed the boat.`
I knew Nokia was in trouble when I noticed that their market share was falling in West Africa. Handsets are very important there, as in most countries there is hardly any landline network. Years ago, most people in Nigeria didn't believe a handset would work properly if it didn't have Nokia printed on the front. Now everyone wants to access the internet via their handset (few landlines, remember), and browsing is definitely not a Symbian strongpoint so far. i-Phones, 'a-phones' and Android handsets are all the rage in the cities, and Blackberries are also selling well because of their PIN system.
These are massive markets with high handset penetration. But anyone who can afford it wants a smartphone, and for whatever reason (size? looks? Symbian?) Nokia's N-series has not taken over from their dumbphones in the worldwide market.
If Windows 7 is as good an OS as some people have said, then Nokia/Microsoft might well help both of them. In which case, the future's not looking bright for Meego...
*iPhone 3 camera, iPhone 4 reception, iPad with no USB