Before USB, Nokia Had Pop-Port - Here's Why It Was Discontinued

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Once the undisputed king in the early mobile phone wars, Nokia is now a cautionary tale of what happens when technology empires fail to keep up with the times. During the infancy of the mobile phone race in the 2000s, the Finnish manufacturer was once the horse everyone placed their bets on. Some of us dinosaurs can even recall the days when almost everyone you knew owned a Nokia (or at least begged for one) so that they would be part of the trend. In fact, many of us even have war flashbacks of our trusty old Nokia models surviving falls from absurd heights without taking any damage, which is a far cry from the relatively fragile screens of modern smartphones. This was a time when physical buttons reigned supreme, and buying a case did not yet feel like a necessary investment with every new phone purchase.

These days, if you still want a working piece from the legacy brand, you'll be happy to know they are actually modern Nokia products floating around in the market, like smart TVs, routers, laptops, and even smartphone accessories, like earphones, charging cords, and power banks. But if you're old enough to remember the rise and fall of Nokia, you may be curious to know how the signs of their leadership started showing cracks much sooner, such as when it axed its proprietary Pop-Port. 

On September 3, 2002, Nokia filed a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the mark "POP-PORT". On paper, the owner's name was listed as the "Nokia Corporation," and the official registration was dated a little over a year later, on September 23, 2003. At the time, it cited its use as both an adapter for mobile devices and accessories, as well as the software enabling it. However, it was cancelled just eleven years later on April 25, 2014, and removed from the official registry. As of writing, the trademark remains cancelled, so there is likely no chance of it returning for future mobile phone models.

Made of 14 pins, the Nokia Pop-Port was designed to be able to control and power external mobile phone accessories, which didn't have their own batteries. For example, the pins allowed features that transmitted audio input and output via a microphone or earphones. In some cases, it was also capable of data transfer via a USB data cable. And lastly, it played a role in both the charging input and the ground of the mobile device. 

At the time, the Pop-Port was ubiquitous in the Nokia portfolio and for a while, it may have been difficult to imagine switching to something else. For early mobile phone adopters, it was present on many Nokia models, including the Nokia 2112, 2270, 3220, 7200, and more. 

In reality, no one really knows why the Nokia Pop-Port was discontinued, and no official reason has been provided. However, the shift did come when miniUSB ports were becoming more commonplace in the early 2000s. At the time, many other electronics manufacturers followed suit, including cameras and audio players. It may have made more sense for Nokia to simply join the trend to keep up with the times and the growing consumer preference.

It's important to note that while the USB did become the industry standard, some mobile phone manufacturers resisted it for much longer. For example, Apple stuck to its proprietary charging mechanisms for a much longer period. In fact, it took the European Union mandating all manufacturers to switch to the USB-C port in 2024 for the smartphone manufacturer to finally let go of its Lightning connector, which had been in use by Apple users for more than a decade. That said, if you find an old Nokia in your home and want to experience a little blast from the past, there are still Nokia Pop-Port earphones for sale on eBay for $10. But if you want a modern take on an old favorite, the company did release an updated Nokia 3310 that you might want to consider, even just for nostalgia's sake.