Finally comes the news that Nokia’s Comes With Music is set for launch. It will launch first in the UK with Carphone Warehouse on October 2nd. Interestingly the service will launch on the mass market 5310 XpressMusic device. This is significant as it shows that Nokia is setting its sights firmly on the younger mass market – the most important target group for the record labels and interestingly not Nokia’s other core segment (i.e. higher spending, N series customers).

Apart from pandering to record label strategic objectives there is another reason Nokia may be focusing on younger mass market consumers first: the iPhone remains unchallenged in terms of UI and design in the high end media phone space. Nokia doesn’t yet have a device that challenges it on equal terms. Whilst Nokia’s anticipated “Tube” may or may not be the device to challenge the iPhone, right now Nokia is smartly fighting the battle for mobile music where Apple can’t currently challenge: the low end.

Sure Apple might go for some shuffle-like iPhone but until they do Nokia can address the segment with relative impunity with CWM. This should also smartly negate the impact of an anticipated Apple subscription service and / or bundled device – both of which would most likely be aimed at the typical high end Apple customer. Nokia is taking the fight to Apple, but on its terms.