A few hours ago a video showing what appears to be a Nokia concept phone running an interface decidedly iPhone-like showed up on YouTube; people are already either salivating over it or branding the Finns dreadful copycats.  Since I know nothing more than what I can see in the clip I won’t pass judgement – it could be a new OS, it could be a fan mockup – but, like the iPhone itself, it certainly looks good!

Edit: Turns out that this is an official Nokia video; it’s part of their GoPlay event media as a demo of possible future interface design.  When questioned as to the, ahem, similarities with the OS of the iPhone, Executive VP & General Manager of Multimedia at Nokia, Anssi Vanjoki, told reporters that “If there is something good in the world then we copy with pride”

 [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKyAMQPbmI[/youtube]

To be honest, it really is all a bit similar – the slideshow transitions move with the same flow, the screen auto-rotate looks the same and the general feel of it is very Apple.  The icons at the end of the video would seem to indicate the full gamut of functionality from audio and video playback, camera and internet access; nothing new, then, since Nokia’s existing range offer these.

If the price – and the features – are right then I’ve no doubt Nokia would find buyers for a cellphone like this.  But they’ll sure take a battering along the way from critics deriding their lack of originality.