As headlines go, ‘Nokia crushes the iPhone’ is a tough one to beat. Man bites dog can compete with it, or India wins overseas in Cricket.

Unbelievable as it may sound, Gadi Amit in Fast Company is claiming that with Lumia, Nokia has a much better smart phone than Apple. To quote, “in both physical and UI design, the struggling Finnish manufacturer delivers a solid rival to the reigning smart phone.”

Microsoft’s metro user interface wins handsome praise as well, “a triumph of class modern design from the European school… strong color logic, a well-executed grid and elegant proportions.”

These are very tall claims, and were they not in a magazine like Fast Company they would be laughed off or simply ignored.

Come to think of it, isn’t it time somebody challenged Apple on its home turf, physical and user interface design? Microsoft and Nokia surely have the smarts and the big bosses must have gone on an extended holiday, leaving younger talent to express themselves!

A die-hard Apple fan like me is excited at the prospect of a serious challenger and I will surely check out the Lumia. If it’s even halfway as good as Fast Company claims, I am a buyer.

Apple is at its best as a rebel and the way things are going for it (check out previous quarter’s financial results) it is in danger of becoming The Big Brother of our times.