Microsoft Buys Nokia's Phone Business

[Jimbob]

http://news.sky.com/story/1136378/microsoft-to-pay-3-2bn-for-nokia-phones

 

Interesting move, one that Microsoft hope to challenge Apple with. Thoughts.

[Zechs Merquise]

Nokia phones are great! I have a Lumia 920 and the Windows 8 OS is brilliant for phones - a lot faster and smoother than iOS or Android. It's a good move from MS to own Nokia and be in control of the highest quality makers of Windows phones.

[Cube]

I can't see how this is a good idea at all. Even now, the Nokia brand is still well respected, and they're known to make decent hardware (the biggest complaint is the software). They are the main reason why Microsoft's market share is 2%.

 

Even though the same division is making the phones (as part of a different company), I can't see them selling as well without the Nokia name.

 

If it wasn't for Stephen Elop and Windows Phone, Nokia could have been up there with Samsung and HTC, or they could have even done well with their own OS.

[Daft]

I think it's a great move by an incompetent company.

[Agent Gibbs]

i just want Blackberry to stop using their own os and switch to Android, if the Q10 ran android i'd be there in a blink of the eye

 

 

 

Nokia were always an awesome phone manufacteror, windows phone os has always beeing mediocre falling behind ios and android, a better move would have been for nokia to drop windows and use the android OS, and retain independance, i can't see MS ownership being good, but will it be better than the current state of nokia? potentially

[Cube]

i can't see MS ownership being good, but will it be better than the current state of nokia? potentially

 

Microsoft have purchased Nokia's smartphone division. Microsoft do not own Nokia, and Nokia will continue on their own without making any smartphones (they can still make cheap phones that call and text and have snake 2).

 

They can try to re-enter the smartphone market in 10 years if they want to.

[Rummy]

Good news for anyone with Nokia stock...apparently jumped 45%! As for the news itself, I'm kinda with Cube - Nokia did a lot in the evolution of mobile phones, a really recognisable and trusted brand by many these days(though personally I'm an androidy fan, and would likely stick with HTC these days just cos I haven't known anything else for a long time) - I think they might find themselves not doing quite as well without the name.

However, Microsoft are a big name, and with Windows being on option for phone OSes now, it makes some sense for them to have their own part of the production.

[Charlie]

Even though the same division is making the phones (as part of a different company), I can't see them selling as well without the Nokia name.

 

I haven't looked into it properly yet but I assumed they would be able to use Nokia's name if they wanted to?

[Zechs Merquise]

Microsoft have purchased Nokia's smartphone division. Microsoft do not own Nokia, and Nokia will continue on their own without making any smartphones (they can still make cheap phones that call and text and have snake 2).

 

They can try to re-enter the smartphone market in 10 years if they want to.

 

I believe that MS have brought Nokia's devices and services units. These include all their phones, essentially it's the complete mobile phone arm and includes the mapping services and patents.

 

Microsoft is acquiring Nokia’s Smart Devices business unit, including the Lumia brand and products. It is also buying Nokia’s Mobile Phones business unit, which had sales of 53.7m units in the second quarter of 2013.

It also gets the Asha brand and will license the Nokia brand for use with current Nokia mobile phone products. Nokia will continue to own and manage the Nokia brand.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/10282521/Microsoft-buys-Nokias-mobile-phone-arm-in-5.4bn-deal.html

[S.C.G]

I've always thought of Nokia phones as rubbish, I suppose this is a good move for Microsoft but really it just makes me dislike them even more... ever since Windows 8, the introduction of Windows phones and recently the unveiling of the Xbox one user interface they seem to have this desire to put their crappy user interface on everything.

 

If that's not reason enough to dislike them then I don't know what is.

 

At this point it's looking like the 360 is the last piece of Microsoft hardware I'll ever own.

[Rummy]

Ahhh, if they have the name and brands, then it's going to be very good for Microsoft. I imagine most of the general public won't even be aware of a difference.

 

What I'd wonder though...what's left of Nokia now? Do they do other stuff?

[Cube]

I believe that MS have brought Nokia's devices and services units. These include all their phones, essentially it's the complete mobile phone arm and includes the mapping services and patents.

 

Ah, I misread the article I saw earlier:

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/4688888/there-will-never-be-another-nokia-smartphone

 

Under the terms of Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's devices and services division, the "Asha" and "Lumia" trademarks will transfer to Redmond, but the "Nokia" mark will remain property of the Finnish company, and may only be used on featurephones running the basic Series 30 and Series 40 operating systems under a 10-year license agreement. (Nokia itself is barred from using the Nokia brand on any mobile devices at all until December 31st, 2015.) That means any future Windows Phones built by the newest division of Microsoft will be Microsoft-branded — and that Nokia has said its goodbyes to a smartphone market it once helped to create.

 

So Microsoft can use the Nokia name, but not for Smartphones.

[Raining_again]

End of an era!

 

Part of me misses the simple times when Nokia completely dominated the mobile phone market... And my good old nokia 5110... /memory lane

[Rummy]

End of an era!

 

Part of me misses the simple times when Nokia completely dominated the mobile phone market... And my good old nokia 5110... /memory lane

 

 

(my recent nokia after its final demise last year)