It looks as though Microsoft is in the process of rebranding Nokia as ‘Microsoft’ for the Lumia (and presumably any future) Windows phones. (link)
I guess it’s not exactly a huge surprise to see this happening - I’m vaguely reminded of some business buzz-phrase containing the terms ‘acquire’ and ‘assimilate’, but the rest was so catchy I can’t recall it…
But is this a good move on Microsoft’s part?
Nokia, despite all of its ups and downs, is still a name that people intimately associate with mobile telephony. Microsoft (or Windows) just… isn’t. And I say this as a generally satisfied adopter of Windows Phone 8.
At a point where Microsoft is still really struggling to establish a foothold in the smartphone market, I don’t see how dropping the Nokia brand is going to help. What say you?
I like the 41 mega pixel camera but the rest left me cold as I do not like … well, lots of stuff about them.
I think it is too late to be thought of as a mobile phone company but they have the tablet thing going that they advertize the heck out of…
Microsoft, contrary to the way it was spun in the press, did not buy Nokia. It bought the mobile phone assets, employees, and rights to use the patent portfolio of Nokia.
Nokia retained the patents, cell antenna/radio business, and other non-cell phone products.
As a result of the agreement, Microsoft could only use the Nokia name for any smartphones product currently in market. Feature phones could continue using the Nokia name for 10 years. In fact, Nokia can contractually re-enter the mobile phone business in 2016.
To make a long story short, Microsoft has to drop the Nokia name - it has no choice in the matter.
That I did not realise - and it makes much more sense of the situation. Still, I think the situation here (whatever the underlying cause) represents a strategic vulnerability for Windows Phone.