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Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#41

Post by iqster »

stopmi wrote: post #31
aniket_ray wrote: post #24

Contrary to everyone else I actually think this is a smart move. Personally, I didn't find Windows Phone 7 too bad compared to an iPhone. The only thing that Apple has in its favour is the RDF. Nokia needs a differentiating OS, Android is not that OS. I don't think Nokia wants to become a bit part commodity hardware manufacturer. So Windows Phone 7 might turn out to be a smart move. Nokia is in a position to capture…

but other companies like htc, motorola etc. can also manufacture WP7 phones. and nokia cannot make too many changes to functionality even if allowed as it would fragment the WP7 app-market. even gui based changes would kill the ui-consistency that MS is touting.. so i do not understand how nokia is differentiating itself by becoming a WP7 phone manufacturer...

I think it is about the developer/apps/market place "ecosystem". Elop mentioned that in the burning platform memo. I'd give Microsoft some credit in their developer relationship machine that's already in place.

The deal makes sense to me in terms of economies of scale ... more popular OS = more developers/apps.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#42

Post by bb1000 »

shareme wrote: post #5

Considering that Nokia's decision to stab other Symbian partners in the back form way back and do an UI and than have the failure of Symbian for years blow up in their face I would state that Nokia is about worth $0.

Yeah right. They still have the largest market share for smartphones:37% and mobile phones: 31%. And made a profit of €2billion 2010.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#43

Post by [deleted] »

masklinn wrote: post #40
detst wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... as Google hovered with their Android rescue helicopters?

Android and WP7 make no difference for Nokia. In fact WP7 is clearly a better deal as they can talk and negotiate with Microsoft's moneyhat and they become by far the foremost WP7 phone maker. They bring a lot of hardware expertise and knowledge to Microsoft's camp. Going with Android, they'd just get to get bent. If their choice was to get out of software and choose between WP7 and Android, WP7 is a much better idea…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#44

Post by rm445 »

Uchikoma wrote: post #39

Nokia wants to be Apple but acts like Dell, this does not make any sense. Disclaimer: Being Dell is nice, but you need to think like Dell concerning their, much lower, margins. And whatever Microsoft tells you, you're just one of many and compete with HTC, not Apple.

Nokia used to have levels of consumer satisfaction and devotion similar to what Apple have.

Consistently, for about a decade (from the mid-nineties), they made the most desirable phones, with the best combination of hardware and user experience. But the user experience just didn't keep up as phones developed more features.

To continue the Apple analogy, the current Nokia smartphone experience is as though Apple had continued to push OS9 while the rest of the world moved on around them. Symbian is Mac OS classic in 2011.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#45

Post by neutronicus »

silvestrov wrote: post #14
wippler wrote: post #4

I think the post is unnecessarily harsh on both Nokia and Microsoft. Windows Phone is now a lot better and is comparable with iOS/Android, only thing it is lacking is apps. Nokia making this decision much late in the game clearly knows that Microsoft also came late to the game. It needs MS as much as MS needs Nokia. Together with huge marketing muscle of MS, they can surely make something out of the partnership.

Missing apps is like being BeOS: you can be the best OS in the world, but without apps you are not going to sell. App-less, you are nothing in this product segment. Besides, their Mac support is not that great, no support for syncing calendars. This is not 90'ies anymore, you need Mac support at this time to get the teenagers and cool people to use your product.

I don't think it's the same at all.

All I use on my Android phone is e-mail, maps, the browser, and general phone stuff - honestly, I would trade the entire app store for a little more reliability and a better touch screen.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#46

Post by abijlani »

I completely disagree with the article. He treats both Nokia and Microsoft as though they have no idea what they are doing. Microsoft has decades of experience in coming up from behind place and crushing the competition. As for Nokia, they make really good hardware. They got caught up in selling cheap handsets because it was great business for a while but that does not mean they cannot make great hardware. I think this is a great move for both companies and even better for consumers.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#47

Post by saturdaysaint »

arethuza wrote: post #2

I think the "the same happen without any risk to MS" is an excellent point - the downside for Microsoft is limited and the upside is pretty good. For Nokia the upside is limited (at best you are yet-another Windows Mobile 7 handset manufacturer - it's not like they have an exclusive) and the downside is huge.

"The downside is huge."

Compared to what? I don't think the downside is greater than the downside of maintaining their own incredibly expensive and increasingly obsolete platform(s). This gives them their only hope of delivering a stable smartphones with a modern UI in the first half of this year (bonus: without spending tens-of-thousands of developer hours). I consider that "upside".

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#48

Post by dspillett »

maxklein wrote: post #34

When I read such articles, that's when you realise that people are resistant to change. It's like those people still using Windows XP because it's the best. Tech is in constant change, but at some point, some people just give up and decide not to join in anymore: not to make facebook accounts, not to join twitter, not to upgrade their OS, not to switch browser. That's what this post is: someone refusing to face the c…

I think the main thing people have an issue with is partnering with MS and using their platform rather than buddying up with Android or persevering with their own stuff. As you point out, and as they have publicly admitted, sticking with their current platform is proving to not be a viable way forward.

The apparent indignation at them choosing MS is, in many cases, a bit of fanboy-ism. The average man in the street won't care, and those of us who would particularly prefer Android over Windows just won't be buying a Nokia phone in the near future, which depending on how big a demographic we are they may not care about.

I think going with MS makes more sense for them than following the Android path, despite my vague allegiance with the Android camp. If they went that way they would just be another Android phone manufacturer which could work well if the hardware is good and competitively priced, but by going Windows which is a small part of the market now they have a chance of being the leader of that pack if it grows to be the preferred alternative to Apple's output. And it may yet manage to become a bigger player than Android - the Windows phone platform has the advantage of not having any association with the many cheap and grotty devices that are being shipped with Android (this association could tarnish the public view of Android devices on the whole).

> It's like those people still using Windows XP because it's the best.

But always remember that there are people like me who are still using XP because they have no particular reason to spend money on an upgrade. No DX10/11? Not a problem, the games I do play (including those released in recent months) seem fine and if it became a problem (games requiring later versions of DX) then I'd just find something else to do with my time. IE9 won't work? No problem - the only thing I use IE for VMWare Server's console (which has issues with FF and C) and for is downloading Firefox or Chrome.

I'll have to upgrade in a while because security updates will stop. But until that time I'm unlikely to have reason to spend money and time on changing OS.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#49

Post by ghenne »

Here's what is happening. Microsoft wants to buy Nokia, but not with all those buildings full of people. The announcements mean than Nokia can now get to work laying off tens of thousands of people. They don't need 120,000 employees anymore. Everybody involved in Symbian can go. Most of the Meego staff, too, as well as lots of middle and upper management. It won't cost Microsoft a cent in severance pay.

Once it's all cleaned up, Microsoft can complete the purchase. The stock price should be lower too, reducing the total cost further.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#50

Post by narag »

patorjk wrote: post #15
noonespecial wrote: post #9

The whole thing feels like shark-jumping if you ask me. I'd watch Nokia stock today and see if investors don't agree. I'm betting they do. I wish I knew a damn thing about investing, I'd short this one for sure.

It's down 7.8% this morning (pre-market), so you may be right.

Layoffs have been announced. Sorry, I only have a reference from a spanish newspaper:

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/02/11/economia/1297426004...

Not only in Finland, but world wide.

Edit, from the same source, quoting Nokia's CEO: the reduction will be "substantial".

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