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Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

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Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#151

Post by StrawberryFrog »

jsnell wrote: post #26
latch wrote: post #16

Some reports suggested that [considerable] money was part of the deal. Do we know for sure whether this is or isn't the case? "Microsoft invests $300 million in a strategic partnership with Nokia" is a lot different than "Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0."

A one-time few hundred million would be peanuts at this scale, I can't imagine it affecting the decision unless it was quietly deposited to somebody's private Swiss bank account.

$0 is a precise number. "Microsoft bought Nokia for $300 million" doesn't have the same ring to it, but seems to be closer to the truth. Which makes the headline sensationalistic.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#152

Post by mbesto »

raganwald wrote: post #61
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…

> That's what this post is: someone refusing to face the changing landscape of tech. I didn't read that at all, what I read was someone saying that change is necessary, but that this change has huge benefits for Microsoft but questionable benefits for Nokia. We should be wary of falling into the "politician's fallacy" from the delightful Britcom "Yes, Prime Minister:" We must do something. This is something. Therefor…

http://book.personalmba.com/absence-blindness/

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#153

Post by Maakuth »

ig1 wrote: post #82
ig1 wrote: post #22

I sincerely hope that Elop sold all of his Microsoft shares before he joined Nokia, otherwise he could be breaking all kinds of laws right now.

This is a legitimate point, Elop would have got options while he worked for Microsoft, that creates the scope for both insider trading problems and conflict of interest issues which are legally regulated.

I'm fairly sure this has been explored very thoroughly by the lawyers of both companies. Actually, I think this deal was something that the board was preparing for when they decided to hire a Microsoft man.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#154

Post by Maakuth »

jogjayr wrote: post #105

So months ago, using an external OS (Android) was like "Finnis boys peeing their pants to keep warm", but now it's a good strategic partnership? And especially given Elop's very recent Microsoft ties, could there possibly be some other agenda?

That was a quote from Nokia exec called Anssi Vanjoki, who leaved the company when Elop was hired.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#155

Post by regularfry »

_b8r0 wrote: post #57

My favourite phone was the Nokia 6210. That thing was damned near indestructable. The 6310i was also great but it only really added bluetooth and had no authentication on the AT modem profile (which meant anyone could connect to it and dial up to the Internet, snarf data and so on whenever bluetooth was on). The problem with Nokia was that they kept messing around with Symbian and didn't really know what it was for,…

Here's the thing: as a phone, the 6310 was simply never beaten. It's almost as though Nokia thought that if they left it on the market, those sales would result in consumers stepping off the upgrade treadmill for several years. I know several people who still have theirs, and frankly I'm utterly envious.

My 6310 was the last phone I could use (as in, answer calls, dial arbitrary numbers, use the phone book, whatever) without actually looking at it. Damn, I miss that phone.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#156

Post by _b8r0 »

regularfry wrote: post #155
_b8r0 wrote: post #57

My favourite phone was the Nokia 6210. That thing was damned near indestructable. The 6310i was also great but it only really added bluetooth and had no authentication on the AT modem profile (which meant anyone could connect to it and dial up to the Internet, snarf data and so on whenever bluetooth was on). The problem with Nokia was that they kept messing around with Symbian and didn't really know what it was for,…

Here's the thing: as a phone , the 6310 was simply never beaten. It's almost as though Nokia thought that if they left it on the market, those sales would result in consumers stepping off the upgrade treadmill for several years. I know several people who still have theirs, and frankly I'm utterly envious. My 6310 was the last phone I could use (as in, answer calls, dial arbitrary numbers, use the phone book, whatever…

You are right. As a phone it (and the 6210) scored a flawless victory. I've never had a phone since that was as perfect for it's purpose. Sure, I like my iPhone but it's not without it's flaws (like putting mute on because the screen comes on mid call, or not being able to hold it in my left hand without a cover) but the 6210 and 6310 just worked. The day I found the exposed bluetooth profile I threw up in my mouth a little, because my perfect phone wasn't perfect anymore.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#157

Post by saturdaysaint »

zmmmmm wrote: post #130
saturdaysaint wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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".

Compared to what? Compared to joining an ecosystem that has already succeeded (Android). The downside if WP7 turns out to peak at 5% of the market - which is entirely possible at this juncture - is that Nokia will suffer a horrific drop in profits and probably go out of business. They now need WP7 to reach 30 - 50% of the market simply to consider this strategy a success. It's incredibly risky to take a bet like that…

Elop has given a credible reply to this argument: Android would put them on the fastest track imaginable to commoditization. Nokia's support and supply-chain would have taken Android from the marketshare leader to the undisputed ruler of the smartphone market. In this kind of atmosphere, it could be safely surmised that no manufacturer would have any leverage with Google and there would be very little opportunity for interesting differentiation.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#159

Post by zmmmmm »

saturdaysaint wrote: post #157
zmmmmm wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compared to what? Compared to joining an ecosystem that has already succeeded (Android). The downside if WP7 turns out to peak at 5% of the market - which is entirely possible at this juncture - is that Nokia will suffer a horrific drop in profits and probably go out of business. They now need WP7 to reach 30 - 50% of the market simply to consider this strategy a success. It's incredibly risky to take a bet like that…

Elop has given a credible reply to this argument: Android would put them on the fastest track imaginable to commoditization. Nokia's support and supply-chain would have taken Android from the marketshare leader to the undisputed ruler of the smartphone market. In this kind of atmosphere, it could be safely surmised that no manufacturer would have any leverage with Google and there would be very little opportunity for…

> Android would put them on the fastest track imaginable to commoditization

The way I see it they are on that track anyway. As far as I can tell they got absolutely no hard concessions from MS about control of WP7 - I'm sure Microsoft said lots of nice things but when it comes to the crunch Nokia has to be delusional if they think Microsoft is going to let them have any real influence over WP7. If you are going to get commoditized it might as well be in a market that is a known success rather than one which might totally fail.

> In this kind of atmosphere, it could be safely surmised that no manufacturer would have any leverage with Google

Nokia is easily big enough and powerful enough that they could take Android their own way. They could forgo licensing Google's apps and put their own on, thus maintaining a foot in the ecosystem but remaining entirely independent. Android would have given them a lot more options than just becoming subservient to Google (which, even if they did do, I would maintain is better than being subservient to MS).

This deal is strange enough to me that I half suspect there is another surprise - perhaps MS and Nokia joining together to sue the living daylights out of Google with every patent in their arsenals.

Re: Microsoft just bought Nokia for $0

#160

Post by herval »

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…

"So I expect Android to take the role of feature-phones now, while MS and Apple control and split the high-end market."

is there really such differentiation these days? As every phone walks to become a smartphone, Android powers devices cheap and expensive and Apple plans on building cheaper iphones (at least according to the rumors), I'm not sure we'll see such a clear distinction in the future, as we saw in the past, when Symbian was pretty much the only higher-end OS in town...

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