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Nokia acquired by Microsoft

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61–70 of 573 posts

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#61

So Elop was in fact a Trojan Horse? Wonder what this does to the already strained MSFT vendor relationships. You could now almost guarantee vendors will start to completely dump Windows on ARM and possibly even look for alternatives to Windows x86.

I disagree. I doubt purchasing Nokia's phone business would make PC vendors any more worried than Surface/Surface Pro did. Windows is still king of the desktop and unless Android becomes a desktop OS or Apple starts licensing OS X there aren't any real alternatives with consumer brand recognition. If Ubuntu were the answer then System 76 would be more than a boutique PC maker. If MS starts making desktops, laptops, a…

Idk, sounds like the year of Linux on the desktop is closer than it has ever been. :)

But you should really look at Chromebooks/ChromeOS for one glimpse of what a consumer-friendly, non-MS system would really look like. Right now it is the #1 selling laptop on Amazon, and reviews are pretty positive.

If I was a shareholder in MSFT, I would seriously be worried for the future of the whole Windows platform, mobile and desktop.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#62
post #46

So Microsoft just handed the entire Asian manufacturers’ bunch to the Android ecosystem. Not that they’re not already there but it would be hard for any manufacturer now to invest on Windows when they would think that MS is already giving the edge to Nokia. Also this comes like an acceptance from MS that they can’t penetrate the smartphone market. So they prefer to invest heavily on devices they own. Which is a first…

To be fair, Google also owns a phone manufacturer (Motorola), also bought on the cheap after a few years of flagging sales. They've managed to keep relationships with other phone manufacturers going despite this, so far, but it is a similar problem.

It's conceivable that some of the asian manufacturers might want a foot in each camp (so long as each looked viable at all) just for leverage to use against the other.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#64
It seems like this will be very interesting fight between Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Samsung in next few years. I assume the first three will do relatively well - the only looser here will be Samsung.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#65
post #45
post #38

This is a great move. There is no money in being an Android vendor except if you're Samsung and are totally vertically integrated. With Windows Phone, Nokia and Microsoft at least have some hope of carving out a profitable stake in the market. Anecdotally, I'm very impressed with some of the new Lumias. I got a 620 to replace my stolen iPhone, and for $200 unlocked its phenomenal phone. The build quality makes a flag…

How well does the first party Instagram app run on that Lumia?

I like your little "first party" qualification to make sure your snark was accurate.

Anyway, there are plenty of great Instagram apps on Windows Phone 8:

http://www.wpcentral.com/tags/instagram

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#66

Wow. So he kept nokia stagnant while samsung and apple exploded in the smartphone market and now he gets to be CEO of another company thats been stagnant for years(he was already passed up for being CEO at MSFT before he left to nokia). I guess microsoft's strategy is to keep chasing after the devices market.

I'm not sure what world your on. Elop would not have been in the running as CEO of Microsoft. I don't believe he would have had enough experience at that time. Was there anybody other than Ballmer and ray Ozzie epwho would have been considered.

He's actually brought Nokia back from the brink and kept a sinking ship somewhat afloat, in my opinion. At the same time, I don't think he is enough of a visionary to lead Microsoft.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#69
post #54
post #2

Well, this makes all the speculation about Elop succeeding Ballmer that much more interesting.

It's especially interesting in light of shareholder activism by Value Act. Value Act had been against the devices strategy. Two days ago they struck a deal to get a seat on MSFT's board[0]. Was this part of the deal? Or is this an upraised finger in the rearview mirror? The kremlinology of all this is very complex. [0] http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/31/micr...

That actually could be a benefit to Microsoft having valueact on the board, though it isn't easy, I suspect opposing views are what make a board stronger, rather than weaker.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#70
post #8

What else is part of Nokia other than their 'Nokia Devices & Services'?

> What else is part of Nokia other than their 'Nokia Devices & Services'?

As of recently, all their enterprise/industrial gear: DSLAMs, muxes, 3G/LTE gear, carrier hardware, etc. when they bought Siemens share of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), noting that Nokia was originally flying solo with this stuff before the JV with Siemens.

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