Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nokia acquired by Microsoft

blogs.technet.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 573 posts

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#161

Post by sjwright »

rayiner wrote: 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…

No, a great move would have been for Microsoft to purchase RIM/BlackBerry three or four years ago, and focus on the corporate sector. They could have had the best information security story in the industry. They could have had the ultimate Exchange email experience.

Together, these companies would have had a serious chance at being the indisputable third platform.

On their own, they came up with a dozen incompatible variants of Windows Mobile, and PlayBook. Now both companies and both platforms are teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#162

Post by est »

blinkingled wrote: post #5

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.

Elop sold Macromedia to Adobe.

I used to remember Flash was cool, then it was dead for like 5 years allowing HTML5 and Unity to catch up.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#163

Post by molmalo »

corresation wrote: post #124
throwawaykf02 wrote: post #104

There was some credible speculation back then that Google bought up Mototorola because its CEO threatened patent warfare with other Android manufacturers, something Google really did not want happening. Along similar lines, I speculate that Microsoft snapped up Nokia because they threatened starting an Android line of phones. I think there's a significant business lesson in here somewhere... Something along the lines…

Microsoft's own press release makes clear that they are not buying any patents. They are buying a 10-year license to Nokia's patents. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/Sep13/09-02An... This is almost certainly to lubricate regulatory approval, and because it unleashes a Nokia patent monster upon the lands.

You seem to be right. Here's an article [1] with details about the transaction.

The main points of the deal are:

- Microsoft pays € 5.44 Billions for all of its Devices & Services business, including the Mobile Phones and Smart Devices business units as well as an industry-leading design team, operations including all Nokia Devices & Services production facilities, Devices & Services-related sales and marketing activities, and related support functions.

- Nokia will grant Microsoft a 10 year non-exclusive license to its patents as of the time of the closing (with option to extend to perpetuity), and Microsoft will grant Nokia reciprocal rights related to HERE services.

- Microsoft will become a strategic licensee of the HERE platform, and will separately pay Nokia for a four year license.

- Microsoft has agreed to make immediately available to Nokia EUR 1.5 billion of financing in the form of three EUR 500 million tranches of convertible bonds to be issued by Nokia maturing in 5, 6 and 7 years respectively. It is at Nokia’s discretion if it chooses to draw down all or some of these tranches.

- To avoid the perception of any potential conflict of interest between now and the pending closure of the transaction, Stephen Elop will step aside as President and CEO of Nokia Corporation, resign from the Board of Directors, and will become Executive Vice President, Devices & Services

[1] http://www.efinancehub.com/nokia-corporation-adr-nysenok-doi...

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#164

Post by engrenage »

rst wrote: post #62
elorant wrote: 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.

The other manufacturers don't have any alternative but to stay with Google despite Motorola and the tightening noose of Play Services.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#165

Post by iamshs »

goblin89 wrote: post #120
undoware wrote: post #25

Wow. Some call Tomi. For copious, copious background on the MS/Nokia debacle, 'burning platform' to present: communities-dominate.blogs.com (Not affiliated, just an avid fan of this mobile industry analyst-become-blogger who does his own stats. Some of the charts are chilling.)

Tried to read a recent post there, but stopped after the statement “Nikon just recently said it plans to launch its own smartphones”. That looked like big news, so I looked it up. Turned out, Nikon's president said something along the lines of “We want to create a product that will change the concept of cameras. It could be a non-camera consumer product” early July—that is the most reliable citation on the matter I c…

Tomi Ahonen is as anti-Nokia and MS as it gets, and hence I do not enjoy his blog. As his narrative stretches the truth a lot, and prime example is his Nokia analysis. Nokia was already in decline with Symbian, but go on his blog and he presents very contorted factoids.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#166

Post by jemeshsu »

feniv wrote: post #11

Microsoft is becoming more and more of an integrated software and hardware company than a purely software one. Maybe it's time to change the name to something without the "soft".

I expect no name change this time. Microsoft will attempt again to buy Yahoo! under its new CEO, and become Microhoo!.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#167

Post by sremani »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #19

To everyone speculating about what this means for the possibility of Elop succeeding Ballmer: this means that Elop is succeeding Ballmer. End of story. edit: I would love to know why this is getting downvoted. edit2: fair enough. Two key facts: 1. Microsoft needs a new CEO. They have a limited pool to choose from. The following are seemingly reasonable candidates: - Mark Zuckerberg (never going to happen, he wouldn't…

What ever I have seen in the media was bring in bunch of known names of execs in tech space and start speculation. They do not have any official hints or reliable sources guiding them. How about Mr.X. The whole argument can be discredited from the fact Ms.Sandberg is being discussed along with Mark Zukerberg, can we be reasonable people here. You might as well pick your local butcher to spice up the discussions.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#168

Post by Apocryphon »

corresation wrote: post #136
hippee-lee wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can we not talk about this in terms of war and battle? It is the business of selling consumer electronics, same as it has always been. You do explain your position well but I feel the references to war and battle water it down. No one has been killed in the development of phones. I get that the MBA crowd read the art of war and it's practical knowledge seeped into popular discussion. But the endless reference to war…

Whatever your personal hangups are, words such as "battle" (an extended contest, struggle, or controversy) and "war" (a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end) are entirely and absolutely appropriate for such discussions. Your comment borders on bizarre.

Those combat terms assume zero-sum conflicts. There can be a situation where the smartphone OS market consists of multiple survivors, even if it's only a duopoly.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#169

Post by aaronbrethorst »

sremani wrote: post #167
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #19

To everyone speculating about what this means for the possibility of Elop succeeding Ballmer: this means that Elop is succeeding Ballmer. End of story. edit: I would love to know why this is getting downvoted. edit2: fair enough. Two key facts: 1. Microsoft needs a new CEO. They have a limited pool to choose from. The following are seemingly reasonable candidates: - Mark Zuckerberg (never going to happen, he wouldn't…

What ever I have seen in the media was bring in bunch of known names of execs in tech space and start speculation. They do not have any official hints or reliable sources guiding them. How about Mr.X. The whole argument can be discredited from the fact Ms.Sandberg is being discussed along with Mark Zukerberg, can we be reasonable people here. You might as well pick your local butcher to spice up the discussions.

I am being reasonable. I'm saying Elop will be the next CEO.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#170

Post by sremani »

elorant wrote: 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…

The real loss is only one OEM - HTC, other than that there is not a single one worth mentioning
Post reply on HN