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Nokia acquired by Microsoft

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Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 2.3 Phone will run almost every existing Android app out there. In fact, most Android apps target 2.2 and up.

Which shows how backwards the platform is.

yeah, how dare they allow people to have a useful phone for several years at a time.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There are a lot of people who would have picked up the attractive, well built, well engineered Nokia devices if they had the platform of Android. Yeah maybe. There is no guarantee that the outcome would have been more favorable than being bought out by Microsoft. >Apple obviously is very much in a battle with Android ... Apple already lost to Android. Last count, Android had 80% of the market. There is zero chance o…

> Apple already lost to Android. That's not true. Apple's mobile devices are more profitable than any single line of Android devices. Also, sales of the iPad vs any other line of Android tablets, ie. Samsung's are not even close. Your comparison is no different than comparing Windows Server vs Linux servers. Yes, it might have hurt the market for WinServer a little bit (and Apple's iOS devices), but it's not like any…

It depends on how you define "winning". I would say that Google won - their goal was to get as many devices as possible using Google as their default search engine and running the Google suite of apps.

A few years ago there was a real risk that Apple would start dropping Google services (ref Apple Maps). Fortunately for Google, iCloud is a mess and Apple is so far away from Google in the services-game that it's not even funny.

Then they have the added hedge of Android which they have full control over.

Basically, Google already has Apple by the balls. In a power struggle between the two, Google will come out on top. Android is certainly an important piece to this puzzle, but saying that Android is "winning/losing" is framing the problem incorrectly.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#365
post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6. Elop becomes new MS CEO

Could it have been 'we need a new ceo, hey that guy from Nokia looks like a good candidate, buy nokia, get Elop, make Elop ceo' without the conspiracy?

Elop used to work at MS before going to Nokia.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#366

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…

I think Diane Greene would be a much better choice than anyone on your list.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#367
Clearly Elop agreeing on the acquisition by Microsoft was contingent on Ballmer resigning from Microsoft, Setting Elop up as the next CEO of Microsoft. So, not only was Ballmer fired, his replacement has likely already been chosen.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#368
Actually, I'd be really interested to see if Microkia could pull it off, could make an awesome phone that seriously challenged the iOS/Android hegemony. I think they have the resources to be able to do it in a way that Mozilla or Ubuntu or any other strictly software/no experience in hardware company could do. And if Microsoft can reinvent itself and snatch victory out of this, then that means the market is actually wide open. Ultimately, I'd like to see a true, open source, Linux phone, and Microsoft quite ironically could do a lot to prove that one could be successful.

In other words, Microsoft gets to take chances that anyone else gets to learn from. More competition is a good thing.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#369
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…

There is no money in being an Android vendor except if you're Samsung and are totally vertically integrated. There are a lot of people who would have picked up the attractive, well built, well engineered Nokia devices if they had the platform of Android. The core problem with the "no money in Android" argument is that you can't choose not to compete with Android if you're in the smartphone game, which is pretty obvio…

The fact that a lot of people would have bought the phone doesn't mean it would result in profit. Lots of people by HTC phones, but that company is circling the drain. The problem is that an Android phone is a commodity. Its hard to differentiate yourself on the product side. That means you're in extreme price/specs competition. That drives profits towards zero, just as they are on other commodity platforms like the PC (Acer and Lenovo, for example, have abysmal margins). With Windows phone, Microsoft mostly keeps the spec war in check, and WP8 runs fine on 1G/dual 1.5 Ghz on a "flagship" phone.

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft is also a completely different company now than it was dozens of years ago when this was an issue. They're more safe now, less risky.

“Microsoft executives have proved, time and time again, to be inaccurate, misleading, evasive, and transparently false. ... Microsoft is a company with an institutional disdain for both the truth and for rules of law that lesser entities must respect. It is also a company whose senior management is not averse to offering specious testimony to support spurious defenses to claims of its wrongdoing.” –Judge Thomas Jacks…

> Microsoft is a company with an institutional disdain for both the truth and for rules of law that lesser entities must respect

Funny, replace Microsoft with Apple in this pull and it would still make sense (but not with the rest of the quote)

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