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And there you have it, folks — any sliver of hope that Nokia would ever make a phone that runs Android has been shut down, as Microsoft has officially bought the company (particularly the wireless products and services business). We imagined Microsoft and Nokia would eventually look to make this happen after the two companies struck up an exclusive deal for the latter to make Windows-based smartphones for the former, and now it looks like that dream has been fully realized.
This no doubt similar to Google’s move of buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, though the motives for each company buying these wireless divisions might be completely different. For Google, it was more about securing more key mobile patents to help give them some leverage in the ongoing patent wars (even though Google will probably deny that until the end of times). For Microsoft, it sounds like they want to make sure they have a solid partner that will continue to make the types of devices necessary to keep Windows Phone alive.
It’s not that Windows Phone is suffering terribly or anything, but there’s no doubt that the ecosystem is quite slow in terms of third-party OEM launches and application development compared to the likes of Android. With Nokia, Microsoft can ensure that at least one of those areas is secured in the long term.
The deal is set to close in the fourth quarter of 2014 following a series of regulatory approvals and shareholder voting, though there’s no reason to believe it will be any harder for Microsoft to acquire Nokia than it was for Google to acquire Motorola. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though those details might not be far off.
Interestingly enough, Steve Ballmer — who has just resigned as Microsoft’s long-time CEO — appended his name to this announcement along with Nokia’s Stephen Elop. There’s no doubt that this was his doing, and we’d say it’s a fine “last act” for the revered executive (whose crazy antics over the years were recently documented in this hilarious video put together by Joe from WinSource).
What do you think of all this? Were you secretly hoping Nokia would ever make an Android smartphone or does this news not phase you? Let us know in the comments below!
Good move for Microsoft I guess.
That’s a bummer o’well.
I don’t know if the nokia brand will still be used for smartphone and feature phones or just for feature phones ? I read that microsoft will be allowed to use the Nokia name during 10 years.
windows needs to die for better of the world
Why? Extra competition is always good it keeps other companies motivated to improve there products.
We don’t need more companies competing on more ways to lock down our phones.
Because every Android phone sold by any brand, even though Android has no cost from Google, thay have to pay a fee to M$ because they create FUD about unknown patents, how is that going to worsen when M$ own Nokia patents?
Competition is good when there is honest companies and rules, and in tech business that has never been the case.
Selling your whole mobile business to Microsoft is like peeing in your pants to keep warm, Mr. Elop.
considering he is very likely to become CEO of Microsoft now, I don’t think that metaphor is very fitting
When he made that statement about device manufacturers making the decision to build android-based devices he was the CEO of the mobile device company with a commanding global market share dominance… how is becoming the CEO of one of the biggest mobile device underdogs not very fitting?
I mean, even if it isn’t a *perfect* analogy… surely you can appreciate the irony
If Elop becomes CEO of Microsoft, they’re in big, big trouble.
5 years more, and Google perhaps will be buying Microsoft (possibility 30%).
Huh whered you get this crazy notion pc business too big to fail software business to big to fail
They are already in big, big trouble. With Elop at the helm they are setting sail for certain disaster.
More publicity for Windows Phone :P
This is why I dont know why blackberry doesnt go android.
They make great software and hardware. They dont need to waste money into an OS they cant maintain.
If they make a switch to Android, they can concentrate on great hardware, on great software for it. BBM..etc..Android isnt the most secure platform..so they could easily make a security layer and features on top of it to distinguish themselves and really stand out and appeal to the business croud again.
A secure, newly invigorated Blackberry who is putting their time and money into the features they are most known for vice in a dead end OS
I think at this point all that shareholders are dreaming of is to sell that carcass of a company to someone, and get at least some money back.
They’ve been so slow with their mobile business, I like this move. Especially since Ballmer will be gone soon.
I like this move. A thriving windows phone arena would just continue to help Android by creating an even more competitive mobile environment. But I won’t be buying one :-)
Goodbye, Nokia.
I just think it’s sad because Nokia used to be a big fan of open source.
Until they hired a CEO from Microsoft. See how well that worked.
“any sliver of hope that Nokia would ever make a phone that runs Android
has been shut down, as Microsoft has officially bought the company”
According to Ars Technica report that’s not quite 100% true as while MS have the right to use the Nokia brand on Series 30 and Series 40 feature phones they didn’t get the right to use it on smartphones.
So technically what remains of Nokia could still release a Nokia-branded android smartphone, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Does not phase me
Couldn’t care less, the only thing special about nokia smartphones I’ve ever seen was using a real flash, instead of led to make the camera better, and that’s not something that another manufacturer can’t copy.
hahah embrace extend extinguish. literally.
from Microsoft plant into Nokia (Elop), to killing Nokia’s price until it’s so low MS can buy it favorably (they refused before as Nokia continued to drop), to buying them today.
The correct phrase is “Any sliver of hope that Nokia would ever exist has been shut down” – because this is it for them.
I said this same thing Nokia could have made a great android phone with an amazing camera too bad Elop wanted the company to fail
not only that, Nokia was working on developing open source phones prior to elop. He immediately stopped it. I suspect he will be sued over selling Nokia to MS, as this is probably in the realm of antitrust.
If I was a Nokia investor, I would be demanding every email Elop has sent in the last two years.
I can’t wait to get my hands on a Surface Phone. ;-)
Nokia is a sell out, literally, they probably thought they wouldn’t compete well in the android community, and punked out by allowing themselves to be sold
Meh this is big news for windows phone fanboys but us here at android land still have amazing hardware partners with amazing phones being released daily. Besides maybe now they can actually attempt to compete now. But they probably just lost all the hardcore Nokia fanboys who only used windows phone because of the Nokia name.
Nokia had options, Microsoft didn’t.
Android would have been nice on Nokia phones, and old-timers would have returned to the brand if the offerings were decent. But it was Microsoft’s only play, but a shift to 75% Android phones by Nokia would have been death to WP once they started to be Nokia’s bigger sellers.
This is a great thing for Android. It assures the WP platform will survive a while longer, perhaps permanently. And despite the sour grapes of fanboys who want Android to rule the world, competition to keep Android innovative is essential to the health of the OS.
I often wonder about an alternate universe where Google bought Nokia and Microsoft bought Motorola. Where the Lumia 1020 runs Android as stock as what’s on the Moto X and the Droid Mini, Ultra, and Maxx all run WP8.
On another note, it’d be a good time for Google/Motorola and others to poach talent, especially from the camera division.
To the question at the end… Nope.
Who?
LOL…If Microsoft had actually cared a little more about developing Windows Mobile properly, they wouldn’t be scrounging to do stuff like this. Never again, will I trust Microsoft with phones.
I would have loved a Nokia phone with android to bad thats not going to happen its a shame Nokia phones r nice windows is the most boring OS ever made they should just sell it to Google right now.
This is not about turning Nokia into a Windows powered force to be reckoned with. This just keeps Nokia from jumping ship to Android.
Yep, there were likely plans in the pipeline.
Elop, officeboy of Microsoft is much richer now.
Actually, this headline is totally off base. Microsoft didn’t buy the Nokia name. Only Asha and Lumia. They licensed the Nokia name for feature phones only. In 2015 Nokia (unbought) can use the Nokia name on smartphones again. Since they will now likely have nothing to do with Microsoft, they could very well be running android. With the value in the brand, I would be shocked if this didn’t happen.
Maybe this will give the Zune a reincarnation….. NOKIA Dune XP
First Microsoft drives Nokia into the ground, then buys it. Coincidence? I think not.
I’m glad I don’t own any shares of MS or Nokia right now, lol.