Microsoft to buy Nokia's mobile phone business

japauljapaul Posts: 1,727
Forum Member
✭✭✭
Microsoft is buying Nokia's Devices & Services business for EUR 5.44 billion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23940171

I'd say Nokia must have been doing worse than we knew. There had been rumours of a poor Q3.

Elop transfers back to Microsoft (maybe it's next CEO)? Nokia has a new interim CEO and is left with NSN (network infrastructure), HERE (maps) and Advanced Technologies (licensing and development)
«134

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,072
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Always on the cards - actually surprised it took this long.
  • japauljapaul Posts: 1,727
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The deal includes Microsoft licensing Nokia's patents (EUR 1.65 billion of the total). This means that in the end the whole phone business went for less than EUR 4b. How things have changed when you think back a few years.
  • daclickdaclick Posts: 3,393
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    RIP Nokia. You really should have just done at least 1 android phone.
  • niceguy1966niceguy1966 Posts: 29,560
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    rosetech wrote: »
    Always on the cards - actually surprised it took this long.

    I predicted this the day Elop became CEO at Nokia. I'm also surprised it took this long.

    Given how closely the two companies are already tied together, I doubt the formal take-over will make a lot of difference.

    My first mobile was a Nokia and I was once a loyal Nokia phone owner, upgrading to the latest and greatest every year. My last Nokia was an e71 about 3 years ago.

    I have no interest in a Windows Phone in its current form. They need to make it a lot more open and flexible to get my interest (more like a PC, how ironic!).
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Dinosaur buys dodo.
  • clonmultclonmult Posts: 3,366
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    daclick wrote: »
    RIP Nokia. You really should have just done at least 1 android phone.

    Er, you can. Not official maybe, but you can.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,692
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I think most people who follow this sort of thing, knew it would happen. I wonder if they will keep producing the Asha and the other few basic phones they still produce.
    Nokia lost a few years back and going over to windows 8 phones did not help to be honest.

    i said if they produced a decent Android based phone I would have got one before I got the Nexus, but no way am I getting a windows phone.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    japaul wrote: »
    Microsoft is buying Nokia's Devices & Services business for EUR 5.44 billion.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23940171

    I'd say Nokia must have been doing worse than we knew. There had been rumours of a poor Q3.

    Elop transfers back to Microsoft (maybe it's next CEO)? Nokia has a new interim CEO and is left with NSN (network infrastructure), HERE (maps) and Advanced Technologies (licensing and development)

    What do you mean there had been rumours of a poor Q3? Your mate tell you?
  • Everything GoesEverything Goes Posts: 12,972
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    John259 wrote: »
    Dinosaur buys dodo.

    PMSL :D

    Everyone saw this coming! Given Microsoft`s dubious history with hardware its may be the end of Nokia. Can MS turn Nokia into the next XBox or will it be another Zune?
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The problem with these companies that "made it big" back when they were young and zesty... they think they are still young and zesty and that people will follow them the way the pretty/popular one at school got followed.

    But they are OLD, they cannot wear wacky hats and mis-matching socks and expect to look kewl.

    (following this?)

    Microsoft, Apple, Nokia... They need to grow up and stop thinking of themselves as youthful trendsetters that people were bound to follow. That's gone.

    Nokia (old hippies) should have gone classy 'n stylish. Gone Android.

    Microsoft are OLD NERDS, why would they think they are trendsetters? Even under Bill Gates they were pretty nerdy, their big hits: OS and game consoles....
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Nokia would have been the best thing to happen to Android, a stylish Nokia Android 'phone would have almost been an iPhone for people who don't like Apple.
  • japauljapaul Posts: 1,727
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    flagpole wrote: »
    What do you mean there had been rumours of a poor Q3? Your mate tell you?
    Maybe a week or so ago Berstein's Ferragu reckoned they were potentially headed for a "disastrous" Q3. Obviously just an opinion but it's based on trying to interpret things that can be observed like distributor feedback.Volume increases more than offset by ASP falls, big channel promotions with Lumia's being discounted by 50% or more. He also contended that they might issue a warning ahead of the Q3 announcement in October although there is probably some relief in the form of NSN.

    Fitch also noted they were seeing evidence of Nokia's low end recently coming under serious pressure from locally based handsets.

    Now nobody outside Nokia has all of the info and they could be reading the signals all wrong but even if you are not the sharpest cookie in the box, you can probably still see how some might get the impression that Q3 could be less than ideal. How do you interpret it?
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Well there's a surprise (!). I saw this coming when "former" Microsoft employee Elop took over at Nokia.

    Microsoft have been scared of Android for a while now, and they became even more scared when Google purchased Motorola. This buyout was always inevitable, especially with Windows Phone in the dire straits it's in.
  • japauljapaul Posts: 1,727
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Tassium wrote: »
    The problem with these companies that "made it big" back when they were young and zesty... they think they are still young and zesty and that people will follow them the way the pretty/popular one at school got followed.
    "Young and zesty" Nokia was well over 100 years old when it "made it big" in mobile phones.
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    japaul wrote: »
    "Young and zesty" Nokia was well over 100 years old when it "made it big" in mobile phones.

    You've made the classic mistake of analysing the analogy.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    Tassium wrote: »
    You've made the classic mistake of analysing the analogy.

    i don't see how. it wasn't an analogy for a start.

    and 'The problem with these companies that "made it big" back when they were young and zesty...' was completely wrong.
  • jabbamk1jabbamk1 Posts: 8,942
    Forum Member
    "Didn't see that one coming", He lied
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,692
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Zack06 wrote: »
    Well there's a surprise (!). I saw this coming when "former" Microsoft employee Elop took over at Nokia.

    Microsoft have been scared of Android for a while now, and they became even more scared when Google purchased Motorola. This buyout was always inevitable, especially with Windows Phone in the dire straits it's in.

    Motorola would have to improve, I had two of their phones, ok not smart phones, but still Motorola and both was a waste of time.
    A mate had the razor, looked good, just a shame it could not stay in one piece.
    I doubt I would ever buy another Motorola.
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
    Forum Member
    No no no no... RIP Nokia. I'd rather they had died than Microsoft buy the shell of them out.

    In fact RIP Nordic Design and quirkiness.

    This was always going to happen but would have been great to see just one, just one Nokia Android...
  • grumpyoldbatgrumpyoldbat Posts: 3,663
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I can't see HTC and Samsung bothering with any more Windows Phone devices after this.
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    noise747 wrote: »
    Motorola would have to improve, I had two of their phones, ok not smart phones, but still Motorola and both was a waste of time.
    A mate had the razor, looked good, just a shame it could not stay in one piece.
    I doubt I would ever buy another Motorola.

    I don't like Motorola either, but under Google control it is an obvious threat to Windows Phone.

    Plus I doubt HTC and Samsung are going to want to bother any more when Nokia sells 80%+ of all Windows Phones, and now Microsoft owns them. Both HTC and especially Samsung make a lot more money from Android. Microsoft should have held off on this buyout as it's going to alienate their other partners right at a time where WP was showing small signs of growth.

    LG has also all but given up on Windows Phone as well, so I think it was a bad move, rushing in to buy them out. It's not like Microsoft could be scared of others trying to outbid them.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 65
    Forum Member
    He is a great Trojanhorse.
  • niceguy1966niceguy1966 Posts: 29,560
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I guess MS had to weigh up the options.

    1) Buy Nokia for billions now
    2) Wait until Nokia made even bigger losses and pick it up for peanuts.

    The irreversible damage to the Windows Phone reputation while Nokia slid towards bankruptcy could have killed off the whole OS. Now the OS can be supported until MS figure out how to make the business work (or give up trying), rather than being a victim of the market.
  • david16david16 Posts: 14,821
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Hope microsoft can introduce the android apps to phones that Nokia just couldn't care less about.

    The nokia ovi store is missing loads of android apps.
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Zack06 wrote: »
    I don't like Motorola either, but under Google control it is an obvious threat to Windows Phone.

    Plus I doubt HTC and Samsung are going to want to bother any more when Nokia sells 80%+ of all Windows Phones, and now Microsoft owns them. Both HTC and especially Samsung make a lot more money from Android. Microsoft should have held off on this buyout as it's going to alienate their other partners right at a time where WP was showing small signs of growth.

    LG has also all but given up on Windows Phone as well, so I think it was a bad move, rushing in to buy them out. It's not like Microsoft could be scared of others trying to outbid them.

    HTC and Samsung already put minimal effort into their WP operation, Samsung especially who had been deliberately wasting WP software engineering resource to slow down progress of the OS.

    All that growth in Windows Phone is purely from Nokia's efforts - Lumia 9xx and 1020 establishing the brand and the 520 actually making the sales.

    Google buying Motorola hasn't alienated HTC or Samsung or anyone else from making Android phones. If Microsoft can progress Windows Phone with the Lumia line under their wing, prove that demand exists and a market exists for Windows Phones, HTC and Samsung will rush right back in - they will never ignore the opportunity to make profits wherever they can.
Sign In or Register to comment.