Nokia and Microsoft team up.

[kdarling]

The interesting thing about the deal is whether people are loyal to the brand or the OS.

Yes, plus perhaps they could get new converts because of a fresh face.

As the news sinks in, we get some good questions like this one.

I noticed Samsung is not on that list. Samsung did really well with its blackjack line.

The list also left off HTC, which went from an unknown ODM to a well known and popular manufacturer of both WinMo and later Android phones, using their own custom UI shell that they ported from WM.

In addition, Microsoft publicly said they'd defend any user of WinMo from patent lawsuits related to it, which was a shot across Apple's bow and a welcome example of a corporation taking responsibility.

 

[snova]

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Im looking forward to how this goes. WP7 is an awesome OS and with Nokia picking it up, it will drive the OS further and give it the jumpstart it needs.

Someone please enlighten me. What is so special and awesome about WP7? honestly I have never tried it.

What is the compelling reason for people to pick WP7 over iOS or Andriod? Honest I am at a loss and have no idea whatvmakes it so special?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

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Someone please enlighten me. What is so special and awesome about WP7? honestly I have never tried it.

What is the compelling reason for people to pick WP7 over iOS or Andriod? Honest I am at a loss and have no idea whatvmakes it so special?

It's freakin sweet. It's a whole new way to use your phone, where iPhone and Android are app based, Windows Phone is tile based, with "hubs" that have a bunch of information displayed on them without the need to open apps up. I have a Focus, and I love it. I'd never switch to an iPhone after owning this phone.

 

[Savor]

Microsoft won the bidding war and got the most coveted OEM of them all. The hijack worked. Nokia is now the Scandinavian housewife doing all the chores for her new American husband. But guess what? In this shotgun marriage, Nokia is still selling #1 in volume sales and still getting billions from her new hubby.

This is why Microsoft is the real winner in the relationship and celebrating right now. More Ballmer, please?

WATCH THE MICROSOFT CELEBRATION RIGHT NOW -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY2j_GPIqRA&feature=related

^^^ Would Steve Jobs do this? No. Boring. Gates and Ballmer would!

 

[SmokeyRobinson]

Microsoft won the bidding war and got the most coveted OEM of them all. The hijack worked. Nokia is now the Scandinavian housewife doing all the chores for her new American husband. But guess what? In this shotgun marriage, Nokia is still selling #1 in volume sales and still getting billions from her new hubby.

This is why Microsoft is the real winner in the relationship and celebrating right now. More Ballmer, please?

WATCH THE MICROSOFT CELEBRATION RIGHT NOW -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY2j_GPIqRA&feature=related

^^^ Would Steve Jobs do this? No. Boring. Gates and Ballmer would!

But would Ballmer ever refer to his products as "Magical"? No. Athiest.Steve Jobs would!

 

[takao]

the main news thread is filled with so many absurd comments it's already comical
how many apple users now claim there nokia is somehow a failed company or doomed is actually really funny. for some doing a reality check in that thread would be required

regarding their stocks dropping: really it's not the "OMG they are doomed" factor but the actual more short term investor opinion of "investments in Symbian will return nothing, and MeeGo will be dead on arrival this year"

Windows is the biggest volume maker of operating systems and office software in the world
Nokia is the biggest volume maker of cell phones (more than the next 3 on the list combined) in the world

yes both are lacking in the smartphone market and their ecosystems but if you look at how fast those markets move then this strategic alliance could sure pay off, all it takes is the right device

 

[gnasher729]

What a coup.

In one move, Microsoft jumps from 3% to 30% of the world smartphones.

They just leapfrogged both RIM and Apple by a factor of two.

WP7 application developers, start your engines.

In one move, Nokia drops from 30% to 3% of the world smartphones

 

[maflynn]

What a coup.

In one move, Microsoft jumps from 3% to 30% of the world smartphones.

They just leapfrogged both RIM and Apple by a factor of two.

WP7 application developers, start your engines.

This changes everything

In all seriousness, this is a win-win situation for both MS and Nokia. They need what each other has. MS has a great OS, but needs a major platform to sell it on, and Nokia needed an OS to sell their smartphones on.

Clearly MeeGo wasn't it, Symbian was showing its age and they're distaste for android was well known and vocal

 

[Consultant]

This is a game changer IMO. Nokia's expertise in building great handsets combined with Microsoft's expertise in building great software will really shake the market up. Remember Nokia dominates in many international markets where Apple has next to no presence. This will get Windows Mobile in the hands of an awesome number of new people and motivate more developers to build for its platform.

You only have to look at all the angry comments from Android fans this morning to realise how important this announcement is. If Nokia had gone with Android it would have guaranteed its place as the dominant smartphone platform. Elop siding with his pals in Redmond has just given Microsoft one helluva huge boost in this battle.

I have a feeling Microsoft could end up surprising everyone by taking the lead in market share within the next few years.

LOL. Palm tried the same thing a few years ago due to desperation. It did not stop Palm from heading into bankruptcy.

What a coup.

In one move, Microsoft jumps from 3% to 30% of the world smartphones.

They just leapfrogged both RIM and Apple by a factor of two.

WP7 application developers, start your engines.

I think I smell a MS shill somewhere.

 

[Melrose]

This is a game changer IMO. Nokia's expertise in building great handsets combined with Microsoft's expertise in building great software will really shake the market up.

Both those arguments are rather shallow imo. Microsoft, unless you're a fanboy, has significant problems building OS-level software (Winodws ME Anyone? Vista, anyone?) They make solid office software and server software, and while I like the look of Phone 7 and applaud them for taking a different direction I doubt it will be as reliable or useful as they tout it to be.

And Nokia's experience making handsets ends as soon as you remove the 87 buttons and toggles - ie, old-school handsets with a button for every function. That's what they're known for. They have little experience building popular and successful smartphone handsets.

I would love to see it be successful, but I think they're really simply choosing the lesser of two evils by partnering up. MS is doing what they always do - rather than build a product people get excited and buzzed about, they simply buy into the market by forcing the numbers. And Nokia is doing it just to jump the development time on a brand-new mobile OS. Microsoft gets the numbers, Nokia saves the money.

 

[rdowns]

This was a marriage of necessity. And it was handled really badly. I bet the phone lines are burning up at Nokia's offices worldwide. Headhunters will be plucking talent out of there like a fat kid eats cake.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Investors have panned his shake-up strategy and employees are rankled. Now, Nokia Corp.'s Stephen Elop, the first non-Finn to lead the world's largest maker of phones, is in a hurry to justify his decision to ditch the company's smart-phone software in favor of a former employer's, Microsoft.

He has a lot of ground to cover.

Nokia's stock, which lost 14 percent after the Microsoft deal was announced Friday, fell a further 4 percent in midday European trading Monday and about the same in the U.S. when the market opened. Nokia employees are showing their displeasure with their feet, walking out from work en masse on Friday.

Elop presented his case, to both investors and employees, at the world's largest cell-phone trade show, which opened Monday in Barcelona, Spain.

After the companies said Friday that the tie-up will lead to more innovation and a broader global reach, Elop said Monday that the deal also means billions of dollars for Nokia from Microsoft...

Link

 

[Stella]

And Nokia's experience making handsets ends as soon as you remove the 87 buttons and toggles - ie, old-school handsets with a button for every function. That's what they're known for. They have little experience building popular and successful smartphone handsets.

When was the last time you saw a nokia smartphone?

Nokia's touch screen smartphones have a minimal number physical buttons - volume up and down, lock, power, camera, and on some either a call and and cancel button or Home button. So, just the minimal. The one I have has 6 physical buttons. All buttons I'd rather have as physical than being combined or as soft keys on the screen.

Even on my previous phone, the phsyical buttons were useful, buttons for email, messaging, calendar... quicker than using a touch screen to access functionality IMO.

 

[kdarling]

In one move, Nokia drops from 30% to 3% of the world smartphones

*chuckling*

Yeah, somethine like that could happen too.

Good one!

 

[benzslrpee]

financially, Nokia needed a boost to slim down their ridiculous MeeGo/Symbian/etc R&D that was 8x their cash flow. i'm pretty sure their board agreed as well.

operationally, MS could use some help with WP7. Asian manufacturers are tied up in Android because that has been the only option to compete with Apple. all Samsung/HTC/LG need is someone to produce a viable WP7 device for them to copy (ie. Nexus One) and the three will do what they do best: produce iteration after iteration of the same product in slightly different specs.

short term, Nokia can strengthen their cash flow to position themselves for a WP7 exit strategy (if there is one) and MS gets to increase their mobile OS's exposure.

long term, Nokia/Finland isn't interested in being a commodity hardware firm and MS isn't too keen on partnering with a company who isn't. Nokia wants to set the forward curve and dictate prices. MS want manufacturers to drive down prices, flood the market and get that licensing revenue stream.

if nothing else, a 6% drop in stock price takes them back to Dec 2010. hardly the doom and gloom people think.

 

[rhett7660]

It's freakin sweet. It's a whole new way to use your phone, where iPhone and Android are app based, Windows Phone is tile based, with "hubs" that have a bunch of information displayed on them without the need to open apps up. I have a Focus, and I love it. I'd never switch to an iPhone after owning this phone.

This goes without saying for you.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this, very intersting.

 

[maflynn]

This was a marriage of necessity. And it was handled really badly. I bet the phone lines are burning up at Nokia's offices worldwide. Headhunters will be plucking talent out of there like a fat kid eats cake.

Provided the economy is in better shape and provided they're able to land a job that is the same or better.

You nailed it when you mention its a marriage of necessity, they both needed what that other had. One thing this marriage doesn't deal with, is how they sell handsets in the US. Most people are unwilling to purchase a 600 dollar unsubsidized phone. Until they customize their business model to be more compatible to the US consumer, they'll not make any headway in the US.

 

[tinachan]

What Nokia did can prove to be a huge success......

I think Nokia has the license to customize WP7 now, which is a good thing. Actually, they claim they'll be working in partnership with MS to that purpose. So, I'm already assuming that the WP7 OS we'll find on Nokia phones will be to some degree different (albait compatible, I really hope) from the one on other hardware producers.

I also think it will be quite likely we'll see other features I can't really understand why are currently missing in WP7, such as thetering and Sync with Outlook.
In other words, I think this degree of exclusivity may be enough to generate that uniqueness that is indeed needed to compete against the iPhone.
Check this to see what other developers have to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfWFvCJJaNs

 

[*LTD*]

I think Nokia has the license to customize WP7 now, which is a good thing. Actually, they claim they'll be working in partnership with MS to that purpose. So, I'm already assuming that the WP7 OS we'll find on Nokia phones will be to some degree different (albait compatible, I really hope) from the one on other hardware producers.

I also think it will be quite likely we'll see other features I can't really understand why are currently missing in WP7, such as thetering and Sync with Outlook.
In other words, I think this degree of exclusivity may be enough to generate that uniqueness that is indeed needed to compete against the iPhone.
Check this to see what other developers have to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfWFvCJJaNs

It's a recipe for confusion at first, and disaster later. It's already bad enough that MS is licensing their mobile OS to everyone.

 

[Stella]

Yes, Nokia have the license to customize, but they've said they won't because of compatibility and fragmentation.

I expect Nokia will port Nokia Maps ( which is pretty good, btw ) to WP7, and hey've announced they will make Ovi Suite for WP7 too.

Also, apparently, microsoft paid Nokia $1 billion to make phones for its OS - 5 year + deal.
http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2011/03/07/microsoft-paying-nokia-1-billion-for-5-years-plus-deal/

I think Nokia has the license to customize WP7 now, which is a good thing. Actually, they claim they'll be working in partnership with MS to that purpose. So, I'm already assuming that the WP7 OS we'll find on Nokia phones will be to some degree different (albait compatible, I really hope) from the one on other hardware producers.

I also think it will be quite likely we'll see other features I can't really understand why are currently missing in WP7, such as thetering and Sync with Outlook.
In other words, I think this degree of exclusivity may be enough to generate that uniqueness that is indeed needed to compete against the iPhone.
Check this to see what other developers have to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfWFvCJJaNs

 

[kdarling]

Also, apparently, microsoft paid Nokia $1 billion to make phones for its OS - 5 year + deal.

Reportedly the agreement goes much further. Microsoft also supposedly gets use of all of Nokia's patents.

Considering that Apple could be found liable for at least a billion dollars in unpaid patent fees to Nokia over GSM and WiFi, Microsoft is getting more than a fair deal, as Nokia will also be paying Microsoft per-device royalties.

 

[elppa]

In addition, Microsoft publicly said they'd defend any user of WinMo from patent lawsuits related to it, which was a shot across Apple's bow and a welcome example of a corporation taking responsibility.

It's a shot across Google's bow because they don't. Apple and Microsoft won't sue each other again.

Considering that Apple could be found liable for at least a billion dollars in unpaid patent fees to Nokia over GSM and WiFi

Everyone knows they will have to pay something, even Apple. There is no could about it.

 

[Melrose]

Reportedly the agreement goes much further. Microsoft also supposedly gets use of all of Nokia's patents.

That's a big shot in the arm for Microsoft, as they play catch up in the market.

It's win-win for Microsoft, and halfsies-halfsies for Nokia.