Report: Microsoft to Buy Nokia Mobile Division
It’s been a big year for Microsoft so far. Between signing a landmark deal with Nokia and its more recent bid to purchase Skype, the Redmond team has certainly been busy. However, it seems Ballmer and co. may have another trick up their sleeve for us.
The latest scuttlebutt says Microsoft has its eye on Nokia and the two companies will be entering discussions next week. If fruitful, they would see Nokia’s mobile phone division sold to Microsoft. The source of these reports is Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin. Murtazin focuses mostly on phones and has a pretty decent track record. Though he doesn’t know the finer details, Murtazin claims both parties are in a hurry and that the deal could close before the end of this year.
Of course, lending credence to the rumors, is the fact that Nokia recently signed a deal with Microsoft that will see Windows Phone 7 become the Finnish company’s primary smartphone OS. Prior to this decision, Nokia was very dedicated to its own software and desperate to differentiate itself from other manufacturers by developing its own OS. That all changed when current CEO Stephen Elop took the reigns. Oh, and did we mention that he's a former Microsoft employee?
For its part, Nokia has rubbished the rumors, labeling them inaccurate:
"We typically don't comment on rumours. But we have to say that Eldar's rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment," said Mark Squires, Nokia's UK director of communications.
What do you think of a Microsoft-owned Nokia? Let us know!
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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rpgplayer didn't microsoft already try the cell phone business? the kin 1 and kin 2? from what i recall they couldn't even get microsoft employees to use them.Reply -
efta Desperate situations call for desperate moves. Microsoft and Nokia are two desperate companies.Reply -
rohitbaran Nokia's CEO is from MS right? He is an insider agent of MS. First ditching Symbian and now this.Reply -
deltatux Having a former Microsoft exec running Nokia was a terrible idea. As each day passes, more and more I believe Microsoft planted Elop to weaken Nokia down even further. First, the Windows Phone deal, now this?Reply
I already vowed that my Nokia 5800 is my last Nokia phone when the Windows Phone deal happened, if this happens, I'd be even more pissed.
Nokia's a great hardware company and Elop is dismantling it piece by piece and only benfitting Microsoft while doing so. -
qhoa1385 IMOReply
Should Microsoft buy Nokia? No
Should Nokia start switching to Android and WP7 OSes? Definitely yes!
Symbian is so outdated now... (as of Dev supports and apps) -
rantoc I wouldn't be surprised if something good actually came out of this in the end, Nokia have always made quality phones that won't die a day after the warranty is out. They don't require its users to "hold it right" and it wouldn't take them around a year to overcome the "engineering difficulty's" to release a phone in another color.Reply
Microsoft on the other hand make solid corporate trusted software, combine the two and market it right and there could be a major success. -
Fully integrated Skype on my Nokia W7 Phone with best in class HD capable camera, I want one NOW!Reply
Thank goodness my contract still has three months, I so so hope good things are available, if so, good bye HTC and WINmo, my long long time friend (all the way from XDA Exec)