Microsoft to buy Nokia?

maxwell smart

Mega rumor going round the net:

http://www.intomobile.com/2011/05/16/rumor-microsoft-buy-nokias-handset-unit-deal-may-close-end-2011/

What do you think? If they have the hardware and software then they might just put up a fight.

AlmightyCushion

Well the guy who came up with it was apparently the one who said nokia would be making a range of WP7 phones before it was announced so it has some credibility. I doubt it will happen (I said the same about the nokia/microsoft deal too so don't bet on me being right ), the high end nokia phones will be all or mostly all WP7 so it doesn't buy them any market share like their previous deal did. I also doubt Microsoft give a rats ass about the lower end of the market. So why would they bother buying Nokia? What does it give them?

kirving

He comes out with a good bit of accurate stuff alright, but alsom makes guesses which on occasion turn out to be true.

Mark Squires, UK Communications Director for Nokia, has already issued an uncharacteristically pointed non-comment. "We typically don't comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar's rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment."

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/eldar-murtazin-microsoft-will-enter-negotiations-to-buy-nokias/

Solair

Seems unlikely, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's something like a joint-venture Microsoft-Nokia smart phone division setup.

That could mean something like Windows Mobile, or a much enhanced version of it suddenly being exclusive to Nokia's hardware and an iPhone-type closed shop being created.

US$30 billion would be pretty cheap for Nokia too.

Nokia already did this with Siemens for infrastructural equipment they formed a joint venture "Nokia Siemens Networks" which took the two companies products i.e. Nokia's radio / GSM / UMTS infrastructure together with Siemens switching (exchange) and transmission (fibre etc) expertise and combined them. It's turned two not so hot divisions into one very powerful entity.

Nokia and Siemens are now able to compete with the big giants in that industry Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent as well as newbies coming at it from the computer side of things i.e. the likes of CISCO.

I could see them repeating this with MS.

maxwell smart

A closed system (done right) fully integrated into office/windows with good nokia hardware (and battery life) would be a powerful weapon. With their recent purchase of Skype could they be aiming at putting newer features on windows phones only?
I don't know, but it seems they are making a big play for mobile users. Cloud integration from your pc to your phone??

Who know! (Balmer probably).

AlmightyCushion

maxwell smart wrote: »

A closed system (done right) fully integrated into office/windows with good nokia hardware (and battery life) would be a powerful weapon. With their recent purchase of Skype could they be aiming at putting newer features on windows phones only?
I don't know, but it seems they are making a big play for mobile users. Cloud integration from your pc to your phone??

Who know! (Balmer probably).

But they can have all that without actually buying nokia saving themselves a good $30 billion.

KrisW

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Well the guy who came up with it was apparently the one who said nokia would be making a range of WP7 phones before it was announced so it has some credibility.

You do know that he also said, the day before the announcement that Nokia were going to go with a dual strategy of Meego and WP7, and not an exclusive... You make enough predictions, you'll find one that turns out right.

He's a spoofer. His sources in Nokia have dried up or been fired, and he lost his credibility as a reviewer once he signed up with Samsung as a "consultant". The reviews on M-R are a joke these days: everything is compared to what Samsung has out, and Samsung's one is always better...

Owen

If they do, it won't end well IMHO. Microsoft don't have a great history with mobile technology. The spot watches never took off, the Zune died and is now just an app, Windows CE devices never had great market share, and the Kin was killed after a few short weeks.

I'm a huge Nokia fan, always was. I bought a Nokia 232 in 1996, followed by a 2110i, and bought every flagship Nokia handset right up to the n93. Nokia know how to make killer hardware. In my ideal world, Nokia would have a high end handset running Android, but Windows Phone 7 doesn't light up my world. I don't have an Android handset currently, I've an iPhone 4, but I would leave the iPhone behind in the morning for a Nokia/Android hybrid.

Solair

I think what could make it a very successful product is that corporate-types like and trust Nokia and are utterly bound-in to Microsoft via Windows, Office etc.

If the Microsoft-Nokia product offering brings office, particularly Outlook to a smart phone in an exclusive way that is much more robust and on far nicer hardware than Blackberry then they'll take a lot of business clients.

I don't really see MS buying Nokia. I can't see what the point would be as it's a very diversified company that has a lot more going on than just smart phones. Nokia makes most of its money out of "dumb phones" and network infrastructure as well as through patent licensing.

Its smartphones haven't been too hot, but then the smart phone market is not the bulk of their business by a long shot. It's still a high-end niche for them.

US$ 30 billion sounds too cheap too for a company that size so I can't really see it going ahead.

I just can't see what Microsoft would really get from the wider Nokia organisation. They only really have a strategic fit in smartphones / other high-end mobile devices e.g. maybe tablets / game consoles etc. Nokia's tried that before e.g. N-Gage.

Also, the Nokia brand is probably better than Microsoft. It certainly doesn't have any of the negative connotations that MS tends to have in the IT world.

Nokia's just gone a bit flat since Apple stole its thunder with the iPhone.

I'd put my money on a co-branded joint venture rather than any kind of purchase / merger.

evolutionqy7

I would love to see this. Just because of quality control. Xbox is doing great just for that one reason. No OEM's are screwing up the quality of gaming and the web experience and hardware is working great with the software.

If they do, it won't end well IMHO. Microsoft don't have a great history with mobile technology. The spot watches never took off, the Zune died and is now just an app, Windows CE devices never had great market share, and the Kin was killed after a few short weeks.

They dont here. Especially in Ireland. People here are too scabby to spend money on a smart-phone 100 quid would be the average It took me actually buying my girlfriend a smart-phone so she would take it. Every-time i offered her one she just wouldn't want one.

Though in America back in 2000 there was blackberry and there was Windows Mobile. And that worked great. Dont forget WinCE wasn't just used in smart-phones. It was used in carrier devices. GPS units and other various devices. It runs in car systems. You just dont know it cause it has a skin over it. Which is a large market.

What might not seem to work here in Europe works a lot easier in America where people are more willing to spend money.

Then Microsoft sort of let go on pushing it.

Kin was a disaster. But guess what Microsoft has the money to burn. And its on the right path with WP7.

They have managed to bring the largest amount of transparency as a company with WP7 and whats going and whats happening. And people appreciated honesty. The current WP7 is enough to keep any smartphone owner happy. WP7 Mango will be outstanding with the amount of features being added. Not 1 by 1 like apple or google. But tons.

No one might believe it. But hey no one believed Android would come out the top either. Everyone said Apple has the car in the bag. Nokia would always stay at the top. But things always change.

Now the stats and analysis are predicting the same for WP7 especially with HTC, Samsung, Nokia + Xbox Live + Skype + Zune + Hotmail + Windows Live + Office + Kinect + Ovi and Bing Maps brand to push it forward.

Theres always an incline and decline with any sort of product. Just as Microsoft is the largest softie company they get far more attention and criticism.


Anyway Microsoft and Nokia said this back when they announced their deal that Nokia is too big for Microsoft and it doesnt need all that it has to offer so an agreement to keep on WP7 is more beneficial to each

jimmycrackcorm

Nokia would be a good buy for Microsoft to get access to the cheaper phone market in the third world where Nokia is pervasive. I'd anticipate some sort of WP7 equivalent to symbian for low cost phones.