You might remember Nokia for producing some of the most popular (and durable) cell phones of the early 2000s. You should also remember Microsoft, because they're Microsoft, and if you've somehow forgotten about them I'd be very worried about the state of your memory.
Anyway...
Note: Now, it seems that there will be a tiny wait for approval. It'll take until early 2014 before Microsoft gets the all clear... or rather, okay-dokey... or rather, the okia-dokia.
So yeah, this is a pretty huge deal. Microsoft has been having a good amount of trouble getting its foot in the door of the smartphone business. A $7.2 billion dollar purchase like this is pretty clear proof that they're absolutely dead set on this market. Will it be enough to dethrone iOS and Android?Ha ha, no, you kidding me? Only time will tell.
In the words of Steve Ballin'-mer, "Nokia, no problems."
Anyway...
EngadgetAccording to Nokia, Microsoft willpurchase "substantially" all of Nokia's device and service arms as well as licensing the phone maker's patents and mapping know-how. The Redmond company will pay Nokia a cool 3.79 billion euros ($4.99 billion) for the business, and 1.65 billion euros ($2.18 billion) for its patent armory.
Microsoft hopes that allying with its biggest Windows Phone manufacturer will speed up growth (and improve its smartphone market share) -- the company is already promising "increased synergies." CEO Steve Ballmer added: "It's a bold step into the future - a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies. Bringing these great teams together will accelerate Microsoft's share and profits in phones, and strengthen the overall opportunities for both Microsoft and our partners across our entire family of devices and services."
Note: Now, it seems that there will be a tiny wait for approval. It'll take until early 2014 before Microsoft gets the all clear... or rather, okay-dokey... or rather, the okia-dokia.
So yeah, this is a pretty huge deal. Microsoft has been having a good amount of trouble getting its foot in the door of the smartphone business. A $7.2 billion dollar purchase like this is pretty clear proof that they're absolutely dead set on this market. Will it be enough to dethrone iOS and Android?
In the words of Steve Ballin'-mer, "Nokia, no problems."