Microsoft and Nokia have been in cahoots ever since Stephen Elop (former Microsoft executive) became the CEO of Nokia and have been crafting high-end Windows Phone device under the Lumia brand. And now with this bit of news, the circle is pretty much complete:
“Microsoft Corporation and Nokia Corporation today announced that the Boards of Directors for both companies have decided to enter into a transaction whereby Microsoft will purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services.”
What Does This Mean? Microsoft Buys Nokia!
Last night, Microsoft released a press release and open letter from the two executives stating that Microsoft just bought Nokia. Microsoft has just paid close to $7.1 billion for Nokia’s hardware and services business along with licensing Nokia’s patents & mapping services. Although Elop will no longer be CEO over at Nokia, the long-term plan the two set out appears to be finally complete.
“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,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive officer. “In addition to their innovation and strength in phones at all price points, Nokia brings proven capability and talent in critical areas such as hardware design and engineering, supply chain and manufacturing management, and hardware sales, marketing and distribution.”
Microsoft now has a ‘true’ in-house hardware + services for their platform Windows Phone 8. This could mean even better Lumias on the horizon.
Check out the open letter from Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer regarding the buyout and the next chapter, below.
Any Windows Phone fans excited Microsoft Bought Nokia?
The Next Chapter: An open letter from Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop
Microsoft to acquire Nokia Devices & Services, accelerating the Windows ecosystem
Nokia and Microsoft have always dreamed big – we dreamed of putting a computer on every desk, and a mobile phone in every pocket, and we’ve come a long way toward realizing those dreams.
Today marks a moment of reinvention.
Nokia has an identity spanning 150 years of heritage, innovation, excellence, and change which began and will continue in Finland and around the world. From humble beginnings as a paper mill factory, to manufacturing rubber boots and car tires, and then to mobile phones, reinvention is in Nokia’s blood.
Nokia will now write its next chapter, focused on enabling mobility through its leadership in networking, mapping & location, and advanced technologies.
For Microsoft as well, today is a bold step into the future, a huge leap forward on our journey of creating a family of devices and services that delight people and empower businesses of all sizes.
Our partnership over the past two and a half years, which combined our respective strengths to build a new global mobile ecosystem, has created incredible results: award-winning phones and amazing services that have made Nokia Windows Phones the fastest-growing smartphones in the world.
Building on this successful partnership, we announced some important news today: an agreement for Microsoft to purchase Nokia’s Devices & Services business, to deliver more choices, faster innovation, and even more exciting devices and services to our customers.
Today’s agreement will accelerate the momentum of Nokia’s devices and services, bringing the world’s most innovative smartphones to more people, while continuing to connect the next billion people with Nokia’s mobile phone portfolio.
With the commitment and resources of Microsoft to take Nokia’s devices and services forward, we can now realize the full potential of the Windows ecosystem, providing the most compelling experiences for people at home, at work and everywhere in between.
We will continue to build the mobile phones you’ve come to love, while investing in the future – new phones and services that combine the best of Microsoft and the best of Nokia.
Nokia and Microsoft are committed to the next chapter.
Together, we will redefine the boundaries of mobility.
Steve & Stephen
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to approval by Nokia shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Read more here:http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/Sep13/09-02AnnouncementPR.aspx
