Official: Microsoft To Acquire Nokia Devices and Services Business

Many submitted, and symbolset emailed me to wake up, sending this bit of interesting news out of Redmond: "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. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will pay EUR 3.79 billion to purchase substantially all of Nokia's Devices & Services business, and EUR 1.65 billion to license Nokia's patents, for a total transaction price of EUR 5.44 billion in cash. Microsoft will draw upon its overseas cash resources to fund the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to approval by Nokia's shareholders, regulatory approvals and other closing conditions." And, yep, Elop is part of the deal (quoting Ballmer): "Stephen Elop will be coming back to Microsoft, and he will lead an expanded Devices team, which includes all of our current Devices and Studios work and most of the teams coming over from Nokia, reporting to me."

Comments

Not a good OS?

[dutchwhizzman]

I don't know if you have tried windows phone 8, but it's actually not a bad OS for a smartphone. There's a lot that can be said about marketing, consistency of APIs for developers, the app store and the apps MicroSoft includes with a purchase, but the OS itself is the least of the problem here. The real problem is the total package delivered to the consumer. The fact that there is now "one manufacturer less" that sells windows phone makes the windows phone ecosystem even smaller than it already was. Unless they will get their marketing and apps strategy together even less people will buy a windows phone than before.

Re:Beware of Microsofties bearing gifts

[thaylin]

Well since when has apple had vision, agility, quality, execution, origination of new ideas? The last one sure, but MS has that as well.