Microsoft Drops Price on Nokia's 41-Megapixel Phone

TechRadar reports today the first major public-facing move that Microsoft has made with its newly acquired Nokia devices business: "The headline-making Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone-cum-camera is now available for $100 less in the United States, potentially a sign that Microsoft is already ringing the changes at Nokia. The Microsoft Store stateside is now selling the 41-megapixel Windows Phone 8 handset for $199 (around £127, AU$216) on a two-year contract, compared with Nokia's lofty $299 (around £191, AU$325) launch price. The price is being matched by the AT&T network, but Microsoft is going one better (for a limited time) and chucking in the camera grip accessory for everyone who picks up the device. Early indications are that the heavily-hyped Lumia 1020 hasn't been flying off the shelves, so perhaps this price cut can offer Microsoft a boost in the early stages of its Nokia stewardship."

Comments

No

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft doesn't own the Nokia devices division yet. How can people post stuff like this - it has to go through some regulatory reviews and will close in several months. Not today.

Re:No

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a juxtaposition of terrible writing, as befits Slashdot nowadays. But from my reading it's Microsoft Store lowering their price, so it's got nothing to do with Nokia (necessarily), just Microsoft alone. Of course, it's easy to see how this would be related to the expected sale.
But as for Nokia itself, the former and future Microsft Stephen Elop actually stepped aside as a CEO with the announcement of the planned sale, so you could easily argue that Nokia is now working more as independent company than they have in the last three years.
Of course, product prices falling from launch prices are so unexpected and unheard of, that there must be something newsworthy behind them.

Nice

[nospam007]

"The headline-making Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone-cum-camera ..."

The porn industry always loves it when a cum camera gets cheaper.

It's not the camera. It's Windows

[kurt555gs]

Here is a Nokia phone with the same camera. Only running Symbian Belle:

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-808-PureView-Factory-Unlocked/dp/B003U8EN7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378647969&sr=8-1&keywords=n808

Deceptive price

[SIGBUS]

Saying it's $100 with a two-year contract is misleading. What's the real US price? TFA indicates £599, which would be about $936.

Re:Dislike competition?

[gQuigs]

> You want Windows Phone 8 to die so consumers have less choice?

I do want more choice in the phone space, but I don't trust or want it to be from Microsoft - or for that matter propriatary. Why do you want Microsoft to have more control of our digital lives? They have more than enough. Competition works best with a bunch of small players in a market.

So yes, I really just want an actually "open" system to actually be given a chance to shine*. (I'm currently holding on to my Palm Pre Plus which still rocks, but is slowly dieing). I'm currently thinking about getting a Firefox OS device [2], but the specs are SOOO bad compared to my Palm. If I could get it without a dataplan w/ AT&T, I would have already purchased it.

I think the new gen of open source phones that are coming have a better shot (in that the company will actually try*!). Firefox OS, Ubuntu Mobile, Jolla, Tizen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Pre
[2] http://www.ebay.com/itm/271258990669
* Nokia gave open systems 1 release after saying it was a dead platform and then switched to Windows phone. HP gave up on their TouchPads after 2 months of sales.

I feel sorry for all Nokia employees

[burni2]

I feel really sorry for all Nokia employees, Balmer said we buy them, well what will happen in the future:

1.) they will lay off Nokia devellopers and other employees (@Nokia-Employees, sorry guys but look at Motorolla's mass lay offs)

2.) they will stop producing phones (HTC, Samsung, etc.. can install Windows Phonn(e/y) too)

3.) they will have a brand name with a nice ring, patents at hand to be a pain in googles ass (not that I like to see the we stopped being good guys with itchsing between the buttocks)

4.) Finland will have a fond memory of what was once the most successfull & best develloper/producer for cell phones in the world

Lesson Learned:
Do not let trojan horses wether enter your computer nor your company !
Btw. if you ask the horse if it is trojan and it answers no, burn it !

(The story, that Elop was a trojan horse and so one, was predicted by many others (even here on /.) when he joined Nokia)