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Microsoft To License Nokia Brand To Foxconn, Says Report (techtimes.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the lackluster-sales dept.

SmartAboutThings quotes a report from Windows Report: It's no secret that Microsoft's phone business isn't going according to plan. Last quarter alone saw a 46% drop in phone revenue, slightly better than the 49% drop the quarter before that. And now it seems that Microsoft is finally realizing this: according to rumors, the tech giant is considering licensing 50% of its mobile business to Foxconn -- in other words, the Nokia brand it had purchased for 10 years, until 2024. It appears that negotiations have reached very advanced stages, with Microsoft and Foxconn currently deliberating the final clauses of the deal. Some of the implications of such a deal could mean about 50 percent of the Microsoft Mobile members would be looking for new jobs. The rest of the team is said to join the Microsoft Surface team, and may be tasked with working on an upcoming Surface Phone which has been rumored for some time now.

1 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. MS is missing the obvious by realmolo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I still can't believe that MS blew it so badly.

    ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS THIS:

    1. Make a phone that could be fully integrated/managed with Active Directory and Group Policy, as if it were a normal PC. Including AppLocker functionality.
    2. Put a fully-functional Exchange client on it. FULLY functional. Hell, throw Skype for Business on there, too.

    That's pretty much it. Corporations would buy one for every employee. Managing Android and iPhones is a colossal pain-in-the-ass, and MS could completely take over the "business smartphone" market if they made a phone that could be easily managed. But...no.