Microsoft To Kill The Lumia Brand In Favor of a New Surface Phone, Says Report (thenextweb.com)

It's no secret the Lumia brand is struggling to gain any significant market share these days. Earlier this year, it was reported that Microsoft's Windows Phone OS dropped below 1 percent mark share, all but confirming the death of Windows Phone. A new report suggests that, despite the irrelevance of Windows Phone, Microsoft will not be giving up on its mobile OS. Instead, the company plans to drop the Lumia brand by the end of the year and replace it with a brand new Surface Phone in an effort to breathe new life into its flagging smartphone business. The Next Web reports: There is some credibility to the claims. Microsoft's Lumia lineup has shrunk to just four models, and there's nothing to indicate it's working on a successor. In the U.S., where Microsoft has struggled to shift Lumia phones, it has removed the link to buy them from its website. On the retail side, stores have started removing units from display, and are trying to shift remaining stock by offering steep discounts. Further evidence comes from two since-deleted tweets from Laura Butler, engineering director at Microsoft, who posted "Surface iPhone ;-)" on September 6, and "Surface Phone not NOT confirmed. :-)" on September 7, in reply to questions posed by other Twitter users. Microsoft is expected to hold an event in October, where it's believed it will announce a new Surface all-in-one. As Ars Technica pointed out, this could be when Microsoft announces its new Surface Phone, just in time for Christmas.

Comments

Great

[Anonymous Coward]

Because it was the *name* that's the problem with their phones, so this will totally fix that.

Re: Great

[davester666]

What did you learn? That Microsoft has no idea how to do UI? Where have you been for the past 25 years?

Or just specifically how MS fucked up Window 10 for Phone. Or is it Windows Phone 10? Have they finally joined phone/tablet/computer to all use the same marketing name yet? They should have stuck with WinCE, because that name truly labelled their OS accurately. wince. it's what Windows makes you do.

If you want your kids to hate you

[93 Escort Wagon]

As Ars Technica pointed out, this could be when Microsoft announces its new Surface Phone, just in time for Christmas.

Yeah, this'll work well. December 26 is gonna be even busier than usual.

Re:Microsoft is fighting irrelevance.

[gtall]

Fired Ballmer.