Microsoft Buys Nokia Devices and Services Division
Date: Thursday, September 05 @ 11:49:00 UTC
Topic:
Nokia has announced the sale of its Devices and Services business to Microsoft for 5.44 Billion Euros in a cash deal. Since the rise of the iPhone and other SmartPhone devices Nokia had been rushing to play catchup, with little success, eventually dropping it's Symbian Operating System in favour of Microsoft.
A few years ago at MWC in Barcelona Microsoft hammered the nails in its own coffin by killing off the established market leader, Windows Mobile, just before announcing that the Windows Phone replacement would not be available for almost a year.
This left phone manufacturers rushing to the Android camp leaving both Microsoft and Nokia high and dry. Microsoft and Nokia announced a strategic partnership back in 2011 putting Windows Phone 7 on Nokia handsets. This was widely regarded as being a win-win situation for both companies, but WP7 arrived too late into the market. The Window Phone powered Nokia devices were unable to disrupt the market in a major way leaving Nokia playing second fiddle to Apple, Samsung, HTC et al.
Back even further in time Nokia, hoping to break into the location market in a big way, bought NavTeq which was fully integrated into corporate Nokia in 2011. This of course is where our interest lies. But what is happening to the mapping division?
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