As expected, Microsoft and Nokia today announced that the acquisition of the Nokia Devices & Services business unit is a done deal. Announced almost eight months ago, the US$7.2 billion acquisition sees Microsoft immediately take over Nokia’s Lumia, Asha and Nokia X lines of smartphones, tablets and feature phones. Microsoft will welcome some 25,000 transferring employees (less than the originally announced 32,000), including the returning Stephen Elop.
“Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world.”
Stephen Elop, who left Microsoft to become Nokia President and CEO in 2010, will now head up the Microsoft Devices Group which will include Nokia’s business as well as the Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel (PPI) products, and accessories. He will report directly to Nadella.
As part of the deal, Microsoft acquired both the Lumia and Asha trademarks but the Nokia one will remain with Nokia. Future devices that will come out of the new Microsoft phone business will be Microsoft-branded. It remains to be seen if it will continue to use the Lumia and Asha brands.
For its part, Nokia is now a much different company that will focus on its remaining businesses: The HERE mapping and location-based services group, the NSN network infrastructure division and its Advanced Technologies group.
Source : Microsoft