It’s official and, if we’re honest, we didn’t think the rumours were true. But, with this announcement, both Nokia and Microsoft have sent shockwaves around the mobile world.
Nokia tell us that Window Phone will be “Nokia’s primary smartphone platform”. Microsoft will be providing developer tools for app developers to leverage “Nokia’ global scale” with Symbian becoming “a franchise platform”. Nokia still expects to shift 150 million more Symbian devices but will be pushing Windows Phone 7 in Nokia smartphones.
GLOBAL – Today in London, our two companies announced plans for a broad strategic partnership that combines the respective strengths of our companies and builds a new global mobile ecosystem. The partnership increases our scale, which will result in significant benefits for consumers, developers, mobile operators and businesses around the world. We both are incredibly excited about the journey we are on together.
While the specific details of the deal are being worked out, here’s a quick summary of what we are working towards:
• Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.
• Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.
• Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
• Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
• Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience.
• Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
• Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.
• Microsoft will continue to invest in the development of Windows Phone and cloud services so customers can do more with their phone, across their work and personal lives.
• Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.
We each bring incredible assets to the table. Nokia’s history of innovation in the hardware space, global hardware scale, strong history of intellectual property creation and navigation assets are second to none. Microsoft is a leader in software and services; the company’s incredible expertise in platform creation forms the opportunity for its billions of customers and millions of partners to get more out of their devices.
Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia. We also have a shared understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a mobile ecosystem, which includes the entire experience from the device to the software to the applications, services and the marketplace.
Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward.
There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them.
There will be challenges. We will overcome them.
Success requires speed. We will be swift.
Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.
OMG
A brave decision.
This could work. Nokia brings their knowledge and expertise that they have in abundance to Microsoft who from the looks of it are sorely lacking in exactly this judging from the flaws in the current operating system.
Provided both parties work together then Nokia can improve the product Microsoft offers, Nokia then creates their smartphone platform, with the dividend for both being increased sales.
The potential down side is that both companies have a flair for being quite closed minded and stubborn which could mean it all dies a horrible death.
I guess it is a case of ‘watch this space’.
wow, I did not really think it would happen. Bring it on competition is good! I look forward to seeing what these two mammoths can produce.
This is the worst thing Nokia could possibly have done. They are keeping their Symbian system for their low end phones, which is great – that’s what we started on and why we’re still with Nokia. However, Symbian has lagged behind Apple and Android for a while now in terms of apps and functionality. Nokia could done the smart thing and gone to Android, but instead they’re going with Windows and basically announced they’re going to sit on that burning platform until they’re consumed by it. This partnership will benefit Nokia as much as partnering with AOL benefited Time Warner.