Redmond announced late on Monday that it will be buying Nokia’s smartphone business. And nowhere else were the implications of this acquisition were felt more than the fledgling Windows Phone ecosystem.
The purchase of the Lumia brand could potentially mean the death knell for other Windows Phone devices makers like Samsung, HTC and Huawei and their plans for the platform — not to mention a few other that are rumored to join the party in the near future.
In light of these new developments, several Redmond executives came forward to reiterate Microsoft commitment to Windows Phone ecosystem and everyone that supports this platform.
Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop mentioned this, and so did Terry Myerson — the recently named head of Microsoft’s Operating Systems division.
In a new blog post, the senior executive claims that the company’s purchase of Nokia’s Lumia business will in fact help make the market for all Windows Phones, both from Microsoft and its OEM partners:
“We have exciting ideas, and so do our OEM partners. Our partners bring innovation, diversity and scale to Windows. I’m always thrilled by the beautiful new device designs our partners are continually bringing to market.
There’s a breadth of choice in form factor, finish and materials that deliver unique devices at a variety of price points. These devices feature innovative high resolution displays, audio, cameras, multi-finger touch screens, creative new hinge designs, new sensors, and other hardware enhancements that provide choice in the market and great experiences for users.”
Reassuring words? You be the guess!
The Windows Phone ecosystem is quite unlike other competing platforms. While the above line of thought may be a perfect fit for the various Windows partners that make PCs and devices powered by the operating system, Windows Phone is an entirely different ballgame.
With Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia, and with it the Lumia brand, only three OEM partners are left in the wild, none of which has actually enjoyed the same level of success as the Finnish telecom giant.
While the Windows Phone operating system will continue to be available to OEM partners for the foreseeable future, it remains to be seen what or how these companies continue to invest in the mobile operating system, and what kind of devices they are planning to release in the months to come.
All Comments
The other OEMs only have themselves to blame. Not for the merger but for not being as successful in Windows Phone as Nokia. If HTC and Samsung had really dived feet first, they’d be selling a lot more Windows Phone, and Windows Phone’s share would likely be at least doubled as minimum.
That’s true. They complain about the crowded android space, but don’t do much of anything with windows phone 8.