Microsoft has made its first big move away from the Nokia brand, after acquiring the smartphone maker for $8.5 billion last year. The deal got the all clear a few months ago, and since then Microsoft has been changing everything ‘Nokia’ to Lumia.
This might be a clause in the acquisition, since Microsoft did not acquire the networking and maps side of Nokia. This means Nokia is still a relevant brand in Finland and for anyone who uses Nokia’s services and networking.
Microsoft Lumia will be the new brand for all things mobile. Nokia France and other regions have changed their social media accounts to reflect this, and we expect the next smartphones to be called ‘Lumia X’ instead of Nokia Lumia X.
Some have debated whether Microsoft should have acquired the rights to use the Nokia brand, claiming India and Italy both love the Nokia brand. The two markets do have stakes in Nokia, but not enough to worry Microsoft, especially since this “love for Nokia” only accounts to around 2 percent of the overall smartphone market.
In India and Italy, Windows Phone and Nokia’s two strongest markets, Android is still the dominant favorite. It is only through low-end device sales that Nokia has even managed to keep a high-percentage in those countries.
Microsoft still has not laid out a plan for Lumia in the next few years – we have seen HTC and other manufacturers come into Windows Phone this year – but Microsoft has already said Windows 10 will replace Windows Phone in 2015.
There is still a lot on the table to discuss, but if Microsoft doesn’t figure out exactly why they invested $8.5 billion in Nokia before long, it might turn out to be another Google, Motorola style failure.
