It was somewhat inevitable that, upon completion of its takeover of the Finnish telecommunications outfit Nokia, Microsoft would look to rebrand the products and services of its recent acquisition to something more in-keeping with its own. Now, it has come to light that by the close of 2014, devices will no longer bear the famed Nokia branding, with the company having settled on ‘Microsoft Mobile.’
Despite the fact that the name itself doesn’t exactly ooze invention, it does have a certain ring to it, and even though Nokia’s mobile division has developed a strong brand identity in recent years, it’s not – as you might think – the company’s moniker that has proven most effective.
In fact, having spoken to several folks in the know at Mobile World Congress, it is indeed the ‘Lumia’ naming that has resonated with consumers the most, and so presumably, once Nokia makes way for Microsoft Mobile, the Lumia branding will remain largely unaffected.
Even though the Redmond company’s deal to acquire Nokia was struck all the way back in September, these processes often take several months to process, and for a multinational such as Microsoft, regulators from all corners must look over the purchase to ensure that everything is kosher and above board.
With regulators in the United States and Europe having already given their approval, it has taken their colleagues in China just a little bit longer to give the Microsoft-Nokia deal the rubber-stamp, but having gotten the go-ahead a few weeks back, Microsoft is now looking to ring the changes.
Suppliers have already been notified well in advance that adjustments will be made to the branding of products, and with no reported hiccups so far, the Windows Phone maker will be hoping that the transition is as seamless and hitch-free as possible.
Nokia’s Lumia range accounts for the overwhelming majority of devices running Windows Phone, and even with Microsoft Mobile taking the helm, this isn’t likely to change. But with Microsoft now in charge of the hardware side of things, it has the Apple-like advantage of building and developing hardware and software under one roof, and newly-appointed CEO Satya Nadella will be hoping that this – among other key moves Microsoft is currently making – helps the company to better compete with the likes of Apple in the mobile field.
(Source: NokiaPowerUser)
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