A dream come true. A nightmare made real. Depending on whom you’re talking to. In any case, well done, Elop… *slow clap*
So the burning platform arc that began in 2011 is finally coming to a disappointing anticlimax. Like many, I woke up this morning to the news thatMicrosoft is buying Nokia out for $7 billion dollars. Five billion for the smartphone business. Two for patent licensing. Some quick thoughts.
And admission of defeat for Espoo – once master of the mobile domain, Nokia’s trajectory began to decay in 2011. From top mobile OEM, they now come in at a lowly tenth. At $7 billion dollars, they are selling for less than Skype sold to Microsoft, and a little over half of what Google paid for Motorola.
Its amazing how the mighty have fallen. In the end Nokia was acquired for less than Skype. ($7.2b to $8.5b)
— paul bragiel (@bragiel) September 3, 2013
They didn’t end up broke like Kodak, as I had feared they might. But my other fear of them getting swallowed up as a consequence of their faustian bargain with Microsoft is now made real and is only slightly less tragic.
If this were funny, Tomi Ahonen would be rolling on the floor now. But instead, I imagine he is beside himself in the steaming indignation of the vindicated. The ex-Nokia employee turned global mobile strategist and unapologetic Elop basher must be writing a 4,000 word I-told-you-so rant right now.
One of the best blogs that I have read. Even more applicable now regarding Nokia and Elop. Must read http://t.co/ExvaxfUdgg
— Hannes van Rensburg (@Rensburg) September 3, 2013
Try 12 RT @MrBankole @TomiAhonen isn’t tweeting about Nokia today? It’s worse than I thought. That 4k word rant must be approaching 8k now
— tomiahonen (@tomiahonen) September 4, 2013
A coup for Redmond – I won’t even feign surprise, this outcome has been long in the making. Nokia’s elopement with Microsoft is now revealed to be the ultimate mission of Mr. Elop, who has now rejoined the Microsoft fold as global VP of mobile.
With Nokia’s future uncertain, Msoft had to do this deal to secure a device platform. Elop has fulfilled his secret mission I guess…
— Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) September 3, 2013
But there is a point to the whole thing. Microsoft has finally managed to acquire some cheap guns to take on the mobile oligopoly that Android and iOS currently represent.
Now you can’t say uncle Ballmer didn’t at least one thing right before taking his leave.
Ah well. I will go buy some pop corn and wait to read all the indepth that is no doubt being furiously typed everywhere in Silicon Valley tech newsrooms right now.
Update: Read Tomi Ahonen’s analysis of the Nokia/Microsoft deal. Like he said, it’s 12,000 words long, so you’ve been warned. He thinks Microsoft will still manage to botch it, by the way.
