A few days ago, Microsoft announced their plans to purchase Nokia’s Devices and Services division (along with some patent deals) for 7.2 billion dollars. The deal was both expected and somewhat of a surprise since the last we heard a deal was off. Since the announcement we’ve heard stories trickle out to the public. Like the inside story of how the deal came to be.
Tearing down the symbolic walls between the Windows Phone software team and Nokia’s hardware team has been cited as the biggest boost for consumers. Recent statements by Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore echo that idea.
Besides having a great head of hair, Joe Belfiore is also known for being a VP on the Windows Phone team. At most major events, he’s there on stage presenting new features. He recently talked with CNET about the deal between Microsoft and Nokia.
Since the 2011 deal, Microsoft and Nokia have been working closely together. But apparently, not close enough. Here’s what Joe says about the partnership before the deal:
“There are real-world examples of situations where Nokia was building a phone and keeping information about it secret from us. We would make changes in the software, or prioritize things in the software, unaware of the work that they're doing. And then late in the cycle we'd find out and say, 'If we had known that we would have done this other thing differently and it would have turned out better!'"
This is a scenario that most OEMs might be familiar with when it comes to working with any company that provides their software, like Microsoft’s Windows or Google’s Android. Once Nokia’s Devices and Services team has been integrated into Microsoft we should expect to see even better phones at a faster pace says Joe Belfiore.
Microsoft and Nokia have had a fairly close relationship, which become tighter over the years. In fact, the Lumia 1020 wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for changes Microsoft made to Windows Phone with the GDR2 update. Now with the walls becoming nonexistent between the two companies, in the future, we should see devices that only a vertically integrated company could produce. Devices where software and hardware coexist in perfect harmony.
Source: CNET
Thanks for the tip Jason M!
