14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft completed the takeover of Nokia’s Devices and Services unit earlier this year, and the company is now working at full speed to improve its mobile business with the help of the new acquisition.
While Nokia and Microsoft had been really close partners for many years, word is that the software giant could soon drop the Nokia brand and create one of its own, that might be used on both phones and tablets to be launched in the next years.
The company has recently launched a completely new Microsoft Devices website, which could be the very first step towards a more ambitious plan that could in the end lead to the Redmond-based firm giving up on the Nokia brand for its smartphones.
The new page currently holds information on Nokia phones that are now up for grabs, including the full Lumia lineup, Nokia X, and the old Asha series which could get the axe in the coming months.
Nokia could be replaced with Lumia or Surface
Rumor has it that Microsoft wants to drop the Nokia brand in favor of a new one that would better emphasize the software giant’s involvement in the mobile industry.
Surface is one possible name for the new brand, but at this point, the company’s tablet lineup is missing from the Microsoft Devices website, which in its turn could be a subtle indication that a different name is on the table.
Others believe that Lumia might become a stand-alone brand for Microsoft’s smartphone range, while people close to the matter hinted that Nokia by Microsoft was also considered.
As we reported a few weeks ago, the rebranding process is scheduled to start during the holiday season, but again, it’s not clear whether Nokia could be replaced with a new name or not.
Microsoft phones powered by Windows
The rebranding process will include other important changes that would help emphasize Microsoft’s focus on the mobile sector.
All phones will be carrying Microsoft’s logo on the back or even the company’s name and will be powered by Windows, as the company is working to unify the operating systems and drop the classic numbering naming system.
Sources familiar with the development plans have revealed that all OS versions will be called simply Windows instead of Windows 9, Windows RT, and Windows Phone, in an attempt to better capitalize on the popularity of the world’s number one desktop operating system.
The very first phones powered by Windows and with Microsoft branding could hit the shelves during the Christmas holiday season.