subject: Nokia has spelled out the risks of its partnership with Microsoft [print this page] Nokia has spelled out the risks of its partnership with Microsoft
After a turbulent ride for Nokia in recent months, with share prices falling rapidly due to uncertainty about its future, it seems the deal between Nokia and Microsoft is officially off.
And, in a surprising turn of events, the Finnish mobile phone maker that shunned Android in favour of Windows Phone 7 has opted to merge with Google instead.
The deal is worth a lot' according to a Nokia spokesperson, but it must be completed by no later than 12pm today in order to be legally binding. Otherwise Nokia will be left out in the cold with no smartphone strategy at all, forcing Dell gd761 battery the company to return to selling toilet paper.
The combined company will become known as Nookle, after threats of legal action from Gok Wan over the other possible name,Gokia.
It remains to be seen how long it will take for people to get used to Nookling it' or finding their way around with Nookle Maps'. However one long-time Nokia fan toldWhat Mobile that the name Nookle Maps' was a far better name than Ovi Maps', which according to him: "sounded like some sort of made up joke name".
The listing of such risk factors is a legal requirement in filings with the SEC, as investors are supposed to be informed of any potential downside to their investment.
"Until very recently, we believed our competitive position in smartphones could be improved with Symbian, as well as MeeGo, and our strategy based on those platforms," Nokia said inits filing. "We are now of the view, however, that for the longer term our Symbian platform is not sufficiently competitive in leading markets."
However, Nokia said, there is a risk that the terms of the deal may not work in Nokia's favour. If the deal falls through, Nokia might have missed out on the opportunity to adopt another, more competitive platform. The deal may not succeed in making the "largely unproven" Windows Phone platform "a sufficiently broad competitive smartphone platform".
Other platforms may have moved on too far Dell xps m1330 battery by the time the two-year transition period to Windows Phone is completed. Nokia may not be able to sufficiently differentiate its Windows Phones from those made by other manufacturers, and "new sources of revenue expected to be generated from the Microsoft partnership, such as increased monetisation opportunities for us in services and intellectual Dell xps m1530 battery property rights, may not materialize as expected, or at all".
The company also pointed out that, during the two-year transition period, consumers and mobile operators may decide it is no longer worthwhile investing in Symbian handsets.
