Stephen Elop confirms Nokia name will disappear from phones quite soon

Microsoft’s head of devices, Stephen Elop, has admitted the company has no intention of keeping the Nokia name going.

Following the completion of Microsoft’s Nokia takeover last week, former
Nokia CEO Elop has revealed the Nokia name will soon be knocked on the
head as Microsoft pursues its own smartphone identity.

“The Nokia brand is available to Microsoft to use for its mobile phones
products for a period of time, but Nokia as a brand will not be used for
long going forward for smartphones,” Elop said while fielding questions in an online ‘ask me anything’ session.

He added: “Work is underway to select the go forward smartphone brand.”

Although Microsoft completed the buyout using the brand name Microsoft Mobile, it is not expected that this will be used for product marketing purposes moving forward.

“Microsoft Mobile Oy is a legal construct that was created to facilitate
the merger. It is not a brand that will be seen by consumers,” Elop stated.

OPINION: Farewell Nokia, you deserved better than this

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the decision to cull the Nokia brand. Although it was always likely that Microsoft would want its own name on Nokia’s Windows Phone products, it’s a sad day when we learn that Nokia will no longer be used as a phone brand. And let’s be honest, most of us have owned – and loved – a Nokia at some point in the past.

Few companies have given as much to mobile phones over the years as Nokia has, with handsets that sold in huge numbers and were incredibly well-built. But, the company was slow to innovate when Apple launched its iPhone, and it paid the ultimate price for failing to adapt to a touchscreen world – despite eventually launching handsets such as the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 1520.

This isn’t curtains for the whole of Nokia though. Only the “Devices and Services” part of the business was sold to Microsoft. Nokia still owns its “Here” brand which deals with mapping and location services. The firm also maintains its patent portfolio through its “Advanced Technologies” business. It also runs network infrastructure though a division called Nokia Solutions and Networks.

Microsoft will also need to come up with a new name to brand its phones with. Perhaps it will go with just “Windows Phone” although that might upset the few remaining third-party businesses that make handsets for the platform.

Time will tell, but for now it’s time to bid farewell to one of the best names in mobile phones. Goodbye Nokia, we’ll cherish our N95s forever.

Read More: Nokia Lumia 2520 Review

Via: CNET