Microsoft, Nokia Ink Mobile Deal Ahead of Expected Timeframe
Maybe it was anticipation of dominating the marketplace, or maybe it was a need to show they were serious about it, but Microsoft and Nokia have signed a definitive partnership agreement to collaborate in the mobility space earlier than the the two companies originally planned. The VAR Guy has a few thoughts on the subject, including what impact the partnership might have on the mobile space, so read on …
Microsoft and Nokia’s rush to the altar is interesting when taken in tandem with IDC’s recent prediction that Windows Phone 7 will top iOS by 2015. The VAR Guy wonders whether Microsoft and Nokia are trying to fulfill the prophecy. Maybe — but they’ve got a long road ahead of them.
Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop calls this relationship a “win-win,” as Microsoft and Nokia will swap resources and trade technologies to build better mobile devices. Nokia plans to deliver mapping, navigation and location-based services to the Windows Phone platform as well as contribute to hardware design. Microsoft, meanwhile, is slated to provide Bing and the remaining swath of multimedia features users are already familiar with.
Sounds like a basic partnership, right? But here’s the brilliant part: Windows Phone developer registration will be free to all Nokia developers. That’s a heck of a way to get people on board. What’s more, Nokia will open a Nokia-branded “global application store” that leverages both the Windows Marketplace and Symbian app marketplace, allowing developers to distribute their Nokia-Microsoft apps in a more unified cross-platform fashion.
That alone shows the potential impact this deal could have on the mobile marketplace. One central app marketplace is infinitely more attractive for consumers than accessing three separate marketplaces for apps based on the same mobile OS — especially for those consumers who hate shopping (and you can count our resident blogger in that population).
The press release also details the financials and intellectual property agreements between the two companies, and there was one interesting sentence The VAR Guy couldn’t help but notice:
“[Bringing the] Windows Phone platform to Nokia will enable Nokia to significantly reduce operating expenses.”
Hmmm … The VAR Guy sees this as Nokia focusing less on its software and instead dedicating its resources to creating hardware, which could end up being a solid thing for Microsoft. The VAR Guy thinks if this relationship fully solidifies, Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 could be seen a the top-tier or premier Windows Phone 7 device, allowing for a true best-in-class user experience.
That could be the secret to how Windows Phone 7 beats out iOS. In the meantime, The VAR Guy can’t wait to get his hands on the first Nokia Windows Phone 7. Review unit, anyone? Perhaps it will fare better than the last Windows Phone 7 review we featured.
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