Microsoft sounds the death knell for Nokia brand
Stephen Elop confirms Microsoft is undergoing major rebranding operation
Microsoft devices boss Stephen Elop has confirmed that the Nokia brand name "will not be used for long" as he admitted that the firm's teaming up with the software giant was driven by his fear of Samsung.
When Microsoft completed the Nokia acquisition on Friday, rumours were rife that the brand name was set for the scrap heap after a memo stating "Microsoft Mobile" should be used on invoices was leaked to the press.
Elop, Microsoft's Devices and Services vice president – and once Nokia's chief executive – took part in an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) online Q&A session and admitted a rebranding operation was under way.
"Microsoft Mobile is a legal construct that was created to facilitate the merger," he said. "It is not a brand that will be seen by consumers.
"The Nokia brand is available to Microsoft to use for its mobile phone products for a period of time, but Nokia as a brand will not be used for long going forward for smartphones.
"Work is under way to select the go-forward smartphone brand."
Elop also said the decision for Nokia to team up with Microsoft Windows Phone back in 2011, when he was still in charge, was driven by fear that aligning itself with Android would be asking for trouble from rival Samsung.
"When we made the decision to focus on Windows Phone back in 2011, we were very concerned that a decision to pursue Android would put us on a collision course with Samsung, who had already established a head of steam around Android," he said.
"That was the right decision, as we have seen virtually all other OEMs from those days pushed to the side."
According to IDC figures from February, Android is still king of the smartphone operating system market, taking a whopping 78.1 per cent market share in last year's Q4, while Windows Phone took only three per cent share.
Elop was not just quizzed on the future of Nokia in the AMA session, and revealed to one commenter who was desperate to know what his favourite pizza topping was, that he prefers "prosciutto ham, mushrooms, green peppers and tomatoes".