“Nokia Corp. will get billions of dollars from Microsoft Corp. to ditch its current smart-phone software in favor of Windows Phone 7, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said Sunday, in a defense of the deal,” Peter Svensson reports for The Associated Press. “Nokia, the world’s largest maker of phones, and Microsoft announced their alliance Friday. Both investors and employees reacted with dismay: Nokia’s stock dived 14 percent and Finnish employees used flex time to go home early.”
“On Sunday, a day ahead of the start of the Mobile World Congress cell phone trade show in Barcelona, Elop told press, analysts and industry players that apart from the benefits of the alliance that were laid out Friday, Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to switch to Windows Phone 7,” Svensson reports.
Svensson reports, “Elop, a former Microsoft executive, said Finland-based Nokia had been courted by Google Inc. as well, which sought to convince it to use its popular Android software for smart phones. Microsoft’s payments are recognition that Nokia had ‘substantial value to contribute,’ said Elop.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Ballmer*Elop=Failure²