“Nokia’s Windows-Phone-based Ace smartphone will benefit from a $100 million marketing push to be shared among Microsoft’s partners, with AT&T rumored to have received ‘hero’ status from the software giant in order to promote the device, according to a new report,” Josh Ong reports for AppleInsider. “‘AT&T itself will promote the device in its advertising, through its retail channels and direct store associates to push the device within its stores,’ the report read.”
“Sources have confirmed with BetaNews that the Ace will arrive in late March accompanied by a major marketing push during the second quarter of 2012,” Ong reports. “The Ace, which will reportedly be known as the Lumia 900 outside of the U.S., will be the new flagship device for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.”
Ong reports, “Though insiders pegged the campaign as costing roughly $100 million, they were unable to specify how the funds would be divided among AT&T, Microsoft and Nokia.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: With the glacial pace of legal proceedings, not to mention the questionable ability of the various legal systems around the world to make proper determinations regarding IP, it’s unclear if Nokia will make to to the point where Windows Phone vendors begin to benefit from the increased costs of Android due to royalty payments to Apple, Oracle, Microsoft, etc.
Microsoft might need to acquire Nokia to get them to the starting line, if they really want to have a Nokia brand if and when Windows Phone begins to really compete with Android among the pretend iPhone makers.
Beyond ad-sellers and ad-based media (of which we are one), this $100 million will be largely wasted if its intent is to revive Nokia’s fortunes or significantly increase Windows Phone’s share of the mobile OS market. If its intent is merely to keep Windows Phone treading water until the tide finally turns in its favor, then it may be a fairly useful expenditure.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jax44” for the heads up.]