May 16, 2011

Nokia to Sell Phone Business to Microsoft? Doubtful

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The Internet rumor mill is buzzing and has churned out a slightly farfetched idea: Nokia may be selling its phone business to Microsoft.

This is total speculation, of course, but Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, who scooped word of the deal first, has proven to have some foresight when it comes to Nokia.
Last December when nobody believed the company would diverge from its Symbian strategy, Murtazin reported that it would switch to the Windows Phone platform as its main operating system. Well, that was true. And his prediction that Nokia would drop its Ovi brand became reality today.

But that doesn't mean he's right this time. Murtazin claims that negotiations will begin next week, though the results will not immediately be made public. If the two negotiate a sale, it could close before the end of 2011.

However, Nokia's devices and services division accounts for 68% of the company's revenue, and all of it profits, reports Business Insider. Thus, without its phone unit, Nokia would be losing significant money.

Even without these figures, a little Tweet released by Nokia earlier today reveals quite a bit about the company's status:

“We typically don't comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar's rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment,” says Nokia spokesman Mark Squires.

Do I sense a buzzkill?

Source: techland.time.com