After the acquisition of Nokia’s mobile devices business, Microsoft has had some pretty busy time, sorting business strategies to kill Nokia slowly and enhance its line of products with the acquired expertise.
The company has announced that it will not produce Nokia X phones anymore but continue support for the Android handsets. This announcement follows the killing of Nokia Lumia 1020 which will reach an end-of-life status in September.
The company was hit yesterday by the deepest layoff ever in the history to eliminate around 18,000 jobs, out of which 12,500 employees will be from the Nokia Division recently acquired.
Nokia X was unveiled in Barcelona this February and it was the company’s first ever Android Phone. Microsoft Executive Stephen Elop, in an email to the employees yesterday wrote that the Android sets will be phased out.
The email also noted that the company will be focusing on pushing up the volume of Windows Phone by offering lower end phones which are of high demand currently and is one of the fastest growing segments. Microsoft’s devices will be made alongside Lumia and a select few Noxia X models which will run Windows Phone OS instead of Android.
He also wrote that the shift will take effect immediately and the company will sell the current stock of Nokia X phones and continue to support the phones. The primary motive behind Nokia X was to reduce the cost of Microsoft phones in developing countries like India. Though it ran Android, most of the apps and services were Microsoft’s.
During the release of Nokia X, Elop said that the smartphone will act as a feeder system for Lumia smartphones and connect the “next billion people” to the internet. Alongside this announcement, Microsoft also pulls the plug on Nokia Asha and Nokia’s MixRadio music service.
