“What makes 2014 so special is the exciting Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) partnership, and boy, have we got some treats lined up for you,” a blog post from Nokia read today. The show is called “more” and will demonstrate the future that both Nokia and Microsoft have in mind for the Lumia phones running Windows.
Delayed acquisition
Somewhat ironically, the invites for the “more” event went out today, one day after Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) confirmed that its acquisition of Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) had been slowed down.
The delays trace back to regulatory issues, especially in China, pertaining to the acquisition.
“We are nearing the final stages of our global regulatory approval process,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, wrote in a blog post on Monday. “We are awaiting approval confirmation in the final markets.”
The Microsoft – Nokia revolution?
While the deal has been approved in both North America and Europe, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will have to wait a touch longer before it can challenge the likes of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android in the smartphone arena. They may very well need it – smartphones running Microsoft’s windows only represent 4% of the global OS share in the industry compared to around 80% for Android with iOS and the iPhone taking about 13% as BlackBerry, which still enjoys a shrinking number of holdouts.
Nokia, which will not make mobile phones for the first time in nearly 30 years is presently conducting a strategic review of its remaining businesses, which include a mobile networking unit, a mapping division and a large portfolio of intellectual property.
Back to “more,” the suggestion that WE have TREATS is an interesting statement. It’s largely believed that Microsoft will be rolling out its new operating system during the build show, Windows Phone 8.1. Unless Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is using the “royal we” this post suggests that Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) might be rolling out its own improvements to its distinct software bundles. Additionally, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for hardware features to be rolled out at the conference as well.
Stayed tuned; it’s sure to be a big week once April rolls around this year in San Francisco for the two companies.
