Nokia CEO admits Microsoft could ditch Nokia brand - Telegraph.co.uk ~ Electronic Gadgets

Today Nokia announced its first Windows-based tablet, the Lumia 2520, and its first 'phablet' smartphone, which also sits in the Lumia range as the 1520. The Nokia name will not be available for use on smartphones or tablets, meaning that the new Lumia devices announced today in Abu Dhabi could be the last ever Nokia smartphones.

Speaking to the Telegraph in Abu Dhabi, Elop said that a decision would have to be made as a "combined company" about smartphone branding once the transaction is complete, but that "Lumia" was a possibility.

"What we have to decide is what the brand will be. Because we have not decided what brand will be dominant for smartphones, that's work that's still ahead. And of course the way we'll go through that process is to assess with consumers what they respond most positively to, what conveys the best message and the best hopes of success.

"Microsoft as a company, of course, has many brands: Xbox, Office, Surface and a variety of others. We have brands like Lumia. So we'll need to decide what the next step is from a branding perspective.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of people who are familiar with and use Microsoft and Nokia technology, literally billions of people between the two companies. And I suspect that somewhere in there amongst all of those purchasing decisions there's something that we can tap into."

Asked if there was a risk that the hardware could change focus under Microsoft leadership, Elop said that the engineering team would remain largely the same, just operating under a new company.

"Tomorrow or the next day, after the transaction with Microsoft closes, I know the men and women who have designed this device, and there are people in Finland and the US and China, these are the same people tomorrow as they are today. So when you think about the soul of the company and it's values and it's beliefs, it's not something that you transfer, it's people," he said.

"What you'll see happen over time is some of the deep traits of Nokia will rub off on people at Microsoft and some if the traits of Microsoft will rub off on Nokia people.

"As myself and Steve Ballmer visited the principal research and development sites of Nokia all over the world... and met with the engineers and product managers and product marketers and portfolio managers, you know, the depth of interest and passion and excitement about now having an even better chance of continuing to build the momentum around what we're doing was very strong. Now we have to get the transaction closed."

Elop said that he was excited at the prospect of leaving for Microsoft, where he worked as head of the business division from 2008 to 2010, to oversee development of phones, tablets, Xbox and "some devices that haven't even been announced yet" and that he had no qualms about the prospect of stepping down from the top rung of a company to running a single division.

"Whether you're an individual engineer in a company or the CEO of a company, there's always a group of people to whom you're accountable. In my case, it's the board of directors of Nokia. And so, in fact, I don't do anything I want, I work with the a board of directors to create a common strategy, to seek approval, I'm held accountable to results. And so that really doesn't change. You always have bosses," he said.

But as for his chances of becoming Microsoft CEO after the departure of Steve Ballmer, for which he is widely regarded to be a strong contender: no comment. "That's a matter for the Microsoft board of directors."

Elop also defended his $25.4 million leaving bonus, which Microsoft has since agreed to fund to the tune of 70 per cent.

"The Nokia board of directors very clearly configured my compensation to make sure it was aligned with the interests of shareholders. When I joined Nokia the conditions were such that the company was clearly in a decline," he said.

"Seventy five per cent of the market value of the company had been lost since 2007. And what you've seen since that time is a lot of excitement from shareholders because of the amount of value we've unlocked through the Microsoft transaction."

via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNE7_4rfBngDHD3Kwl8bczCryHXuPQ&url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/nokia/10396630/Nokia-CEO-admits-Microsoft-could-ditch-Nokia-brand.html