Microsoft Definitely Wants Lumia, But Not Nokia Brand

It has now been confirmed that Microsoft will be keeping the Lumia brand around for at least ten years as a result of a licensing deal. However, a recent interview suggests that Microsoft has not yet decided if it is worth holding onto the Nokia brand name as well.

While talking with CNET, Director of Windows Phone Greg Sullivan, confirmed that Lumia will stick around but he refused to say if Nokia itself would continue on after the acquisition is complete.

Microsoft is set to take over Nokia completely by the end of March, meaning that we will know whether or not the Nokia brand will remain untouched shortly.

Since the Lumia devices are some of the only ones that have become popular for their use of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, it makes sense that Microsoft would want to continue to use the Lumia name on future Windows Phone devices.

The same cannot be said for Nokia however, which has significantly more “baggage” associated with it. Nokia’s announcement of the X phone at MWC 2014 is already something that Microsoft may not be happy about, since the device runs on Android rather than Windows Phone. Also, Nokia has been associated with many different ventures over the years, whereas the Lumia brand is usually connected directly with Windows Phone.

Along with telling CNET that Microsoft has no plans to get rid of the Lumia brand, he also confirmed that in order for Windows Phone to become important in the market, Microsoft must speed up its innovation and releases.

As a result of the acquisition, Microsoft already has the ability to continue using the Nokia brand for other phone-related ventures. However, as we can see from Sullivan’s statements, the Lumia brand is much safer than Nokia.