This is just a rumor from a single source – from a Twitter tweet, no less. But, stranger things have happened (like Google buying Motorola Mobility). So, here goes… as reported by the Global Post. Eldar Murtazi, Mobile-Review.com, editor-in-chief Analyst, tweeted that Microsoft will buy Nokia’s smartphone division.
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Paul Thurrott, who has a good inside track to Microsoft’s Windows Phone team, said that the rumored $100M 2012 marketing budget for Windows Phone is way off.
Exclusive: Microsoft and Nokia’s Plans for Marketing Windows Phone in 2012
He says that he was told that the marketing budget for the U.S. alone is in the $200M range. Despite Thurrott’s general reliability of Microsoft related information, I’m still skeptical. It is not how much marketing money is spend, it is about how that marketing money is spent. Do you remember those Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates TV adds from 2008 to advertise… Well, I’m not sure what they were supposed to advertise. But, Seinfeld was reportedly paid $10M for two or three commercials that fizzled out.
I had to laugh when I read this subject line over at Betanews.
Windows Phone partners bet $100M on Nokia Ace
Why laugh? It is because it was so reminiscent of this rumor floated on TechCrunch in August 2010 shortly before Windows Phone launched.
Microsoft To Pay More Than Half A Billion Dollars To Jump-Start Windows Phone 7
So, what ever happened to this rumored half-billion dollar campaign? Not much as far as I can tell. We saw a couple of laughable un-smartphone commercials and not much else.
If you wonder what a $100M marketing campaign looks like, reflect back at what Verizon and Motorola did back in the fall of 2009. It consisted of a series of big budget movie quality alien landing themed TV commercials, paper advertisements everywhere and in-store promotions that left such an impression that many people refer to any Android phone as a “Droid” even today.
Forbes noted survey data from BNP Paribas showing Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone, Lumia 800, only attracted the attention of 2% of Europeans considering a new smartphone. This is not good news for Nokia or Microsoft. Nokia’s first generation of Windows Phone devices were supposed to vault the platform into contention with Android and iPhone. Instead, it remains at the back of the pack trailing even the faltering RIM BlackBerry.
The problem with the Lumia 800 is that it does not have any features to make it stand out in crowd. And, it actually lacks expected features like a typical outstanding Nokia camera subsystem, front-facing camera, NFC and LTE.
Nokia Still A $7 Stock Even Though Lumia Falls Flat In Europe
The Verge reports that Nokia’s Lumia phone will get their own app section in the Windows Phone marketplace. While this is not a first, HTC and other firms have apps only available for their phones, most of those apps fall into the interesting but not “must have” category. However, if Nokia’s Lumia because the flagship for Windows Phone and Nokia produces truly must have apps, we’re going to see the tiny Windows Phone market fragmented and shattered. This is not a good way to build a market for a platform far behind the leaders.
Nokia Windows Phones reportedly receiving ‘Nokia Collection’ Marketplace section
I was briefly happy to read about the release of…
(Firefox for mobile devices). Why only briefly? This release only for the Maemo platform (Nokia Internet Tablet series) which I don’t use. Oh well. Nice to see progress made on any platform.