Microsoft is wiping out the Nokia moniker as the multinational giant launches a massive rebrand of everyone’s first and favorite mobile phone.
You won’t even get time to say a proper goodbye. Nokia smartphones will undergo a name change to Microsoft Lumia “in the coming days”, officially rubber-stamping the decision to kill off the brand that brought us the iconic, and seemingly indestructible, 3310/15 models.
Microsoft completed a takeover of the Finnish company in April for a whopping $7.2 billion and has quickly gone about writing off everything Nokia, including thousands of employees.
The Nokia acquisition spelt the end for “an estimated 12,500 factory direct and professional employees over the next year,” announced executive vice president of Microsoft’s Devices Group, and former Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop in July.
Nokia’s official US Facebook page warned of the move earlier in the week, posting “In the next few days you’ll receive a message directly from Facebook about this page changing name. We’re about to become Microsoft Lumia! Watch this space for more news soon…”
The Lumia Nokia line has failed to cover much ground in the smartphone market, accounting for just three percent of the US market share, while Android and Apple devices lead the way with a 51.5 percent and 42.4 percent share respectively.
Check out the indestructible 3310 in action below.
Photos: Facebook
