There's big ambitions in this deal closing today. You just have to read the whole Microsoft piece (see below).

I find it interesting that Google divested itself of Motorola, yet Microsoft continued with the acquisition. Perhaps Microsoft can make a go of it.

“The opportunity for Microsoft to be both a devices and services company, so that it can deliver the complete proposition to its consumers, is at the heart of this,” Stephen Elop, former Nokia CEO and now executive vice president of the Devices Group at Microsoft, said recently.Microsoft, Nokia Devices and Services business aim to remake mobile market [microsoft.com]

The extinguish part of Microsoft's "embrace, extend, extinguish".

MS wants to be Apple!

Given Nokia's success in smartphones and the great popularity of Windows Phone, the best comment on all this is still that of the Google VP who said "two turkeys do not make an eagle". Apparently he was quoting what a Nokia VP said about Siemens and BenQ

Great popularity of Windows Phone?! Surely you jest. I saw my first Windows phone used by an actual owner just a few months ago (an employee at my restaurant). He traded it in for an Android a few months afterwards.

I have never, ever seen a Windows phone in any of my client's log files.

As far as Nokia's success with smart phones goes, is that true any longer? iirc, Nokia sales have plummeted after Microsoft got involved with them years ago and installed their puppet master as President and they never recovered.

My family of four just upgraded all our phones. I don't recall seeing Nokia at the Verizon store at all. No one mentioned looking for one either.

Yes, I do jest. I thought it was clear I was being sarcastic.

Incidentally, Nokia's smartphone sales were a disaster long before they switched to Windows. Symbian was dying, and they never got Maemo/Meego right - from the reviews I read they finally got it right just before discontinuing it.

I find it interesting that Google divested itself of Motorola, yet Microsoft continued with the acquisition. Perhaps Microsoft can make a go of it.

I always thought the Google/Motorola deal was just so Google could get their hands on a bunch of mobile patents to prop up their Android pimp hand against Apple.

For Microsoft to make a go of it to actually compete against Apple they'll have to transition to a complete one-stop hardware shop to make sure the product line is consistent across all devices. If this happens, it'll drive the rest of the industry to Linux which is the driving force at Apple and Google already, a bad result for MS.

Otherwise, they'll have to get more closely involved with the top tier hardware companies shipping Windows machines which would get the DOJ jumping up and down again.

I think MS is truly caught between a rock and Linux place right now. In their quest to make a play for mobile it could cost them what's left of their position of consumer software dominance, which is rapidly slipping already, leaving them to be nothing more than the makers of MS Office for LINUX in the end.

They also make a few nice compilers but they target Windows which is well on it's way to being obsolete if they aren't careful.

Linux has had a far greater impact on MS, even on the desktop, than market share numbers suggest.

The big problem for them is that it gives big customers a lot more leverage: they can get better deals out of MS. I know of businesses that have used the threat of switching to Linux to get away with continuing pirated Windows (in a a country where MS has been turning a blind eye to pirating in the hope of collecting later).

They can get away with being a complete one-stop shop on mobile where they are not dominant. They do not need to do much about the desktop where they are dominant - I agree that if they moved into desktop hardware it would probably be a disaster.

The problem area may be consumer tablets, especially top end ones. These are (for many people) laptop alternatives - but MS does not seem to have had much success there.

When I said one-stop shop I meant phone, tablet, PC, etc. If they can't provide a contiguous experience like Apple does with 100% compatibility from front to back, including I/O devices like flat screens, scanners and printers all being calibrated the same to deliver the same product from input to output, then they will be able to match what Apple is doing.

Otherwise, they will remain a strong player in the lower end OEM market as Apple is horribly overpriced and trying to sell high end phones into a low end discount computer market it a complete disconnect.

Maybe I'm over generalizing but Apple tends to be considered the high end these days and anything using Windows now has a lower quality stigma.

Of course Linux is free and you get what you pay for but it's pretty damn good for free these days.

Overpriced is a relative term, just sayin' - you really do get what you pay for.

Linux is free and you get what you pay for

You can buy a licensed version and/or support contracts....

Linux is paid for, its just the the price is spread around very thinly.