I've been thinking for the past year or so Microsoft was going to try and do something like this with either RIM or Nokia. I think this is the end of MeeGo, which I personally liked and wanted to see succeed. I kind of knew that realistically that wasn't going to happen.
It may have been a tough decision for Nokia to make, but they didn't have a whole lot of choice. They had been caught flat footed by the explosion of mobile computing via Apple and all the Android manufacturers, and half hearted attempts to compete (MeeGo) have made them look ridiculous. They were clearly spinning without a solid strategy for years, and now for better or worse they have one. It's not a terrible fit, both Nokia and Microsoft depend on sheer volume to make money. Windows Phone 7 seems like a solid (albeit very late) competitor to the other top tiered mobile OSes. While it may not be a home run for Nokia, I think it will produce much better results than the Intel/MeeGo flop.
And say what you will about Apple, but most gadget geeks just don't understand the game they're playing. Their software is rock solid and just works for average consumers, who are clearly willing to pay a premium for it. Even if their hardware is 200MHz slower, has 256 MB less RAM, and doesn't have the camera that their competitors have.
PD
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