Could this be the end of Nokia – and Windows Phone – as brand names, as we know it? A new report claims that Microsoft will no longer be using the iconic Nokia brand nor the long-running Windows Phone operating system brand on its promotional literature, as it ramps up for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
According to GeekOnGadgets, which sourced its report from “a confidential internal document,” Lumia is poised to become Microsoft’s “hero brand” for smartphones. As for the Windows Phone OS brand, the documents claim that Microsoft may simplify things and go with basic “Windows” branding for its mobile platform. This comes on the heels of earlier and separate reports that claimed Microsoft plans to bring Nokia branding to an end, months after Redmond’s successful buyout of the Finnish phone maker’s mobile business.
While reports of the above aren’t anything new, there have been some sightings backing up the reports, as some have claimed Microsoft is now referring to its mobile OS as “Windows,” as opposed to “Windows Phone” on its advertising and marketing literature. Further, there has also been talk of Lumia’s being the “hero brand” also covering a rebranding for Microsoft’s Surface brand. As Microsoft had just recently released the Surface Pro 3 and no documents have been spotted corroborating such a rumor, such speculation is still best taken with a grain of salt.