Leaked documents (see above) from within the Microsoft camp have revealed that the company plans to drop the ‘Nokia’ branding from its Lumia line of handsets.
When the American tech powerhouse purchased the Nokia mobile brand a year ago, it was suspected that the change would come at some point. That point looks to be as soon as now, as the Lumia 830 and the Lumia 730 could well be the last Lumia devices to bear the Nokia prefix.
From now on we can probably expect the range to simply be called the Microsoft Lumia.
Not only that, but the very operating system which the Lumia range carrier could be undergoing a name-change, too.
For greater synergy, Microsoft intends to drop the ‘Phone’ part of the Windows Phone name, meaning it will be known simply as ‘Windows’, just like the company’s desktop OS.
Microsoft has already blurred the line between tablet and laptop with the likes of its Surface range – this name change should only bring the two closer together.
Former Nokia CEO and current Microsoft devices group head Stephen Elop has already made clear in the past that the Nokia brand name will not be used for smartphones for long. In April he confirmed via the Nokia Conversations Blog that a new brand name would soon be decided upon. It seems a decision may have now been made.
UPDATE: It’s been finally made official. Microsoft has confirmed that the change is now in effect. Nokia France will be the first company to see a complete migration from Nokia Lumia to the new Microsoft Lumia brand, with a slew of other countries to follow. You’ll be able to see the change on sites like Facebook and Twitter, whilst the French Microsoft website will be the go-to source for all things Lumia. No Lumia devices will be manufactured with the Nokia logo on from now on.
As for the future of Windows Phone as a brand, we’re still uncertain. However this is a lot of change to execute all at once, so it’s understandable if Microsoft wants to stagger things a bit.