One of the most enticing “what-ifs” of recent years has come true: Microsoft has purchased Nokia’s Devices and Services unit, it announced Monday. It unites Windows Phone 8 with its biggest hardware supporter, and gives the company an integrated solution across hardware and software. When the deal closes in the first quarter of 2014, Microsoft will pay 3.79 billion Euros for Nokia’s business, plus another 1.65 billion Euros for its portfolio of patents. 32,000 people are expected to transfer from Nokia to MIcrosoft, including 18,300 that are “directly involved in manufacturing.”
The purchase comes on the heels of what appeared to be a failed purchase in June, though at that point it seemed as if conversations had broken off entirely. Now…
Read more at The Verge
