It came as quite a surprise to hear Microsoft were purchasing the devices arm of Nokia, although as the biggest supporter of Windows Phone the Finnish manufacturer was the obvious choice for Microsoft once they decided to bring mobile hardware development in-house. It has now been revealed that Nokia had already began to test Android on their Lumia devices before the Microsoft deal happened, something that could have lead to a very different outcome for both Microsoft and Nokia.
Microsoft weren’t looking like giving up on Windows Phone any time soon but the Nokia deal has demonstrated just how serious they are about their mobile operating system. Nokia on the other hand were not getting any where near the sales they hoped for despite the positive reviews for their Lumia devices. A switch to Android may have lead to much greater interest in Nokia’s Lumia devices although with Samsung established as the top Android brand it may still have been a struggle to increase marketshare.
This news makes the deal even more vital for Microsoft as losing Nokia could have signalled the end for Windows Phone with the number of handsets being released by other manufacturers dwindling. Microsoft insist they still want support from other manufacturers to produce Windows Phone devices but by bringing Nokia’s handset development in-house it looks like an Apple style approach of developing hardware and software to work together could be on the cards.