Microsoft Surface Today Posts

Microsoft says it has no plans to build its own phones

By AlexxpuNkreaaNk GrEzIkraYa
June 27, 2012 / 1:12 a.m.

Microsoft is trying to calm the fears of Nokia and its other phone partners by denying that the company will begin making its own phones.

The possibility of Microsoft developing the hardware for its Windows Phone platform was raised last week after the company introduced Surface, a tablet built by Microsoft running Windows 8.

That factored into the decision of one group of analysts, Nomura Holdings Inc. which cut the revenue forecast of Nokia, saying it believed Microsoft would be rolling out its own phones someday.

PHOTOS: The Microsoft Surface

"We would not be surprised if Microsoft were to decide to bring their own handset to market next year given that Microsoft has decided to bring to market their own Windows 8 Surface tablet/PC products," said Rick Sherlund, one of the Nomura analysts, according to InformationWeek.

But following that comment, Microsoft's Greg Sullivan, the senior marketing manager for Windows Phone, told InformationWeek that was not true.

"We have a strong ecosystem of partners that we are very satisfied with," he said Friday.

And those comments were double-checked by ComputerWorld, which confirmed them with the Redmond company's communications team.

"We are big believers in our hardware partners and together we're focused on bringing Windows Phone 8 to market with them," a spokeswoman for Microsoft told ComputerWorld.

That's a good break for Nokia, which in addition to seeing its forecast downgraded forecast also recently announced it'd be laying off 10,000 people by the end of next year and shutting down several facilities.