Controlled leak
We've seen rumours about the nature of the deal between Microsoft and Nokia before, but a report from Bloomberg has now put a figure on it: a billion dollars.
That, according to a couple of inside sources, is what Microsoft offered Nokia in the bidding war between itself and Google once it became clear that new CEO Stephen Elop was giving up on Meego and looking for a third-party smartphone platform.
Of course it's not being positioned as an outright bribe; Microsoft is getting all kinds of value in return, but more than anything else, this story puts a value on how important the mobile land-grab is to Microsoft.
Apparently Nokia will pay Microsoft a licence free for Windows Phone 7, but surely this will be more than negated by the money flowing in the opposite direction, despite claims to the contrary in the report.
It's highly unlikely that Microsoft is supporting Samsung, HTC and LG (and Sony Ericsson?) to anything like this extent, so the asymmetrical nature of Microsoft's relationships with its WP7 partners is highlighted once more.
The rest of the report is just a rehash of the rationale behind the deal as told by the two Steves when it was first announced, only this time it has come from some analysts, so it's official. Elop has already shown a propensity towards controlled leaks, as shown by the burning platform memo, and this smells of the same.
Presumably the two companies are close to announcing the terms of their deal and this leak is designed to smooth the ground. The report repeatedly stresses how great this deal is for both companies...
