The heap of blunders that piled up at Microsoft under Steve Ballmer’s leadership may have hit a tipping point this year, leading to last month’s earthshaking announcement that Bill Gates’ former right-hand man and heir, as well as Microsoft’s fiercest cheerleader, will step down as CEO within a year.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia was a defensive move to keep the Finnish phone maker from going under or falling into the hands of an Android-first rival, several analysts argued this week.
Microsoft’s plan to buy Nokia’s phone business and have a larger presence in hardware devices has so far brought little response from PC and smartphone vendors in Asia. But the deal could end up bringing dividends to Microsoft’s long-time partners in the region by revitalizing the Windows ecosystem, according to analysts.
