The press release doesn't really say anything about what this means.

I liked The Verge's article.

The Wall Street Journal also has a good line:

 

In an email to employees, Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, insisted that the company isn’t exiting the mobile-phone business. Microsoft, which still makes three phones in its Lumia line, will continue to “develop great new devices,” Myerson wrote.

 

“[We’re] scaling back, but we’re not out!” Mr. Myerson wrote.

 

It would be difficult for Microsoft to be less in the mobile phone business that it currently is, though.

 

I can see where they are coming from but why would the major OEM's invest into the ecosystem? With a market share of 0.7% (excluding current users of older devices) there is not a lot of incentive. They are putting their eggs into the Universal App basket

but that basket has hole in its base.

Well, it's good to see Nokia kinda coming back. I just hope they are not trying to relive past glories, but will actually come up with something new.

I'm bored of the smartphone 'touch everything' style and basic slabs of metal with nothing to diffirentiate them. They are all huge, distracting, poor battery and so uninspired.

Absolutely necessary to get us away from the horrible screen+stylus expression so good on them for that.

As for MS.... well... i'm struggling to see the relevance of win10 and office16 these days. Great software but the market is so different these days compared to 1994....

antoniosk:

 

As for MS.... well... i'm struggling to see the relevance of win10 and office16 these days. Great software but the market is so different these days compared to 1994....

 

More substance, please. In what ways is the market different? Why aren't Windows 10 and Office 16 relevant? I'm interested, seriously, particularly in relation to phone/mobile.

freitasm:

 

No surprises there. 1,850 jobs gone, no more design and manufacturing. US$ 950 million charge on that.

 

Microsoft press release.

 

you don't need to own manufacturing facilities to manufacture phones, and we have plenty of hardware designers (Surface/Xbox/HoloLens/Band etc)

I heard today from a seemingly reliable source that as of later this year, Microsoft will no longer be supplying Windows Mobile devices to the NZ market. So, even the ones that they may keep designing and building will only be available in NZ via import from other markets.

Such other manufacturers that may make Windows phones may or may not still produce for NZ, but given how many are on the market now, there's good odds that 2016 may be the last time you can purchase a Windows phone in NZ for NZ.

BlueShift:

 

I heard today from a seemingly reliable source that as of later this year, Microsoft will no longer be supplying Windows Mobile devices to the NZ market. So, even the ones that they may keep designing and building will only be available in NZ via import from other markets.

 

Such other manufacturers that may make Windows phones may or may not still produce for NZ, but given how many are on the market now, there's good odds that 2016 may be the last time you can purchase a Windows phone in NZ for NZ.

 

2016 may well be the last year you can buy a Windows phone... period.

MikeB4 

 

2016 may well be the last year you can buy a Windows phone... period.

 

Nah, MS will still make them. The Lumia name might be replaced by a Surface phone maybe, but they're only planning on making them for their 18 biggest markets, and NZ ain't gonna be one.