Microsoft might ditch the Windows Phone and Nokia brands

There were rumours circulating last week that suggested Microsoft might be ditching the ‘Windows Phone’ moniker in favour or something less confusing for the consumers, which is why people have suggested that all its operating system software will be called ‘Windows’. Now more information has come to light and it’s not just Windows Phone that’s being culled, Nokia might be as well.

According to documents obtained by GeekonGadgets, Nokia Lumia devices might soon be ditching the Nokia prefix to become ‘Lumia’. Nothing more, and nothing less. Sad as it may be, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. For starters Microsoft only has a limited period of time where it can release phones under the Nokia brand, plus Stephen Elop, former Nokia CEO and current head of Microsoft’s devices group,  had said that he doesn’t expect the Nokia brand to be sticking around for very long. That’s a little bit strange since Microsoft is barely into its ten year licencing deal that allows it to use the Nokia brand on its phones.

While the phones themselves won’t be changing a great deal, Nokia is an iconic phone brand and to hear that it might disappear for good is a sad thing to imagine — especially given that most people have fond memories of the ever-popular 3310.

Don’t worry too much, though. When Microsoft acquired Nokia earlier this year it didn’t actually buy the entire company, it only bought the Devices and Services division. While it might take a little while for it to happen, Microsoft ditching the Nokia brand probably won’t put an end to the future of the Nokia phone.

CNET reached out to Microsoft to see if they had anything to say about the speculation, but a spokesperson said that the company has “nothing to share”. That’s nice and helpful of them.

Want to read more? Here’s our coverage of the recent Apple announcements, including everything you need to know about Apple’s ‘phablet’, the iPhone 6 Plus, and smartwatches buying guide, or if you’re sick of Apple completely, here’s our rundown of our 14 favourite dating apps, from Tinder to eHarmony.