Yesterday Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella informed employees that there would be over 12,500 job cuts at Nokia Devices and Services business by next year. Now BGR India, which was privy to an internal memo sent by Jo Harlow, reports that the company will also be phasing out its feature phone and Nokia X Android smartphones. Jo Harlow heads the phone business under Microsoft devices. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s Devices and Services business last year for EUR 5.44 billion. The memo mentions that Microsoft plans to immediately ramp down all developer engagement activities related to Nokia X, Asha and Series 40 apps. It adds that services to support existing devices will be shifted to “maintenance mode.” And there will be a controlled shutdown of support for existing mobile phone customers over the next 18 months. In his email yesterday, Nadella had hinted at such a possibility. He had said that they plan to shift select Nokia X product designs to become Lumia products running Windows. He had added that such a move would perfectly align with their focus on Windows Universal Apps. In the memo Harlow categorically states that there will be no new features or updates to services on any Mobile Phones platform as a result of these plans. The Verge reports that in memo Harlow also mentions that Microsoft plans to offer customers a mix of platforms, services, and applications, alongside hardware. At Nokia, he adds, the primary goal was successful hardware. Microsoft Executive Vice President Stephen Elop had also emphasised the…
