CNET by Don Reisinger July 17, 2014 6:31 AM PDT
Microsoft exec Stephen Elop is making it abundantly clear: Microsoft has no intention of staying in the Android business.
In a memo emailed to employees on Thursday, Elop said Microsoft’s devices business will concentrate “on the areas where we can add the most value” and noted that Nokia X smartphones, which run on heavily modified versions of Android, will migrate to Windows Phone.
“We plan to deliver additional lower-cost Lumia devices by shifting select future Nokia X designs and products to Windows Phone devices,” Elop, executive vice president of Microsoft Devices & Services, wrote in his memo to employees. “We expect to make this shift immediately while continuing to sell and support existing Nokia X products.”
Nokia’s X line of devices was the company’s attempt to attract more budget-conscious customers to its platform. This was also a major story in the ongoing Microsoft-Nokia saga, since it ran on Android — Microsoft’s chief competitor in the mobile market. It was initially believed that Microsoft would stick with Android on Nokia X devices, but according to Elop, the cheaper end of the smartphone market is a key area of growth for Microsoft, and the company wants people buying those products to run on Windows Phone and not Android.