Following last month's reports that Microsoft is planning to kill the Nokia and Windows Phone brands, the company is reportedly set to make it official. "Nokia" will be replaced by "Microsoft Lumia" going forward.
According to a report by The Verge, the process will kick off in France, where the company will adopt the new branding for its Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts, and will move to other countries in the coming weeks. However, it isn't yet clear how the Redmond-based company will handle the branding on its future Windows Phone devices – it could be just "Microsoft" or "Lumia", or the lengthier "Microsoft Lumia".
The move shouldn't come as a surprise given that several of the company's Windows Phone Store apps have already dropped "Nokia" from their names in the past few months. When Microsoft acquired Nokia's Devices and Services business last year for $7.2 billion, former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who joined Microsoft post acquisition, also suggested that the software giant won't be pushing the Nokia brand for very long.
In addition, Microsoft's decision to sunset the Nokia brand will also clear up confusion regarding Nokia, the company, which continues to exist as a separate firm focusing on mapping and network infrastructure.