The smartphone division of the company is experiencing a staggering number of job losses.
Microsoft has made an unhappy mobile technology news announcement of 3,000 upcoming job losses. The majority of the lay-offs are the result of the astounding failure of the Nokia deal and the redundancies it created.
The affected employees will be losing their positions over the next year within that division.
The Microsoft smartphone hardware business and global sales division will experience a massive reduction in size. Moreover, this is only the latest bad mobile technology news the company has issued this year. Back in May, it confirmed that its mobile branch would be downsizing by 1,850 jobs. At that time, Terry Myerson, the vice president of Windows and device said “we’re scaling back, but we’re not out!”
This all stems from the mobile technology news when Microsoft bought the devices and services business at Nokia.
The acquisition occurred in 2013. Microsoft made the purchase for $7.1 billion (€5.4 billion). Not only did it buy the devices and business, but it also took in all the associated problems. As it unfolded, it became one of the most disastrous tech acquisitions in history.
Three months after the acquisition closed, Microsoft eliminated 18,000 positions. The majority were from the phone hardware division. This mainly removed employees who had become a part of Microsoft by way of the Nokia buy-out. One year after that point, Microsoft wrote off $7 billion and laid off 7,800 more employees.
This downward spiral continued into May when the vast majority of the feature phone business was sold at a tiny fraction of its purchase price and additional 1,850 jobs were lost.
Now, the mobile technology news trend continues at Microsoft. In the elimination of redundancies, the company is slashing 2,850 jobs. Within a U.S. regulatory filing, the software giant explained: “we periodically evaluate how to best deploy the company’s resources.” Microsoft also said the restructuring would primarily affect the smartphone hardware business and global sales. These latest position eliminations will be in addition to those announced in May and will not include those figures in their total.
The struggling Canadian company is preparing to release yet another handset in the hopes of recovery.
BlackBerry has announced that it will soon be releasing the most secure Android phone the world has ever seen. The company has made it clear that it will not give up its hardware business unless it is given no other choice. Now, it’s hoping that topping security levels over any other Android device will bring its smartphones back into relevance.
The company has unveiled the DTEK50, which is a smartphone the company hopes will appeal to “everyone.”
BlackBerry feels the appeal of a highly secure Android phone is increasing. Consumers are coming to realize that there are many threats to their security over mobile, but they can’t give up their smartphones. Therefore, the company wants to stand out from among the rest by offering those shoppers a device that will keep their personal, private and financial information safe.
Mobile security is a considerable concern among many consumers. That said, a large number haven’t taken even the most basic steps needed to protect their devices. The hope from BlackBerry is that if the device has the added security built in, it will have a significant draw.
The company feels that consumers and businesses want the most secure Android phone available.
Senior vice president of global device sales, Alex Thurber, said “We feel that customers today, certainly businesses and consumers, are beginning to understand just how important security is when it comes to their smartphone.” Thurber spoke during a BlackBerry webcast from the company’s Waterloo, Ontario headquarters.
He explained that it’s important for everyone to be aware of privacy and security issues, risks and threats on their devices, no matter who they are. “I certainly want my children to have secure devices. I don’t want the world looking at what they take pictures of or their emails or their text messages,” he said.
The new BlackBerry DTEK50 has been designed to be the most secure Android phone. It contains built-in features such as encryption and malware protection to keep all user info safe. It also provides enhanced capabilities for viewing and controlling the access apps have to the mobile device features such as the camera.
The acquisition occurred in 2013. Microsoft made the purchase for $7.1 billion (€5.4 billion). Not only did it buy the devices and business, but it also took in all the associated problems. As it unfolded, it became one of the most disastrous tech acquisitions in history.