Microsoft considered buying Nokia's devices business: Report

Microsoft was in talks to boost its
position in the mobile phone market by
buying the devices business from
Nokia but failed to seal a deal, the
Wall Street Journal reported
Wednesday.
The Journal cited unnamed sources as
saying the US technology titan and the
pioneering Finnish mobile phone
company were involved in serious
talks that recently faltered.
Microsoft has been striving to gain
ground in a global smartphone market
dominated by handsets powered by
Google-backed Android and Apple iOS
operating systems.
Nokia has seen its past glory fade
under pressure of competition from
Apple and Asian mobile phone makers.
Microsoft and Nokia joined forces
about two years ago in an alliance
aimed at making inroads with
handsets powered by Windows Phone
software.
Windows, boosted by the Windows
Phone 8 introduced last year, boosted
its US market share to 5.6 percent
from 3.8 percent, according to a recent
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech survey.