Vamien McKalin
Rumors of a Surface-branded Windows Phone 8 device from Microsoft have been circling around for some time, but it appears there are no such plans.
In an interview with Pocket-Lint, Microsoft's senior marketing manager, Casey McGee stated, "We enjoy having the variety that we do. We are so close to the process that it feels like our child too. Especially with Nokia." This could be a clear sign that Microsoft has a high amount of influence over how Nokia design its Lumia smartphones and what does not belong in a smartphone.
"Our relationship is so close we get hardware early and we have some say in how these things are designed. For an engineer or a designer it might feel a little bit different, but I think for people working with the developers and talking broadly about the phone I am very happy with the relationship and the ability to influence what they are doing."
With that said, Microsoft truly doesn't need its own Windows Phone device at this time. The Lumia range of handsets are the best of what Windows Phone has to offer, and Microsoft certainly does not want to give Nokia, its closest partner, a reason to jump ship. However, if prospects for the platform fails to change down the line, things could very well change.
Microsoft angered some PC manufacturer when it announced the Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets back in 2012. It was an unexpected move; however, many could have seen it coming due to the drastic changes in Windows 8.
The release of both tablets haven't helped Microsoft that much since Windows 8 adoption is slow, so slow that it is being compared to the likes of Windows Vista. Furthermore, even Samsung has came out bashing Windows-based devices and Surface for low adoption rate and sales.
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