It could be the end of the Lumia line of smartphones according to a new report that says Microsoft is going to kill off those devices and focus on a new Surface Phone instead.
WinBeta was the first to report the news, citing an anonymous internal source with knowledge of the matter, who says the Lumia brand will be pulled from sale by the end of the year.
“It does, however, seem a little odd to actually end sales, instead, we believe that Microsoft will be ending production of its Lumia devices,” WinBeta notes.
This would make space in the market for the rumored Surface Phone, a device that has been heavily hinted about, but not confirmed.
When reached for comment by WinBeta, Microsoft declined to comment, saying only that there’s “nothing to share” at the moment.
That being said, Microsoft’s Director of Engineering (Windows Fundamentals), Laura Butler has been dropping some hints on Twitter lately, if mentioning a Surface Phone can be considered a hint. Those Tweets now appear to have been deleted, but according to WinBeta, in reply to other users she wrote things like, “Surface Phone not NOT confirmed. :-)” and “Surface iPhone. ;-)”
It would make sense: the Lumia line hasn’t been doing so well, and there are now only four Lumia models left on the market. Without any rumors of more to come, and recent markdowns by retailers, it appears the anonymous tipster could prove right.
We could find out in October, when Microsoft may hold an event to announce a new Surface all-in-one device, or the phone might be held for 2017, Ars Technica notes.
Microsoft looks set to “end sales” of Lumia phones this December, director mentions Surface Phone [WinBeta]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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