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Nokia CEO Stephen Elop stepping down ahead of transition to Microsoft
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's Devices & Services business has more implications for Nokia than you might suspect at first glance. In the wake of the deal, CEO Stephen Elop is stepping down to become the Executive VP of Devices & Services, and should join Microsoft once the acquisition closes. The shift in rank should minimize any perceived conflict of interest during Elop's transition, Nokia says. Chairman of the Board Risto Siilasmaa will assume an interim CEO position while the company looks for a permanent replacement for Elop. Meanwhile, key Nokia executives Jo Harlow, Chris Weber, Juha Putkiranta and Timo Toikkanen are also expected to follow Elop to Microsoft; Executive VP of Design Marko Ahtisaari plans to step down on November 1st, and will leave the company on November 30th to once more become an entrepreneur. All told, Microsoft is getting several of the cellphone industry's better-known leaders in one shot -- and Nokia's remaining leadership will be mostly unrecognizable to long-term fans.
The Engadget Interview: Nokia head of design Marko Ahtisaari at MWC 2013
Hot on the heels of our interview with Stephen Elop, we sat down with Marko Ahtisaari -- head of design at Nokia -- to chat about the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 Windows Phones along with the basic Lumia 301 and 105 models. The four handsets, which were introduced today at Mobile World Congress, share the same design language -- in fact, this marks the first time the company's extending its signature Lumia look and feel to devices costing as little as €15 ($20). We discussed the evolution of Nokia's current aesthetic from the Nokia N9 (and the Lumia 800) to the present day. Mr. Ahtisaari touched upon the engineering challenges involved in building affordable smartphones like the €139 ($184) Lumia 520. We talked about the Lumia 720's thin and light unibody shell and the Lumia 620's double-shot color scheme, then asked how the Asha design language fits into the current lineup. Curious about the answer? Watch our video interview after the break.
Nokia design chief spending a third of his time on future tablet
Nokia design chief Marko Ahtisaari wasn't going to be drawn on details and release dates, but he has revealed that a tablet from the (predominantly) phone-focused company was definitely in the works -- and taking up a fair chunk of his time. In an interview with Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio, Ahtisaari said that he was looking to create a new device that would stand out from the increasingly packed tablet crowd. The full interview isn't online just yet, but the teaser adds that the head of design is also involved in a new 'revolutionary' user experience that means you wouldn't have to be constantly arched over your phone -- whatever that involves. A Nokia spokesperson told Reuters that they "continue to eye the tablet space with interest, but have made no specific announcements." However, we're sure Nokia will have plenty more to say about these nebulous ideas in the near future.
Nokia hires Peter Skillman, former Palm Design VP, as MeeGo user experience chief (update: confirmed)
Now this, this is what we call exciting. Nokia has managed to scoop up Peter Skillman from the wreckage of the HP/Palm merger. One of the many senior VPs to leave Palm upon its assimilation into the HP empire, Peter spent 11 years with his previous employer and was in charge of the design team that produced the deliciously curvaceous Palm Pre. Now at Nokia, he'll be heading up the user experience and services division for MeeGo, which means that if you weren't excited for the platform already, you've now got a very good reason to be. Update: We met with Marko Ahtisaari, Senior Vice President of Design at Nokia, to get comment on this story. His response? "Right, I just hired him." So why not announce it, we asked, this is pretty big news? According to Marko, "We have products today, products are more interesting. Peter is looking after the user experience design of MeeGo and services and is a great new addition to the team." Marko's team, to be specific. To us this seems like another component that could help Nokia break into the US market with MeeGo. [Thanks, Dave]
Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction
Marko Ahtisaari will be a familiar name to Dopplr users, being both the CEO and one of the major investors in the startup's social networking software. Having been acquired by Nokia in late September 2009, his team now works to help Symbian regain its world-conquering ways while Marko himself has returned to Nokia to helm its Design group -- an outfit that, judging by the world's disappointment with the N97 and other devices, is frankly in need of some fresh ideas. So, when we were invited to meet him this morning for a journalist get-together where Marko hoped to "begin the conversation" about Nokia's future direction, we grabbed our pen, paper and DSLR and rushed off to go have a listen. The camera came in use when we got to handle a Nokia N8 prototype for the first time, but do join us after the break to see what else we learned.
