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Vertu's mysterious Chinese buyer has its own secure smartphone OS
In recent years, we've watched Vertu evolve to a luxury phone maker that actually cares about specs, and you can thank CEO Massimiliano "Max" Pogliani for that. But according to Financial Times, Swedish private equity group EQT has recently sold Vertu to Hong Kong's Godin Holdings, and Pogliani has since decided "to pass on the baton" to someone else. While these changes may bring a tear to some eyes out there, things are about to get real interesting for Vertu. You see, after some digging around in the Hong Kong Companies Registry, we found out that this Godin Holdings is actually just a four-month-old shell company of Godin Cyberspace Security Technology (translated name), which claims to be working on its very own secure smartphone OS dubbed "GOS." If you put the pieces together, we could be looking at a luxury equivalent of the Blackphone or the BlackBerry Priv in the making.
Vertu, maker of the $22,000 smartphone, is considering luxury wearables
Last month was a special one for Max Pogliani: Not only did it mark his first anniversary as Vertu's CEO, but it also saw the launch of his very own baby, the Android-powered Signature Touch. This new phone's up-to-date specs have already silenced critics; and despite the luxury market's slowdown, the Italian exec said his team's already ahead of budget in the first half of this year. Vertu's not stopping there, as it plans to expand its portfolio with an even more affordable smartphone, as well as new accessories like audio products and maybe even smart wearables.
Vertu's new Constellation is its second Android phone, and you still can't afford it
With the Ti liberating Vertu from the Symbian shackles, it was only a matter of time before the luxury phone maker released its second Android device. The Constellation, as it's called (instead of "Constellation V" as listed by the FCC), takes a small but bold step away from Vertu's usual design language, as it lacks the iconic ceramic pillow on the earpiece. What it gains instead is the largest piece of tough sapphire glass that Vertu -- or any phone maker for that matter -- has ever crafted, as well as a layer of soft but durable calf leather wrapping around the Grade 5 titanium body. It'll also come in five colors: dark brown, orange (our favorite so far), black, light brown and cherry. Vertu's CEO Massimiliano Pogliani told us that this "less is more" approach is to have a more neutral, less showy offer that he believes will appeal to a larger audience. "It tested extremely well [in study groups] in China and Russia," said the exec. "In terms of design and appearance, it is being luxury but not too bling, too wild, too pushy, so I'm very happy and very confident."
Vertu's Perry Oosting steps down as CEO, replaced by CMO Max Pogliani
According to a statement we received earlier, Vertu's Perry Oosting (pictured left) has stepped down after his successful four year stint as President and CEO, though he'll continue to invest in the company. Despite the relatively short run, the Dutch exec oversaw Vertu's departure from Nokia and subsequently launched the company's first-ever Android device, the Ti. Little is known about the reasons behind this change, but judging by Oosting's considerable knowledge of the luxury goods market, he'll have plenty of options for his next move. The luxury phone maker will now be led by CMO Massimiliano "Max" Pogliani (pictured right), who's probably best known for building up Nespresso, Nestlé's premium coffee brand, prior to joining Vertu last November. Pogliani will be assisted by ex-Jimmy Choo COO Jonathan Sinclair, who joined Vertu this month under the same title. Press release after the break.
