Nokia to Fire 10,000

From Marcus Wohlsen – Nokia Fires 10,000: Looks to Undercut Cheap Android Phones

Ouch!

Nokia, formerly known as the world’s largest mobile phone maker, announced during a news conference that up to 10,000 workers would lose their jobs. The company also said a factory in its native Finland and research operations in Germany and Canada would close.

The cutbacks aimed at “sharpening its strategy” come as Nokia lobs a Hail Mary toward smartphone relevance by partnering with Microsoft, whose own Windows Phone mobile operating system has yet to capture imaginations in a world dominated by iPhone and Android.

In a conference call to discuss Thursday’s grim news, Nokia president and CEO Stephen Elop focused not on the high-end but said the company was working with Microsoft to go even cheaper than its entry-level Lumia 610 with a specific aim of undercutting low-priced Android handsets.