Rumor: Microsoft is scrapping Surface brand in favor of Lumia

Microsoft is said to have plans to stop using the Surface brand name once it has acquired the rights to use Nokia’s brand names. Instead of Surface, Microsoft would like to use the Lumia brand name.

The rumors were brought out by telecom insider Evan Blass. Microsoft is said to be still negotiating with the remaining part of Nokia for a license to the latter’s brand names. The discussions are said to be in the final stages and after that Microsoft would like to part with the Surface brand name. Instead, the company seems to want to use the Lumia brand name, which Nokia’s phone division used for its mobile devices. Replacing the Lumia Surface name is part of Microsoft’s strategy to streamline its brand names.

Blass also states that Microsoft will use the name ‘Nokia by Microsoft’ for its smartphone series, of which the first models are rumored to be released in this quarter. It is not yet known exactly what the first smartphones from Microsoft will be called; it is likely that Microsoft will also maintain the Lumia naming convention for smartphones.

Some time ago, Microsoft took over Nokia’s telephone business for an amount of almost 5.5 billion euros. The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer was the market leader for a long time, but in recent years has suffered a lot from competition from iOS and Android.