Microsoft Lightening Up On Lumia Smartphones

Microsoft’s Lumia smartphones may soon be things of the past. That’s according to WinBeta, which reported that an anonymous source said Microsoft intends to “end sales” of the Lumia product beginning in December.

Recently, Microsoft slashed prices on the Lumia phones and let up on pushing sales of them at its stores and online.

Across the board, however, Microsoft has been retreating from the smartphone business. The company’s most recent evidence of this came after it acquired Nokia’s smartphone division for $7 billion, and then, sales expectations didn’t come anywhere near what the analysts expected. On top of cutting almost 2,000 jobs back in May, Microsoft also got rid of 19,000 jobs related to the Nokia purchase. In July, the company also announced plans to cut an additional 2,850 positions in the smartphone and sales divisions.

The lightening up on Lumia move is creating speculation that Microsoft will put more emphasis on a Surface brand smartphone, which is still just a rumor but could launch as soon as October — but more likely in 2017.