Its a sad day for Finland. Or is it? Sure, much of the phonemakers storied legacy -- and future -- is now in Microsofts hands, a bitter pill to swallow for many Finns. And yes, 32,000 Nokia employees will become part of the Redmond-based tech giants empire overnight, whether they like it or not. But Nokias (NOK) downward spiral began a long time ago, and the company wasnt headed toward any kind of happy ending, with or without Microsoft (MSFT) swooping in to buy its devices and services business for $7.2 billion. Whats more, the deal may actually give the Finnish brand a sliver of a chance to regain some of its lost momentum. Especially if Stephen Elop -- yes, the Nokia CEO and former Microsoft exec now blamed for this most recent turn of events -- lands the top job in Redmond.微软公司（Microsoft）并购诺基亚（Nokia）是不是芬兰人的悲情一日？如今手机制造商诺基亚的传奇和未来都握住在微软公司手中，这是许多芬兰人被迫拒绝接受的伤痛现实。而且，在一夜之间，不论他们否不愿，32,000名诺基亚员工变为了雷德蒙德科技巨头微软公司的一份子。

然而，诺基亚的业务从很早以前之前之后开始持续下降，即使微软公司没忽然使出，以72亿美元并购其设备及服务部门，诺基亚也会有什么好下场。此外，这笔交易也许需要给这家芬兰品牌带给一线生机，协助它完全恢复昔日的势头。特别是在是如果诺基亚CEO史蒂芬埃洛普能获得雷德蒙德的最低职位的话，此种可能性就更大了。

曾是微软公司高管的埃洛普，如今被指出是最近形势变异的罪魁祸首。Nokia, once the top smartphone manufacturer in the world, no longer cracks the top five. Sales of its Lumia line of phones have been growing, but not fast enough to offset massive drops in other products. In the companys most recent quarter, revenue fell 24% compared with the prior year. Its stock has been in decline for years. What happened? There were many causes for the downfall, but arrogance and a misguided focus on growing market share no matter the costs are two big ones. Like BlackBerry (BBRY), Nokia didnt take the iPhones 2007 debut seriously. The U.S. market -- now home to the two leading smartphone operating systems in the world, Apples (AAPL) iOS and Googles (GOOG) Android -- was merely an afterthought. And even as the world around them was changing, company execs clung to Symbian, Nokias aging operating system, for far too long.诺基亚曾是全球头号智能手机制造商，如今却连前五名也进不了。虽然它的非凡（Lumia）系列手机销量仍然在快速增长，但增长速度足以抵销其他产品的大幅度暴跌。最近一个季度，这家公司的收益比之前一年增加了24%。

近几年，它的股票仍然在持续暴跌。究竟再次发生了什么？原因也许有很多，但刻薄固执和漠视成本、一味执着市场份额的错误做法是最主要的两个原因。与黑莓（BlackBerry）一样，诺基亚并没认真对待2007年刚面世的iPhone手机。美国市场也是在后来才引发诺基亚的推崇。

如今，美国市场早已被全球领先的两大智能手机操作系统，也就是苹果（iPhone）的iOS和谷歌（Google）的安卓攻占。外面的世界日新月异，诺基亚高管们却仍然固守着老化的塞班（Symbian）操作系统，结果浪费了过于多的时间。By the time Elop came on board in 2010, Nokias reputation and market share were already tanking. What has happened over the last couple of years is there has been a shift from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems, Elop told an audience of mobile developers at a Qualcomm (QCOM) conference in 2011. Sure enough, soon after he took over the company, the CEO made a series of bold moves, most significantly hitching the companys fate to Microsofts Windows operating system. The resulting offspring of that marriage is Nokias Lumia line of phones. And while Elops loyalties (and ability to lead the Finnish company) have been questioned, the Lumia smartphones are probably the best thing out of Espoo in a long time.2010年，埃洛普重新加入诺基亚时，这家公司的声誉与市场份额都早已遭到重创。2011年高通（Qualcomm）开会手机开发者大会，埃洛普当时对听众们说道：“过去两年的趋势就是指设备竞争改向生态系统竞争。

”果然，埃洛普接掌公司之后旋即就采行了一系列大胆措施，其中最重要的就是将公司的命运与微软公司的Windows操作系统绑在一起。诺基亚非凡系列手机乃是两家公司联姻的结晶。虽然埃洛普的忠心（和领导公司的能力）仍然倍受诟病，但非凡系列智能手机应当是诺基亚很长一段时间来伟大的一款产品。

Elops tenure at Nokia has been controversial, but unlike insiders he had the ability to divorce the company from Symbian and make a much-needed bet on a more viable operating system (albeit not a very popular one). It may have been too little, too late, and the turnaround Elop has subsequently led hasnt been flawless, to say the least. But this weeks sale to Microsoft isnt surprising given the trajectory laid out in 2011. Investors are welcoming the deal, sending Nokias share price up over 40% Tuesday morning.埃洛普在诺基亚的供职仍然备受争议，但与内部人员有所不同，他可以使公司退出塞班，把赌局遣在更加不切实际的（虽然并不是很热门的）操作系统上。虽然这有可能是杯水车薪，而且为时已晚，而且埃洛普随后率领公司展开的改变也并非完美无缺。但考虑到公司从2011年之后已预见的发展轨迹，此次公司与微软公司的交易也就不有一点大惊小怪了。投资者对此次交易回应青睐，诺基亚公司的股票在周二上午也上涨多达了40%。

We view this positively for Nokia, as we believe the path for the Device Services business was fraught with peril given competitive forces and its limited product acceptance, Maynard Um, a senior analyst with Wells Fargo, wrote in a report. This sale and the buyout of the Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) joint venture all but completes the transformation of Nokia into a network infrastructure-focused business. (The remaining Nokia will consist of the companys telecom equipment business, mapping technologies and an IP licensing division). Whats more, added Um, the sale puts more financial muscle behind the combined Microsoft-Nokia portfolio of products. That is, of course, if Microsoft plays its cards right.富国银行（Wells Fargo）高级分析师梅纳德阿姆在一份报告中写到：“我们指出，此次交易对诺基亚更加不利。因为，我们指出鉴于白热化的竞争和受限的产品接受度，诺基亚设备与服务部门的未来充满著了风险。此次交易和交还合资公司诺基亚西门子公司（Nokia Siemens Network，NSN）将使诺基亚已完成向网络基础设施业务的改变。

”（诺基亚的剩下业务还包括通讯设备业务、地图技术和专利许可部门）。阿姆补足说道，更加最重要的是，这笔交易将强化微软公司-诺基亚合作的产品组合的财政实力。

当然，前提是微软公司打好手中的牌。The software giant doesnt have a good track record when it comes to hardware. Or acquisitions. But Elops return into the fold could be helpful to the future of Nokias handset line. Current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently announced he will be stepping down in the coming months, and many have weighed in on the list of potential successors. Its no surprise that Elop is now a top contender as well. The former insider knows the company well (he once ran its Office division). But after three years at Nokia, he also knows the handset manufacturing world much better than most Microsoft execs. As part of Microsofts acquisition, Elop will step down as CEO of Nokia and take on the devices and services division at Microsoft, a big chunk of which will be made up of the former Nokia business. That means Elop may become the handset business (and former Nokia employees) greatest hope. If he becomes CEO of Microsoft in the months to come, that may bode even better for the handset manufacturer formerly known as Nokia, painful as that admission may be to the Finns.软件业巨头微软公司在硬件或者并购方面的成绩并不尽如人意。不过，埃洛普重返微软公司也许不会对诺基亚手机业务的未来有所协助。

最近，微软公司现任CEO史蒂夫鲍尔默宣告将在未来几个月内卸任，许多人都出了潜在继任者的有力竞争者。埃洛普也是热门人选，这并不怪异。

埃洛普曾多次是微软公司的老人，对微软公司十分理解（曾负责管理Office部门）。而且在诺基亚供职三年之后，比起大多数微软公司高管，他更加熟知手机生产。

作为微软公司并购的条件之一，埃洛普将辞任诺基亚CEO的职务，兼任微软公司设备及服务部门的负责人，其中大部分由原本的诺基亚业务构成。这意味著，埃洛普有可能沦为手机业务（和前诺基亚员工）仅次于的期望。

如果他能在几个月后沦为微软公司CEO，对于原本为诺基亚生产手机的制造商而言，也许是更大的福音，尽管芬兰人在心理上很难拒绝接受。

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