It's time for Microsoft's $25 million man show. Stephen Elop, who until last month was the CEO of Nokia and who now leads the mobile devices sector, is preparing to present - tomorrow - six new products. Among the novelties, there are also tablets and phablets, smartphones with a screen larger than 5 inches.
The event falls on the same day that Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad. Nokia will hardly be able to overshadow the Cupertino house, yet for Elop this is a possibility to make the products in question a ray of hope for Microsoft, which acquired the smartphone division of the Finnish company last month for 7 billion dollars.
Elop is currently trying to keep a low profile when it comes to public outings. His $25 million severance pay as CEO of Nokia, largely paid for by Microsoft, was strongly criticized and described as excessive by the Finnish media and politicians.
Unlike the Microsoft Surface tablet, the first Nokia tablet will be equipped with LTE technology, which allows access to a wider internet band, and this could be a strong point capable of putting it in competition with the iPad. A feature that could make Sirius - this is the code name of the device - more attractive, at least for corporate customers.
