Stephen Elop on Microsoft partnership

Nokia’s (OMX: NOK1V, NYSE: NOK) controversial CEO Stephen Elop admitted that the first Lumia line hasn’t done as well as the company was hoping for in an article with Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital. This is likely an admission of the very evident slowdown in Lumia sales growth rate as of late. He also touched on the partnership with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and underscored the importance of Microsoft’s commitment in Nokia maps. While he admitted that the relationship is sometimes complex, the communication lines between the management are open and often used.

It also became apparent that the Finnish company isn’t looking to do a device for anyone else, effectively stopping any speculation Nokia might build a Microsoft phone. Speculations that Microsoft is also going to make its own smartphone following the information it will be making a tablet has been weighing on Nokia in the past day or two. Elop said he has no indication that Microsoft plans to do so but says if they want to they can do so and that Nokia simply needs to continue to build devices that stand out from the pack.