We have been anticipating this moment with terror from a long time. But that doesn’t make the pain a any less. But here is the hard truth: Nokia’s gone now. It has become one of Microsoft’s properties. Alas, the Microsoft-Nokia deal has been finalized. There is no other way to say it, this is the truth.

From now on, Microsoft is not only a software company, but a hardware one too. At the very least, Nokia’s off the market for many years to come. Microsoft has for $7 Billion plus, purchased not just a smartphone company but an enigma in form of Nokia. The value is debatable, but what is tragic though is the void Nokia leaves behind –  I don’t think it will ever be filled. Sure, many new companies are coming up, but Nokia is Nokia.

Microsoft now controls 90 percent of the Windows Phone market. It has access to Nokia’s Lumia and Asha range of smartphones and almost any other hardware Nokia produced. . The first thing it has done is change the name to Microsoft Mobiles. As far as Nokia is concerned, you might see its name on software like Here Maps, but that is about it.

Good for Microsoft. Well, not too good for ardent Nokia fans like me. Lets see how Microsoft gets the ball rolling now.