Nokia's Samuli Hänninen talks about the future of imaging and development under Microsoft

We're already aware of Microsoft's interest in Nokia and how the two companies are looking to secure a deal for 2014, in which the former will purchase and take over Nokia's devices and services division. While this includes the Lumia line of Windows Phones, we're all eagerly awaiting to see what will happen to future products regarding branding and more, what about Nokia imaging?

Vice president of software program management for Nokia’s Smart Devices business, Samuli Hänninen sat down with Nokia Conversations for a Q&A on the future of photography development at the company. tl;dr version? Expect to see some positive changes.

It's an interesting situation, simply because both companies have already worked closely since Nokia joined Windows Phone back in 2011. Just because Microsoft is purchasing a major part of the Finnish company, it doesn't mean there's going to be incompatibilities and alterations that will have a negative impact on consumers.

Samuli explains how their "vision is to change the way people capture memories. Together with Microsoft, we will be even better equipped to do so." The Lumia 1020 is an example of how both companies can work together and produce a high-end product that takes full advantage of the Windows Phone OS.

PureView

The main advantage of the merger is that the teams are no longer in different companies with separate rules for engagement, and thus can better collaborate on future projects. That's the plan, anyway.

"The Nokia Lumia 720 was a great example of us bringing a stunning camera to market with our widest aperture to date, but it didn’t carry the PureView name. The most important thing is what we do, not what it is called, although we like PureView a lot."

So what will this mean for consumers? Not a whole lot really. The same innovation and development will take place, but the teams will be more efficiently set up with the backing of Microsoft. Hänninen also touches on the importance of third party developers and how they can continue to help out by leveraging the imaging SDK Nokia released.

Head on over to Nokia Conversations to read the full Q&A.

Source: Nokia; thanks to everyone who tipped us!

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.