Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's business groups leaves little room for the next CEO to choose a different strategy from the current "devices and services" focus of outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer.

The deal had been in the works for many months. 

Matthew Campbell and Aaron Kirchfeld reported on Bloomberg: Microsoft Raced to $7.2 Billion Deal With Soul-Searching Nokia - Bloomberg

Discussions began in earnest after a meeting between Ballmer and Risto Siilasmaa, the Finnish company's chairman, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. 

The timing of the deal appears to indicate that CEO Ballmer's announced exit was sudden. Otherwise the board would have waited for the new CEO to have the opportunity to set a new strategy for the company unencumbered by legacy deals.

Some Microsoft watchers have urged the company to ditch its consumer business and focus on its lucrative enterprise markets. That'll be near impossible now.

Please see:

Giving Microsoft Free Advice: The Best So Far...And My 2 Cents -SVW