Microsoft to shed 1,850 smartphone jobs, write down $950M

REDMOND, WA – Microsoft is cutting up to 1,850 jobs as it scales back its smartphone hardware business.The company said Wednesday that approximately 1,350 of the jobs are at Microsoft Mobile Oy in Finland, and that 500 additional jobs are located globally. Employees working for Microsoft Oy, a separate Microsoft sales subsidiary based in Espoo, Finland, are not in scope for the planned reductions.As a result of the cutbacks, the company will record an impairment and restructuring charge of approximately $950 million, of which approximately $200 million will relate to severance payments."We are focusing our phone efforts where we have differentiation —...