Microsoft announces adding a total of 74 Android manufacturers to its list that would pre-install its apps and services in their next models
While there are rumors that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) plans to discontinue manufacturing smartphones, it doesn’t mean that it has forsaken the mobile industry. The software giant wants its applications on your next-gen mobile device before you buy them. Today, the company announced that it has partnered with 74 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across 25 countries that either will pre-install or have started to pre-install its products in their Android smartphones and tablets.
The latest big-name addition to start installing Microsoft apps and services in its hardware is Acer, which it intends to do so in the second half of 2016. The recruitment of 74 partners by Microsoft shows that it has been working fast, as it announced its partner program hitting the count of 20 in May last year, including Cyanogen and Samsung.
The program focuses on getting Android OEMs to embed its premium branded Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype applications in their products. Microsoft OEM division’s corporate VP, Nick Parker, made the latest announcement in a blog post.
He wrote: “These partners offer or will soon offer Android devices pre-installed with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype. Office and Microsoft services are available on a wide variety of Android devices today, such as the LG G Pad II, Samsung Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z4, and many other tablets and phones offered by our partners. Specific offerings may vary by device.”
The company’s officials don’t publicly say that the deals are related to its patent campaign, through which it collected patent royalties from Android manufactures. While exact details of these agreements have not been disclosed, Microsoft is most likely licensing its patents to its partners for pre-installing its apps.
Mr. Parker wrote: “Our strategic agreements with these partners, in which IP alignment is an important feature, demonstrate how Microsoft is leveraging the scale of the hardware ecosystem, and working with partners in new ways to deliver rich experiences to our customers.”
Under the present Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, Microsoft has shifted its focus from Windows and hardware to software, applications, and services. It brags that Microsoft apps have been downloaded over 100 million on the iOS and Android with 20 million paying customers for the Office 365 suite. It even acquired Groove, a music streaming service from a Canadian startup Zikera.
While Microsoft’s Windows Phones have been rejected by the majority of global market, it doesn’t want its name to be forgotten. According to comScore’s data, Android powered 53.3% of all smartphones in the US by the end of 2015, which is why the software giant is particularly focused on this operating system (OS).
Recently, Microsoft brought its personal digital assistant, Cortana, to Android platforms. In October, its Arrow Android launcher was introduced from the beta phase, before which it acquired the company that made Android’s Echo lock-screen app, Double Labs. During its financial results last month for the December quarter, Microsoft announced how it is adjusting its approach on software-services, which is why it is now focused on becoming the primary source for apps and services for both, iOS and Android users.
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