Microsoft has reached an agreement with 20 partners, including Sony and LG, to include Microsoft services with their devices. The announcement follows Microsoft’s success with previous deals with companies like Dell and Samsung to get Microsoft Office and Skype pre-installed on those devices.
The deal will see future devices from the partners include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype, and it will apparently start with the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet within the next 90 days. LG will also be starting installing the apps on an unspecified tablet that is due out soon.
There is no shortage of productivity apps for Android, although many of the more popular ones require users to download them from the Google Play store. These pre-installed apps will make it more convenient for users setting up new tablets and reduce the time it takes to download productivity suites. That being said, it is likely people will stick to what they know.
It is too early to tell if Microsoft’s plan to embrace other platforms is paying off for the company, but it is certainly generating a lot of attention. The plan of putting as many Microsoft services and apps as possible on Android device, combined with the announcement that Windows 10 Mobile will be able to emulate Android apps, appears to be an attempt to blur the line between the Android and Windows operating system. A situation that could easily work out quite nicely for Microsoft.
[Source: Microsoft Blog]
