Microsoft has entered into partnerships with 20 more Android tablet makers to offer preinstalled office apps. Tablet makers such as LG, Sony, Haier and Wortmann will preinstall Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype on their tablets in the coming months.
Microsoft adds more Android partners
Following Tuesday’s announcement, the software giant is now working with a total of 31 device manufacturers to preinstall the application on Android tablets. At the beginning of the year, Microsoft entered into similar deals with 11 manufacturers, including Dell and Samsung.
The recent deals indicate the commitment from Microsoft to offer preinstalled apps on mobile devices that are not based on Windows. The company made it very clear several months before when it offered free Office apps for the iPad, iPhone, and Android tablets and phones.
However, it is not yet clear when the manufacturers will roll out tablets with Microsoft’s apps preinstalled. Sony will install the Office app in its Xperia Z4 in the next 90 days, but Microsoft has not yet given any time schedule for other manufacturers. LG is expected to have the apps in its tablets later this year, and in the future, manufacturers will have an option to pick the apps to include in their tablets.
Microsoft goes Android
Additionally, the software giant is establishing itself in the Android phone market with Samsung preinstalling many of its apps in phones such as the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. This time also mobile carriers will have greater control over the apps that will show on their tablets, further twisting the matter.
Microsoft said that the company is looking to offer more customers who purchase an Android device from an OEM, to receive the preinstalled services and applications. Whether or not to pre-install the MS services and apps will be decided by the mobile operator, but customers will get an option to download them from Google Play.
Nice Parker, a corporate vice president in Microsoft’s OEM division, referred to the deals as a “cornerstone” of the company’s cross-platform strategy and said that it will be a blessing for manufacturers. Parker said that the value of the devices will be enhanced after companies decide to offer them with preinstalled Microsoft software, delivering the rich productivity experience customers want. Also Parker believes the applications will allow manufacturers to unlock new revenue streams, however, the company did not offer any concrete details about it.
