Microsoft signed strategic partnerships with LG, Sony, and 18 other OEMs to pre-install its productivity app suite on their devices.
Not too long ago, Microsoft announced that it had teamed up with Cyanogen and Samsung to have its productivity app suite pre-loaded on the OEMs' devices. The company has now signed deals with 20 more partners for such endeavors, racking up even global players such as Sony and LG.
The 20 new OEMs who entered strategic partnerships with Microsoft will install productivity apps and services such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on their Android tablets in the future. According to Microsoft, LG will pre-load the apps on a new tablet, while Sony will pre-install them on its Xperia Z4 Tablet within the next 90 days.
"Today I'm excited to announce that 20 additional global and local OEM partners, including LG, Sony, Haier, Positivo and Wortman, will make Microsoft productivity applications and services available on their Android tablets. These 31 partners will offer Android tablets pre-installed with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype in the near future," Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) division, touted in a blog post on Tuesday, May 26. "They will be available on a new LG tablet, and Sony will include them on their Xperia Z4 tablet in the next 90 days."
"Our strategic agreements with these partners 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. This is a cornerstone of our cross-platform services strategy, to bring an array of Microsoft services to every person on every device. By pre-installing Microsoft software and services solutions on Android tablets, our partners are able to increase the value of those devices by delivering the rich productivity experiences customers want. In addition, partners will be able to take advantage of opportunities to realize new revenue streams."
New OEM partners that will pre-install the Microsoft productivity apps on their devices include:
- AxdiaInternational GMBH - Germany
- Cube- China
- DL- Brazil
- General Procurement- United States
- Grupo Nucleo- Argentina
- Haier- China
- Inco- Mexico
- Ionik GBMH- Germany
- Iview- United States and Latam
- LG- Global
- Multilaser- Brazil
- Noblex- Argentina
- Pacific (Vulcan)- Mexico
- Philco- Argentina
- Positivo- Brazil
- Prestigio- EMEA
- Sony- Global
- Teclast- China
- TMAX Digital- North America
- Wortmannn- Germany
These new OEM partners will add to Microsoft's existing agreements with Samsung and Cyanogen. The new-generation Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, for instance, already come with Microsoft apps pre-installed, while Cyanogen will preload various Microsoft apps and services such as Skype, Bing, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, and Office in a future Cyanogen OS version.
The new agreements reiterate Microsoft's commitment to make its apps available on more devices, regardless of whether they run different platforms.
