Microsoft has been making a huge push into mobile of late, with its most recent move being to sign partners that make Android devices to ship tablets preinstalled with Skype and Office apps.
Sony, LG and Haier are among the first companies to partner with Microsoft, which highlights the company's plan to bring its apps to platforms other than Windows Phone.
"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," said the company in a blog post. "This is a cornerstone of our cross-platform services strategy, to bring an array of Microsoft services to every person on every device."
Microsoft's plan is easy - if it can't control the mobile market through its operating system, which it quite clearly cannot, it at least wants its apps on every device's home screen.
Of course, simply putting Skype and Office apps on doesn't guarantee that users will use the apps. Skype is certainly an app that many use, however Android users have likely grown accustomed to using Google's suite of productivity apps rather than Microsoft's. Docs, Sheets and Slides have become an important tool for Android users who need to edit documents on the go, and they can be used for free. While Microsoft's offerings will have free features, it is likely that those wanting the apps' full list of features will need to sign up to the company's Office 365 subscription.
The deals will take effect around the world, targeting users in Asia and Europe. Of course, it is likely that Microsoft is not getting these deals completely for free, although the company has not released details about how much it is paying the likes of Sony to preinstall apps.
The announcement by Microsoft is the company's latest effort in the "mobile-first, cloud-first" push initiated by CEO Satya Nadella. In the last year, the company has released a host of apps to Android and iOS devices. In fact, just a few days ago the company announced that it would be bringing a Cortana app to Android and iOS, enabling users of these platforms to make use of the company's personal assistant. It will be interesting to see how useful Cortana is on platforms that already have personal assistants of their own.
"By preinstalling 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," continued the company in its blog post.
