Microsoft has signed a licensing deal with Acer to bundle its apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, Skype, and OneDrive (via The Verge). Microsoft has signed patent licensing deals with other manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, Dell, and Asus to bundle their Android apps. Microsoft recently announced that they have “74 hardware partners in 25 countries.”
The deal is a patent licensing deal where Microsoft allows Acer to use Microsoft patents in return for bundling Microsoft apps with Acer devices. The complete details about the deal are not publicly available but the Redmond-based company said that Acer will bundle the apps in its devices in the second half of 2016.
These type of deals are part of an overall strategy from Microsoft that focuses on getting users on their services regardless of which devices they use. Along with Microsoft’s rolling out of Office onto iOS and Android and these bundling agreements, they’ve also gone on a spending spree to have a solid productivity platform on all devices.
