14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft is reportedly planning to pay big money to mobile phone makers out there willing to launch smartphones running under its Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Apparently, the company is unhappy with the performance of its platform at the moment, and it is trying to boost sales by determining more companies to launch phones running under it.
No official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now, yet recent reports suggest that Microsoft might end up paying as much as $2.6 (€1.91) billion to vendors who will bring Windows Phone 8 devices to shelves this year.
The info comes from mobile-review’s Eldar Murtazin, who also claims that Samsung will receive the largest amount of money.
Microsoft is said to plan on paying $1.2 (€0.88) billion for a Samsung Windows Phone 8 device, $500 (€366.5) million for a Sony handset, $600 (€439.7) million for a Huawei one, and $300 (€219.9) million for phones coming from other makers.
As UnwiredView notes, the software giant has already made a similar move with Nokia a few years ago and ended up purchasing the Finnish mobile phone maker.
However, with Nokia accounting for over 90 percent of all Windows Phone devices out there, it was only natural for Microsoft to start looking for more companies to join the party.
In fact, some of the latest reports on the matter have already suggested that both Samsung and Sony might have Windows Phone handsets under development, and that Huawei is planning the launch of some more similar devices.
What remains to be seen is whether Microsoft’s alleged strategy will pay off, determining handset vendors to adopt its platform.
If so, we might see Android starting to lose some market share soon, while Windows Phone would finally begin to grab some consistent ground on the smartphone market. For the time being, however, we have no confirmation on Microsoft’s plans, so we’ll take the info above with a grain of salt.