Microsoft is apparently trying to court HTC, one of the major Android OEMs, to make Windows Phone run on its Android Phones, according to a report from Bloomberg. Another report from Android Central claims that HTC engineers are already looking at providing Dual Boot options of Windows Phone and Android for its upcoming devices. This is a surprising turn of events for the software giant, as the company has long stood by its licensing model that doesn’t allow this option of dual boot, but things may be changing fast, as the strategy is rapidly moving towards “Devices and Services”, especially with the announcement of a Nokia acquisition.
The report clearly states that Terry Myerson, the Operating Systems head at Microsoft, asked HTC to make Windows Phone as an option in its Android phones. It’s not clear if it’s a dual boot option or something akin to a “Google Play Edition” which makes more sense for Microsoft. This way, companies that are making products, can now stop concentrating on making different hardware for Windows Phone and massively cut down costs. Microsoft seems to want to help further by totally subsidizing the license fees for WP8, by providing it almost for free to HTC, just for loading its OS on the manufacturer’s Android phones.
After the acquisition of Nokia, which holds more than 80% of the Windows Phone market, Microsoft wants to still be able to license its OS to other manufacturers and this recent effort, which involved Steve Ballmer meeting up with several Chinese OEMs who are “only Android” at the moment, is a step in that direction. With a separate report claiming that HTC has completely stopped making Windows Phone devices, this might be an added incentive for them to consider and revive their flailing business.
So, if the reports are indeed true, are you willing to buy “Microsoft Editions” of HTC’s and other OEMs’ Android devices, or is dual boot a good option for the current phones? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Source Bloomberg and Android Central