On Tuesday, May 26th, Microsoft has announced that LG, Sony, and 18 additional global and local original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners will make Microsoft productivity apps and services available on their Android tablets. Back in March of this year, Microsoft announced a “strategic agreement” with OEMs like Samsung and Dell (as well as several other regional OEMs) to pre-install Microsoft Office and Skype on Android tablets, and now the company is expanding on that agreement.

“These 31 partners will offer Android tablets pre-installed with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype in the near future. They will be available on a new LG tablet, and Sony will include them on their Xperia Z4 tablet in the next 90 days,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post. The idea behind this partnership is to deliver rich experiences to customers thanks to the company’s cross-platform services strategy. Microsoft wants to bring an array of Microsoft services to every person on every device, and this is accomplished by pre-installing Microsoft software on Android tablets.

The following OEM partners will make Microsoft services available on their Android tablets: Axdia International 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; and Wortmannn – Germany.

What do you think about this announcement? Do you see this as additional bloatware on Android tablets or as a Microsoft supporter, do you see this as a positive step forward for the software company?

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