Good news for the owners of Xiaomi smartphones who by the
chance are also the users of Microsoft Office because starting next September,
a number of Xiaomi's devices will come with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Outlook and Skype.
The devices that are supported
include Mi 5, Mi 4s, Mi Max, Redmi Note 3, and Redmi 3. This integration can be
achieved thanks to the cooperation between Xiaomi and Microsoft, which is a
continuation of a previous partnership, where Xiaomi takes advantage of Microsoft
Azure platform for the Mi Cloud service.
For Microsoft, this cooperation
is a part of their new strategy to more focus on software and services for
mobile devices rather than hardware. Previously, Microsoft has also made
similar cooperation with Samsung, Acer and LG.
On the other hand, this
cooperation also includes the transfer of 1,500 patents of Microsoft into the
hands of Xiaomi. These patents are reaching many areas, ranging from wireless
communication, cloud, until the patents of multimedia technology.
For Xiaomi, this step certainly
could be a strong foundation to expand its business to more regions, especially
the United States market. Xiaomi’s position in Asia is fairly strong, but Lei
Jun and his team still have to prove Xiaomi's reputation globally.