Microsoft Mobility Development Gains Momentum; Company Invests in the Growing Economy
Responding to the needs of the rapidly growing ecosystem around
mobility products, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced it has formed a new, specialized arm of its global Mobile Solutions Partner
Program (MSPP), called the Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC). The MPAC was created both to serve as a focused feedback mechanism
for Microsoft(R) mobility platform development and to provide new technical, marketing and business development support to companies making
significant investments and inroads in the mobility space.
The MPAC augments the established MSPP, whose partner numbers have shot up to more than 5,000 companies, growing at a rate of 200 to 300
partners per month. The MSPP, an offshoot of Microsoft's broader Certified Partner Program, remains free for new members and is designed to
provide partners developing mobile solutions such as Pocket PC 2002, Windows(R) Powered Smartphone 2002 and Mobile Information Server
devices with the latest information and resources to help drive demand for their innovations.
"Microsoft is investing heavily in mobility, and we're proud of our technology-leading software solutions. That said, the success of a platform really rests
on the innovation of the partners that adopt it," said Juha Christensen, vice president of the Mobility Group at Microsoft. "We're thrilled to take our
partner engagement to the next level with the formation of the Mobility Partner Advisory Council as we work with these companies as well as the
MSPP to bring great solutions to our collective customers."
MSPP members invited to join the MPAC will work more closely with Microsoft to bring mobility solutions to market. Microsoft's goal is to work with
industry partners to provide the most comprehensive end-to-end mobile solutions for delivering information and services to customers any time, any
place, on any device. Microsoft believes that its new multifaceted approach to servicing partners on a more individual level will enable them to choose a
program tailored to fit their specific needs.
MPAC members working with Microsoft will experience the following benefits:
-- Technical resources. MPAC members will receive a significant amount of
technical and development resources from Microsoft, including
architectural support for beta products and early access to development
tools.
-- Marketing and sales support. MPAC members will participate in a number
of joint "go-to-market" activities with Microsoft's Mobility Group,
including industry events and keynote engagements, and will have
opportunities for cobranded marketing and communication support.
The MPAC is being formed at a time when Microsoft is seeing increased interest in its mobile platforms, from Pocket PC 2002 to Microsoft
Smartphone 2002:
-- Tools. The Pocket PC 2002 Software Development Kit was made available
earlier this month, and more then 250,000 SDKs have been distributed to
developers to date. The SDK is used in conjunction with eMbedded Visual
Tools 3.0, a Win32(R) API-based toolkit familiar to developers that
allows for simple utilization. In addition, Microsoft will hold its
first Mobility Developers Conference April 17-18, 2002. More
information on the conference, including registration information, is
available on the Web at
http://www.microsoft.com/europe/mobdevcon/home.asp .
-- Application growth. Applications for Microsoft's mobility platforms
have experienced tremendous growth, with MSPP members reporting over
10,500 applications.
"The number of developers building on the Pocket PC platform is on the
rise," said Laura Rippy, CEO of Handango Inc. "In the past year we've
seen a 476 percent increase in the number of applications for the
Pocket PC."
-- Enterprise ISVs. Enterprise customers are a top priority for Microsoft
and mobile solutions partners because the enterprise represents a
growing opportunity for mobility solutions. Over 75 percent of MSPP
members are creating solutions to meet the needs of enterprise
customers.
"Microsoft mobility software -- in particular Pocket PC 2002 -- opens
up new opportunities for developers as they seek to build a range of
mobile solutions," said Isaac Ro, an analyst with Aberdeen Group Inc.
The MSPP will continue to provide support for all enterprise developers, custom solution providers, global systems integrators, original equipment
manufacturers, independent software vendors, independent hardware vendors, content providers, and application service providers building
applications and providing development and consulting services for mobile solutions using software and platforms such as Pocket PC, Handheld PC,
Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 and Mobile Information Server. More information and application details for MSPP can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/partners/ .
About Microsoft in Mobility
Microsoft seeks to enable intelligent communications, not just by connecting devices, but also by connecting people to each other and their data so they
can make informed decisions. Microsoft mobility solutions reduce the complexity and constraints that hobble the flow of personal and business
communications, helping individuals and organizations achieve their productivity goals. Microsoft mobile solutions are a key component of Microsoft's
end-to-end wireless strategy to provide mobile Internet solutions that utilize technologies such as Microsoft mobile devices, Pocket PC platforms, and
Smartphone software, as well as Mobile Information Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft .NET Server products, Microsoft Windows
Media(TM) Technologies and MSN(R) Mobile Service.
Responding to the needs of the rapidly growing ecosystem around
mobility products, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced it has formed a new, specialized arm of its global Mobile Solutions Partner
Program (MSPP), called the Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC). The MPAC was created both to serve as a focused feedback mechanism
for Microsoft(R) mobility platform development and to provide new technical, marketing and business development support to companies making
significant investments and inroads in the mobility space.