After specializing in China's mobile phone operating system for up to six years, Microsoft (MSFT) has now begun to try to increase its market share in the mobile phone operating system market through cooperation with D.Phone, one of the largest mobile phone retailers in China.
Microsoft and D.Phone jointly announced in Beijing on May 28 that they would cooperate on opening experience stores in China based on Microsoft's mobile phone operating system Windows Mobile, promoting Windows Mobile to users and selling Windows Mobile based smartphones.
Chen Jingxin, director of Microsoft Mobile Communications Business Greater China, disclosed that the sales of Windows Mobile mobile phones increased 260% in the existing nine experience stores jointly opened by the parties.
Windows Mobile experience stores are mainly set up inside the retail outlets of D.Phone. The parties plan to increase the number of such stores to no less than 50 in the coming months.
Chen also disclosed that apart from the cooperation with D.Phone, Microsoft has also partnered with Digital China and opened 21 Windows Mobile experience stores with the latter in some first tier and second tier cities in China.