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"Microsoft and Foxconn, the world's largest manufacturer of consumer electronics, just made a deal that will give Microsoft a cut of every Android device Foxconn makes.\nThe terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Microsoft did say it would be getting royalties from Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn, under the agreement. Foxconn assembles about 40% of the world's electronic devices; it follows in the steps of other contract manufacturers \u2014 notably Pegatron \u2014 that also have deals with Microsoft to build devices that run Android and Chrome operating systems.\nAlthough Google is the chief architect and ostensible owner of the Android platform, Microsoft holds several key patents behind its operation. Besides contract manufacturers, several Android device makers \u2014 including Samsung, LG and HTC \u2014 have agreed to pay royalties to Microsoft to use Android in their products.\nSEE ALSO: HTC Will Pay Apple $6-$8 Per Android Phone as Part of Patent Settlement\n\nIt's unknown how much money Microsoft makes from Android, but it's generally thought to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars every year.\nThe deal \u2014 and Microsoft's promotion of it (the press release was purposefully emailed twice by Microsoft public relations) \u2014 is another skirmish of Microsoft's cold war with Google, which has been challenging Microsoft's traditional software business with \"free\" cloud-based versions of productivity tools such as email clients and document editors. While Google doesn't charge manufacturers to use Android, Microsoft, via its intellectual property, does.\nShare your thoughts on the deal in the comments.\nImage via Stringer/AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/04/17/microsoft-foxconn-deal/>