That Microsoft makes more money from sales of Android phones than it does from Windows Phone 7 is old news. The Redmond software behemoth has been leveraging its vast patent portfolio to extract licensing fees out of Android phone makers, most notably, $5 per phone from Android leader HTC. But with a string of newly announced licenses, and a rumored deal in the works that could net $10 to $15 from every Samsung phone and tablet sold, Android license fees could soon net Microsoft over a billion dollars a year. Sweet.
Of course, that’s only about equal to the profits Apple generates from its iOS devices every two weeks, so it’s no wonder the success of Windows Phone 7 is so crucial to Microsoft’s future. But at least Steve Balmer has a backup plan.
Money for nothing.