REDMOND, Wash. - Jan. 30, 2002 - Responding to the needs of the rapidly
growing ecosystem around mobility products, Microsoft Corp. today
announced it has formed a new, specialised arm of its global Mobile
Solutions Partner Programme (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 Programme, 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 programme 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 utilisation. 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
organisations 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 utilise 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.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business
computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services
designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place
and on any device.
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Microsoft, Windows, Win32, Windows Media and MSN are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or
other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
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