Change is in the wind at Microsoft (MSFT +0.60%). And if this weeks' news is of any indication, search giant Google (GOOG +1.99%) (GOOGL +1.71%) is in for perhaps its most fierce fight yet in mobile.
As the most important computing paradigm shift since, well, the computer itself, the stakes are understandably high in this new billion-device market. However, Microsoft's efforts to stymie Google's utter dominance of all things mobile spans from half-baked to utterly laughable.
However, under the leadership of new CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft seems to finally be making all the right moves in its bid to remain highly relevant in this mobile new world order, and a recent move from Microsoft this week is perhaps the best example of this renewed emphasis from Microsoft.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Microsoft's Windows versus Google's Android
This week Microsoft announced that it would eliminate the licensing fee it charges its hardware partners for small tablets and smartphones, eliminating what had been perhaps the most meaningful differentiator for OEMs caught between Google's and Microsoft's mobile software.
This announcement effectively redefines the playing field in mobile and set the stage for Microsoft and Google to compete head-to-head for mobile supremacy. In the video below, tech and telecom analyst Andrew Tonner breaks down the news and explains what it could mean for Microsoft and Google.
