Samsung Could Come Calling

According to a recent report from the Korea Times, Samsung is currently considering increasing its reliance upon Windows Phone after its difficult legal loss to Apple. If that happens, it’s only good news for Microsoft. Granted, Samsung already offers Windows Phone devices, but if the company leaves Android in favor of Microsoft’s operating system, it’s a win-win for the software giant.

Now that Apple has won the ruling, there’s a good chance it’ll attack other Android vendors. And those vendors know it. So it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they run to Windows Phone to protect themselves.

There’s a general belief out there that consumers don’t really care about Samsung’s loss or the patent cases in general. That’s just plain wrong. Apple looks like a bully and Android vendors might appear to some consumers as copycats. Microsoft, meanwhile, is sitting on the sidelines (and out of those headlines).

So far, Apple hasn’t gone after Microsoft or Windows Phone. That’s likely because Microsoft has such a deep patent portfolio that targeting the company wouldn’t make much sense. And as long as that continues, Microsoft can do what it wants and watch Google worry.

Next, we need to remember that Microsoft has generated significant cash through its patent portfolio by forcing Android vendors to either license its intellectual property or face lawsuits. Now that Samsung has lost, Android vendors might want to license Microsoft patents to safeguard themselves from possible slings and arrows from Apple. For Microsoft, that’s awfully nice.

Microsoft and Google can’t stand each other. And right now, the search giant has its sights set firmly on Microsoft. But with Apple’s victory, Google might be forced to worry far more about lawsuits on the Apple front. If that happens, Microsoft might obtain the opening it needs to steal some market share.

If the Apple-Samsung case did anything, it showed that Android vendors might not be able to do anything they want with product designs. What’s worse, they don’t have the patent backing to help their cause. But the Windows Phone ecosystem, including the software, hasn’t been hit. That should hand Microsoft the leeway to do what it wants, when it wants with design strategies. Watch out, Android.

Microsoft has been called the Evil Empire for years. But the less it finds its way into legal disputes and the more it looks like an innocent bystander, the better. Microsoft no longer looks like that big, brooding company looking to take competitors down. And this case is just the latest proof of that.

Microsoft is locked in a legal battle with Motorola and Barnes & Noble over their use of Android. And although that might make it seem like the company is a bully, it’s being ignored in the mobile space because of Apple and Samsung. That’s great news for Microsoft and it makes the company’s own legal battles look rather innocuous by comparison.

Google’s AdMob is a major concern for Microsoft in the mobile space. Like it or not, Microsoft needs to accept that advertising will drive revenue in the mobile market. However, if Android is hurt by the Apple-Samsung litigation and smartphone makers sell fewer Android models, AdMob will be in trouble. That could provide an opening Microsoft needs to make its own advertising move.