Microsoft to Make More Money from Android Than Windows Phone? HTC Royalties Amount to $150M

In a striking case of irony, analysts say Microsoft will earn more from Google’s Android operating system than it will from sales of Window Phone 7 smartphones.

As with most technology companies, Microsoft is fiercely protective over its technologies and patents. That’s why the company had been filing lawsuits against other manufacturers and technology firms that are found to be infringing on its patents and intellectual property. Some settle for licensing deals, like HTC. And here’s where Microsoft gets a lot of money from Android.

According to analysts, Microsoft will get $5 from each purchase of an Android-powered HTC smartphone. With 30 million units of HTC smartphones sold since, this amounts to $150 million in royalties to Microsoft. Still, HTC is said to have had a good deal, since other manufacturers are being charged $7.50 to $12.50 per unit for MS technologies used in their smartphones.