Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the company's Future Unleashed event in Mumbai showcased the Surface Pro 4 tablet and announced that the device will be launched in India in January next year. The company also revealed that the newly-unveiled Windows 10-based phones - Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL - will be released in the country in December this year.
This is the first time that the Microsoft Surface tablet will be officially available in the Indian market.
Microsoft also announced partnerships with three e-commerce players in India – Justdial, Paytm and Snapdeal. According to the company, Justdial and Microsoft will explore the use of Bing and cloud-based analytics to provide and enhance customer experience.
Paytm and Microsoft are working on three core areas of partnership. The companies will integrate the Paytm app and Paytm Wallet into Cortana to enable consumers to pay for their utility bills and carry out mobile transactions. Paytm will use Office 365 for their merchants' inventory and account management. Lastly, Paytm will facilitate and support Microsoft service sales via their merchant network.
Snapdeal will work with Microsoft cloud platforms to create a digital automotive dealership. Snapdeal and Microsoft will use Skype, Bing and Cortana to provide new engagement platforms for Snapdeal customers.
Keynoting at Future Unleashed, Satya Nadella said, "At Microsoft, we strive to empower every Indian citizen and every business and government organisation to achieve more. With the newly launched Microsoft Cloud and with Surface Pro 4, our customers here in India have the digital technology they need to seize incredible new growth and opportunity on a global scale."
To help empower modern Indian cities, Microsoft has launched a new initiative for local start-ups that are focused on delivering "innovative solutions" for smart cities.
Nadella, who is on a day visit to India, is also meeting government stakeholders and Microsoft customers and partners. He has met industry leaders like Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Axis Bank head Shikha Sharma and Tata Starbucks CEO Avani Davda
Last week, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg also visited India and addressed a Townhall at IIT-Delhi. Apart from meeting business and political leaders, the young billionaire also spent time with developers.
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