Faced with the looming demise of the PC era, the world’s largest software developer, Microsoft, has been shifting its focus toward operating systems for a wider variety of devices, including smartphones and game consoles.

The company has been specifically targeting tablet PCs, which are expected to replace desktops and laptops in the coming years.
 

Participating in a year-end press briefing in Seoul, Jang Hong-kook, the head of Microsoft Korea’s device partner business division, said MS would “put more weight on the business for tablet PCs.”

To that end, he added MS would continue to try to beef up cooperation with domestic and global partners to grow the ecosystem for Windows 10.

Since the release of Windows 10 in July, Microsoft has been faring well in the Korean tablet PC market, posing a challenge to dominant players Apple and Google. It has shipped around 20,000 MS tablet units running on the OS per month.

MS Korea said its tablet PC sales from the July-October period jumped 163 percent from the same period last year, although it did not give the exact sales figures.

The number of shipments will increase this month, according to the MS Korea official.

The U.S. firm is also working with 25 device manufacturers, including original equipment manufacturers, to incorporate the new OS in their digital devices.

On the global front, MS is partnering with 33 brands across the world, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, HP, and Lenovo, which install Windows 10 on 80 devices.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)