Well, this is ironic: Microsoft has told employees in China that from September they’ll only be able to use iPhones for work, effectively cutting off Android-powered devices from the workplace, reports Bloomberg.
The Windows maker will soon require Chinese-based employees to use only Apple devices to verify their identities when logging in to work computers or phones, according to an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg News. The measure, part of Microsoft’s global Secure Future Initiative, will affect hundreds of workers across the Chinese mainland and is intended to ensure that all staff use the Microsoft Authenticator password manager and Identity Pass app, the article adds.
“The move highlights the fragmented nature of Android app stores in the country and the growing differences between Chinese and foreign mobile ecosystems,” writes Bloomberg. “Unlike Apple’s iOS store, Google Play isn’t available in China, so local smartphone makers like Huawei Technologies Co. and Xiaomi Corp. operate their own platforms. Microsoft has chosen to block access from those devices to its corporate resources because they lack Google’s mobile services in the country, the message said.”
This is further good news for Apple. iPhone shipments in China rose nearly 40% in May from a year earlier, extending a rebound seen in April, data from a research firm affiliated with the Chinese government shows, reports Reuters.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
