Microsoft estimated to rake in $444 million a year from Android patent, report says

Yesterday Samsung and Microsoft signed an agreement – joining others like HTC, Acer and Viewsonic – who pay ongoing royalties to the company for using their patent in Android phones and tablets. It was rumoured that Microsoft collects between $10 – $15 for every Android device sold, but today Goldman Sachs’s is suggesting that Microsoft actually rakes in $3-$6 for each Android device, bringing in a cool $444 million a year (July 1, 2011, ends June 30, 2012). All that early work for securing the patent seemed to pay off, but the money will be redirected to pay for building up their own Windows Phone OS, which CEO Steve Ballmer recently stated “We haven’t sold quite as many as I would have liked in the first year.. I’m not saying I love where we are, but I am very optimistic on where we can be”

Source: BI