Number of licensed Windows users in Vietnam triples to 30%: Microsoft
Three out of ten new computers sold to Vietnamese consumers on a monthly basis are installed with a licensed Windows version, indicating a great reduction of piracy, Microsoft Vietnam said recently.
The number of computers and gadgets running genuine Windows 10 in Vietnam is rising rapidly, Vu Minh Tri, director of the Vietnamese business of the US software titan, said at the “Microsoft Devices Day” event in Ho Chi Minh City.
The piracy rate of Windows products in Vietnam used to be as high as 90%, but it has so far gone down to 70% thanks to effort from local distributors, Tri added.
Of every 100,000 new computers sold to the market every month, around 30,000 devices have the genuine Windows 10 platform, the latest version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system that was officially available on July 29, Microsoft Vietnam Director Vu Minh Tri elaborated.
“Many retailers have joined in the program of selling computers that are preinstalled with licensed Windows 10 operating systems, which is largely attributable to the rising number of legitimate users,” Tri added.
Vietnamese consumers have gotten accustomed to buying desktops and laptops with genuine Windows preinstalled, as it is cheaper to do so than buying the devices and software licenses separately, according to retailers.
Microsoft Vietnam said it is enhancing cooperation with local businesses to slash the piracy rate further.
In Vietnam, there are also more than 35,000 licensed subscribers of the Office 365, a collection of cloud-based office applications, according to the company.
The “Microsoft Devices Day” showcased the ecosystem of products powered by Windows 10, from personal computers and laptops to two-in-one devices such as Surface.
The company also revealed that it has yet to have plans to officially distribute the latest two-in-one detachable devices, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, in the Southeast Asian country.
In June, Microsoft inaugurated its first-ever authorized reseller store in Vietnam, under a strategic partnership with FPT, a leading Vietnamese tech firm.
The Hanoi outlet offers an assortment of best-in-class Microsoft products, including Windows phones, feature phones, Surface devices as well as Windows, Microsoft Office 365, among others.