
Plus they are more operator friendly ...
"Microsoft's store will take advantage of the operator billing that Nokia has been able to put into place."
That is a key. The dumb-bit-pipe model is broken for operators. They have to share in the revenue model as in the traditional brick and mortar world of retailing or go out of business.
Nokia and Microsoft give them a far better chance than Apple (almost ZERO) and Google (following Apple without knowing why?). In Nokia they have somebody with a heritage and a deeper understanding of the operators challenges in their core business through their historic Nokia Networks business and their now (seemingly turning around?) JV of Nokia Siemens Networks.
Unliike Apple a portion of their business is selling to operators the very kit that helps operators deliver Apples, Googles - and now the Nokiasoft business model. Unlike Apple and Google, Nokia cannot afford to'sh1t where they eat'. For them, operators need to get their ROI on network rollout and this inevitably means that the value chain needs to start at the front and trickle down to the likes of MS, Apple and Google. If they don't, then their network business will suffer.
So I am not surprised to hear that operators 'welcome' the partnership as another 'competitor' - although i suspect they really mean a more sympathetic player. I suspect the large operator groups will make Nokiasoft very attractive with pricing options.