[TheCudder]

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) plans to buy mobile-productivity apps that work on Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)(Nasdaq: GOOGL) Android mobile operating systems.

Bloomberg reported Thursday that Microsoft could spend a “tens to a few hundred million dollars” on deals over the next few months.

Microsoft is considering note-taking and project-management category apps, among others.

Microsoft's previous strategy was to create apps for its Windows Phone mobile platform and then covert those to become Android and iOS compatible. Company CEO Satya Nadella is now taking the opposite course: buy app developers that already work on iOS and Android apps and that their expertise flow back into the Windows Phone platform.

Microsoft has already made tow deals over the last three months for app makers, with the latest coming this week for calendar-app company Sunrise Atelier.

Because Microsoft is still software focused, it's likely that the initiative will also find a way to get users to utilize more Microsoft products, namely those from its Office suite.

Shares of Microsoft are up 1.2 percent in afternoon trading

Microsoft (MSFT) Aims to Acquire iOS, Android App Developers in Continued Push for Mobile Relevance

[TheCudder]

I actually like Microsoft's direction here --- buying productivity apps which are already successful in proven ecosystems so there's no question as to rather it's something consumers want. At the same time they're getting non-Microsoft users into the Microsoft eco-system and lastly the app will come to Microsoft -- apps that other wise would probably NEVER see the light of day of Windows.