1. Not speculation, probably just read more than you.
Samsung bundles Microsoft apps on its new Galaxy S6 | The Verge
2. What does it matter if it's preferred or not? Polaris was widely bundled particularly on Verizon devices.
3. I was referring to Microsoft pressers. I don't recognize this, or any other tech site, as being official Microsoft spokespersons.
i replied point for point yesterday, but the GOOD comment was deleted. now i'll do it again. this is a discussion, and nothing more. please see it as such.
1 this link is from a third party, not microsoft. you specifically asked for microsoft release information, and reiterate the request in #3. the verge is not a credible source, per your own criteria.
2 this is a good question, and i'll try to illustrate why it matters now:
preinstalled = no user input, no user searched out, installed, or necessarily used that office suite. i've seen quite a few phones and tablets that have had an office suite installed on them, and when i pressed the icon to see what it was like, was met with the initial splash and setup screens.
user installed = user searched out and installed an office suite themselves. they are much more likely to USE IT on a daily basis, if they were actively looking for a solution, and installed it instead of just having it on their phones.
these two differences are what are not defined in the overall view of from the google and microsoft stores. the better metric (arguably) is the user ratings, and HOW MANY users rated the application.
for instance:
polaris office = 45 million installs vs microsoft office = only 27 million installs
this is a poor measuring stick ^^^^ because preinstalls don't reflect user desires.
a much better metric is using user RATINGs in the online app stores:
polaris office = 4.2 stars, from 190,000 users vs microsoft office = 4 stars from almost 350,000 users.
THESE users are actually using, and actively reporting their opinion of hte applications usability. these users are the ones that will effect future releases with requests for features, bug reports, and usage statistics. the pre-install group, i would speculate, will not likely be represented in these groups.
3 ok, but wpcentral likes to post news, and the opinions here matter. wpcentral's own headlines SHOULD be a good source for information, i consider them to be so.