14 DAY TRIAL // Following the recent rumors claiming Foxconn has already secured a manufacturing deal with Microsoft for the Surface phone, new details on the unannounced device have just emerged.
According to ChinaTechnews, the Redmond-based company signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Chinese retail chain Suning.
Microsoft and Suning have a long history together, so it stands to reason the former would want to offer its loyal partner the chance to sell its first smartphone in China.
Word is that Microsoft’s Worldwide President Jean-Philippe Courtois recently visited Suning’s headquarters in Nanjing and negotiated the terms of the agreement with Zhang Jindong, chairman of the Chinese retail chain.
Rumor has it that Microsoft plans to launch the Surface phone in mid-2013, though only limited shipments of the device will be available initially. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.