14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is planning to cut Windows 8.1 price by up to 70 percent for manufacturers selling devices powered by its operating system in an attempt to counter the growth of rival platforms, including Google’s Chromebooks, a new report claims.
Bloomberg is writing, via unofficial sources, that OEMs will be charged only $15 for Windows 8.1 if they decide to install the operating system on a device that’s going to retail for less than $250.
Until now, manufacturers had to pay at least $50, but thanks to the new discount, partners will be allowed to purchase Windows 8.1 cheaper regardless of the size or type of device, the same report adds.
The main reason for Microsoft’s change of strategy is the increasing competition from Google Chromebooks, which the software giant has until now slammed in several Windows commercials. At the same time, Redmond is hoping that by cutting down the price of Windows 8.1, more manufacturers would embrace its operating system and thus bring more devices running Windows to the market.
Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, said in an interview a couple of months ago that “nobody buys Windows, they buy Windows devices,” so the software giant needs to make more PCs and tablets available for consumers in order to regain the lost market share in the last couple of years.
The upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1 and Windows 9 will be the two OS versions that will greatly benefit from this change of strategy, even though people familiar with the matter claim that the discounts are already in place for manufacturers who want to install Windows 8.1 on their devices.
Microsoft has already promised that future Windows versions would bring more devices to the market, while also focusing more on smaller units such as 7-inch tablets and even wearables. Of course, no confirmed details are available on these plans, but Microsoft is believed to be working on both smartwatches and smaller tablets running Windows.