Microsoft is planning to make Windows free for makers of small tablets and phones

Apr 4, 2014 17:51 GMT  ·  By

This week’s BUILD 2014 developer conference brought up quite a lot of surprises and in addition to Cortana, which I must admit is way more advanced than Siri and has what it takes to become a truly powerful personal assistant that can really come in handy, Microsoft also revealed something that clearly took the audience by surprise.

No, I’m not talking about the return of the Start menu (OK, that too, but rumors about such a comeback have been swirling around for quite some time), but Microsoft also unveiled that Windows will be offered free of charge for device makers that device to build tablets and smartphones with screens smaller than 9 inches in size.

The announcement was clearly surprising and the company hasn’t provided any specifics, so it simply explained that “we’re making Windows completely free for partners building smaller devices.” That was the moment when everyone started clapping and shouting, so if there was something else to be added, we couldn’t hear it anyway.

People who witnessed the announcement are basically divided into several categories, as it follows:

Those who were so excited about this that they started screaming way too early and missed the second part, which means that they only heard that “we’re making Windows free…”

Those who heard the whole announcement, but were more excited by the free Xbox One consoles that Microsoft was giving away for attendees.

Those who heard the whole announcement, but they didn’t care anyway because they’re using a Mac.

Those who heard the whole announcements, but got it wrong.

With those in mind, let me put things straight.

Windows will indeed be offered free of charge, but not to you, the end users, or the consumer, as Microsoft calls you. Instead, the operating system will come at no cost for OEMs, the companies that are building devices running Windows, such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, all-in-ones, and desktop computers.

Those who develop tablets or smartphones featuring a 9-inch or smaller screen, will receive Windows at absolutely no cost. That’s what Microsoft was actually trying to tell you at BUILD.

There are several reasons why such an announcement is also important for you, the consumer.

First, by making Windows free of charge, Microsoft makes sure that more companies are building Windows devices. This means that adoption of the operating system is growing, as we all know that modern Windows has until now failed to excite, despite the huge investments that Microsoft made to make sure that this never happens.

Second, a freeware Windows license for PC makers means that you’ll get more affordable devices, so in case you’re planning to buy a new tablet, chances are the prices are expected to drop in the coming months following this chance in licensing fees.

At the same time, OEMs that indeed benefit from this new offer will be able to provide some other goodies in return so you, as a buyer, might receive a wide array of freebies, such as a one-year subscription for Office 365. And don’t tell me that you don’t care about Office 365, if you never tried it, it doesn’t mean that it’s not good.

So making Windows free of charge for partners really is a very important change for everyone.

There are plenty of reasons why Windows will never be free for end users and the main reason is obviously related to the final goal behind all Microsoft’s business: the profit. Microsoft needs to bring back some profit at the end of the year, so it needs to sell as many products as possible. Including Windows, that is.

If Microsoft makes Windows freeware for everyone, it’s easy to imagine that only a few would actually go for the paid product, which would obviously bring a number of advantages, but there’s no doubt that the company could record a dramatic decline in revenues.

Competition is getting fiercer in the desktop OS market, that’s for sure, and with Linux becoming a more user-friendly platform, Microsoft might need to further tweak its Windows platform in order to make it a bit more appealing and convince users to stay on-board.

Free Windows, however, is a dream that’ll never come true.