Windows 10 licensing fees may be reduced in Q1

Jan 16, 2017 10:19 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is currently pondering a possible licensing fee cut for Windows 10 manufacturers, as it’s looking into ways to counter the rapid growth of Chromebook, a new report reveals.

Chromebooks continue growing at a worrying rate for Microsoft, mostly because they run Google’s Chrome OS platform, which is offered completely free to OEMs, thus contributing to a lower price when they hit the shelves.

And while Chromebooks have mostly been low-budget models whose quality was sometime questionable, manufacturers keep investing in such products with more premium features, as is the case of Samsung.

As a result, Microsoft is exploring new ways to reduce the price of Windows 10 devices as well, and one way to achieve this is by cutting the licensing fee for OEMs.

Digitimes writes that Microsoft will lower Windows 10 licensing fees for devices with screens smaller than 14.1 inches, and an announcement in this regard should be made on March 1. The cut will be valid for devices launching with Windows 10 Creators Update and will also take into account the notebook type, the hardware, and the market where it’s supposed to sell.

Windows 10 with Bing?

Back in the days when Windows 8.1 was Microsoft’s newest operating system, the company was also offering a Bing-branded SKU to OEMs that featured Bing as the default search engine and MSN as the home page in exchange for a lower fee or even a completely free license.

At some point before the launch of Windows 10, there were rumors that a similar strategy was planned again, but a Windows 10 with Bing SKU never made it to the market.

While there are small chances to see this version going live now, Microsoft is clearly considering its options these days, as Chromebooks continue growing despite its massive investments in Windows 10.

The Windows 10 Creators Update is due in April, so expect some more information on how exactly Microsoft plans to tackle the growth of Chromebooks to emerge in the coming months.