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Microsoft Wants OEMs to Pre-Install Office, LinkedIn App on Windows 10 Devices

Redmond makes changes to SKUs available for partners

Feb 5, 2018 09:49 GMT  ·  By
These changes will come into effect in early April
   These changes will come into effect in early April

Microsoft is making a series of changes to the Windows 10 SKUs that are offered to customers, with Windows 10 S converted to S Mode, but the company is also tweaking the licensing system for device manufacturers.

A report from Thurrott reveals that Microsoft will offer five different SKUs for OEMs, namely Entry, Value, Core, Core +, and Advanced, each supposed to be installed on devices that meet special criteria.

For example, the Entry SKU is only aimed at Intel Atom, Celeron, or Pentium devices that have 4GB RAM or less, 32GB SSD storage or less, and a screen size smaller than 14.1-inch in the case of notebooks, 11.6-inch for tablets, and 17 inches for all-in-one devices.

Pricing starts at $25 for OEMs

Below is the complete SKU list, as provided by the cited source:  

· Entry: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤ 32GB SSD AND ≤ 14.1” screen size (NB), ≤ 11.6” (2in1, Tablet), ≥ 17” AiO
· Value: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD & ≤ 14.1” screen size (EM ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD or ≤ 500GB HDD)
· Core: Cannot be used on devices that meet the Core+ and Advanced SKU Hardware Specifications
· Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)
· Advanced: Intel Core i9 (any configuration) OR Core i7 ≥ 6 Cores (any RAM) OR AMD Threadripper(any configuration) OR Intel Core i7 >16GB (any Cores) or AMD FX/ Ryzen7 >16GB (any Cores) OR ≥ 4K screen resolution (any processor, includes 4K UHD-3840 resolution
The company has also updated pricing for each SKU, and it’s very likely to offer discounts to OEMs that go for bulk orders. The Entry version is the most affordable one at $25, while Value costs $45. Core and Core + cost $65.45 and $86.66, respectively, while the Advanced license is the most expensive at $101.

Additionally, however, Microsoft also has a different set of requirements for OEMs that pre-install Windows 10 on their devices. First and foremost, Edge needs to be the default browser, and partners are required to pre-install the LinkedIn UWP app and Office productivity suite – most likely, a trial would be offered, so a license will be required to continue using it after the expiry date.

Partners will be allowed to pin one Win32 app to the desktop and another one to the taskbar and the Start menu, the same report adds.