Microsoft is considering a possible price increase for its Windows , and high-end PCs could be the ones affected by the company's move, according to a report.
Digitimes writes that Microsoft wants to increase prices on systems equipped with powerful hardware configurations, although a decision on this matter has not yet been made.
Following the revision of licensing plans announced last year based on CPU, Microsoft wants to introduce new changes that will regulate how much OEMs have to pay manufacturers depending on a number of other components, such as displays and memory. This means that manufacturers of high-end devices that come with OLED screens, large amounts of RAM and the latest generation processor will have to pay more to install Windows on their systems.
There is no specific information at this point, but the cited source says that this is likely to "put further pressure on notebook manufacturers," as most of them are already struggling with rising costs.
Ultimately, Microsoft's new approach could lead to higher prices for customers, as OEMs could try to offset rising component costs and more expensive Windows licensing by raising device prices.
It seems that an announcement on this issue is on the table after the second quarter, which means that Microsoft could adjust the licensing plans after the Redstone 4 update, also known as the Spring Creators Update, is widely available to customers worldwide. The first devices that will have Windows Update Spring Creators Update are expected to see the light of day in a few months, shortly after the operating system launches in the first half of April.
