Microsoft to Free-up Licensing Fees for Devices Under 9 Inches

In a landmark move, Microsoft has announced that it will free-up licensing fees to vendors who want to equip low-cost devices with Windows. Such devices will include smartphones and tablets – the stipulation is that the device cannot have a display larger than 9 inches.

Being a free-to-license OS, Android has taken the mobile world by storm, and it’s clear that Microsoft regrets not being smarter about its licensing fees when Google’s OS first hit the scene. I’m sure many vendors would have considered putting Windows on some of their devices, but the licensing fees proved to be a serious detriment, especially when costs need to be kept low. Making matters worse, even with licensing fees, some people still prefer Android over Windows.

We’ll have to wait and see if things will change with this move. It’s certainly a great start.

On a related note, Microsoft today also announced that the next big update to Windows 8, simply called Windows 8.1 Update, will hit our PCs on April 8th. Key features include enhancements for mouse and keyboard users, performance improvements, the ability to pin Windows Store apps to the taskbar, and yet more improvements to the Start screen. This is one update I’m personally looking very forward to.