Bloomberg: ‘Microsoft Said to Cut Windows Price 70 Percent to Counter Rivals’

Tim Culpan and Dina Bass, reporting for Bloomberg:

Microsoft Corp. is cutting the price of Windows 8.1 by 70 percent for makers of low-cost computers and tablets as they try to fend off cheaper rivals like Google Inc.’s Chromebooks, people familiar with the program said.

Manufacturers will be charged $15 to license Windows 8.1 and preinstall it on devices that retail for less than $250, instead of the usual fee of $50, said the people, who asked not to be named because the details aren’t public. The discount will apply to any products that meet the price limit, with no restrictions on the size or type of device, the people said.

And so begins the post-Ballmer, Satya Nadella era.

★ Saturday, 22 February 2014