While it doesn’t really affect most consumers, it looks like the pricing for the Windows 8 OEM licensing charges have been revealed. According to DigiTimes’ sources – Taiwan-based notebook supply chain makers, Microsoft is charging OEMs $60-80 for Windows 8, $80-100 for Windows 8 Pro (with Office) and $50-65 for Windows RT (with Office).
In addition to the OEM licensing prices, DigiTimes also reported that a number of notebook manufacturers are placing high hopes on Windows 8 to reignite the demand for traditional notebooks but most of them are keeping a conservative attitude about the launch. One of the problems cited is the operating system’s requirement of a touchscreen to perform fully: which will increase the costs of the devices – at least until they become popular enough to cause a decrease in component prices – something that manufacturers have no control over.
We’ll just have to see how everything pans out when Windows 8 is released later this year in October.