Microsoft looks to be ready to trade OEMs a cheaper version of Windows 8.1 in exchange for shipping new devices with Bing preloaded as the default search engine.
More details about the mysterious "Windows 8.1 with Bing" SKU that Microsoft is readying have begun to emerge.
As I blogged recently, Windows 8.1 with Bing is one piece of Microsoft's experimentation with how to monetize Windows. Microsoft already has thrown a lot of software and services in for free with Windows 8, so it needs to find ways to make money in a world where the pressure to drop OS licensing fees is increasing.
Windows leaker WZor revealed last month that there was some kind of new Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU in the works. It is expected be added to the SKU line-up alongside the Windows 8.1 Update 1 release, which Microsoft just released to manufacturing earlier this week.
Newly leaked Windows 8.1 documentation revealed that the new Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU is targeted at new low-cost Windows devices, Neowin reported on March 5.
Read more at: Microsoft's new tack for cheap tablets: Windows 8.1 with Bing | ZDNet
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