MS takes hostage us, soon an annual and/or monthly subscription to use the mode S

"High-end doesn't men a fast processor"? You mean, mean.......................

Kaarme:

It's the only way MS can do it. They don't really have the option to make a lousier version, like hardware manufacturers often do. The more crippled Windows versions haven't really been a big hit, I believe. The regular Home version seems to be the bottom line. The whatever version that could only run UWP apps and thus didn't allow installation of anything but stuff from the MS store wasn't received with praise as far as I know. I think the current system is fair enough. It's not like you'd be paying extra when you buy a premium laptop. Rather, the ones buying the cheap things get a discount. However, even if you are envious of that OS discount, are you envious of the poor hardware they get?

You made me laugh with your last sentence, it doesn't make any sense at all 😀 I know m$ can't try it any other way, which doesn't have to mean I like it or approve of it. It's not my problem that they are making an OS, and that by the nature of it, it is difficult to fabricate any "tiers" in software (like I mentioned before, artificially gimped). If so they'd have to make those cheaper that require less capabilities, e.g. gimping their memory support for instance. What does a hardware bound OS need support for 256GB of RAM (just a given number) if the laptop it's bound to only has 8, maximum 16GB available? Again your argument can be brought to both way's reasoning. You are right, if you don't have to pay extra with the already expansive laptops, I can't really complain, but if it ends up costing the same with low end machines, and suddenly you have a 100$ extra on the top line laptops, it's not really a fair model, or would you say it's fair to charge those who already pay extra even more? You got me totally wrong after all, I'm not envious of the discount they get, but I am not willing to pay more just because m$ thinks they aren't making enough money. And that's simply how it looks to me. Only when we know how the prices are really affected we will know I'd say.

The OS Monopoly needs to end!

fantaskarsef:

or would you say it's fair to charge those who already pay extra even more? You got me totally wrong after all, I'm not envious of the discount they get, but I am not willing to pay more just because m$ thinks they aren't making enough money. And that's simply how it looks to me. Only when we know how the prices are really affected we will know I'd say.

Of course they want to make more money. They look at Intel, Apple, and Nvidia and want to remain in the same company. This is all just OEM pricing, though. If a private consumer wants a license, it's always going to cost much more. That's the normal price. I believe it's still a higher price than the OEM manufacturer pays MS to ship Win10 with their 6-core, GTX1080 monster laptop. So, no matter what kind of an OEM PC you buy, the Win10 license is always going to be cheaper than building your own PC and buying a Win license separately. It's flawed to view the OS price for the manufacturer of some 200 dollars junk laptop as the normal price. It's not. An expensive OEM PC has a smaller discount, a cheaper OEM PC a higher discount. Neither will carry extra. Otherwise people would want to buy the PC without an OS and then just buy the OS separately.

The article is coming up short on needed information. Like has been stated, it is the same product unless what is not being said is that in the lower end systems only get the "Home" version and the "Pro" version will be installed on higher end hardware. So that is where the price differences will be. They are just increasing the fees charged to OEMs based on which version is being installed. Tying price to hardware would mean that Microsoft is going the route that only a single installer will be offered going forward and the version installed will be based on ones hardware. That kind of installation would take all forms of choice away from the consumer, especially since they have been batting the whole subscription model around. Article in its current state lacks enough information to be able to come to any kind of definitive conclusion. Click bait and I fell for it.

sverek:

You gonna tell us about the vendor that sells high end laptops without Windows on it? And why bother paying for OEM version in first place? p.s. One word, HTTP. Or HTTPS, even better.

Personally I would not buy a pre built machine,laptop or desktop.Plenty of companies out there that can build you a custom laptop that will take a massive sh1t on any Alienware/ASUS/Gigabyte/MSI etc.

greed is the most popular game played worldwide. Is Microsoft getting greedier? Go ahead, will give more reason for average Joe to find alternatives for general everyday computing. In a strange way, I salute Microsoft for doing this, more reason to absorb the whole free, open source community mantra: Free yourself, use free software.

If true, the impossible will have happened, Linux will get a second shot at desktop computing. Unfortunately, they still haven't standardized or perfected the GUI, among other things. But a second chance they will get. Try to abstract the command line and jargon for consumers this time around.

LOL, major foot shot. Win7 ftw 😛

anticupidon:

greed is the most popular game played worldwide. Is Microsoft getting greedier? Go ahead, will give more reason for average Joe to find alternatives for general everyday computing. In a strange way, I salute Microsoft for doing this, more reason to absorb the whole free, open source community mantra: Free yourself, use free software.

IF this turns out to be true, I doubt it's really going to have a major impact. Most consumers don't pay any attention to news like this and simply buy whatever laptop they think fits their needs best. For people like me that always buy the laptop with the best price/feature ratio....this may or may not lead to more Chromebook sales. Personally, I like Neverware's CloudReady. I can load it on an old laptop and continue to use it to accomplish the same tasks I do on a Windows laptop.

the Linux desktop experience is still really bad and doesn't compare to Windows in low interaction latency/feel, especially with the video driver situation being so bad and X11 still being popular. Sound issues are still common too. Linux really kicks ass as a server platform or on embedded devices and many other uses, but desktop gaming experience isn't pleasant. Even Steam on Linux isn't all that great, even though Valve is a big supporter of Linux gaming. I still plan on switching to Linux soon when I upgrade my CPU for VT-D support, then do my gaming with GPU passthru to Windows VM.

Last time I tried to game on Linux, I was playing TL2.... It was a bit jittery (for lack of a better word)..... That was with my i5 6600K and GTX970... Both of which could easily run TL2 in Windows perfectly smoothly.

Spider4423:

Do you want people to look for ways to game on Linux. Cause that's how to get people to look for ways to game on Linux. Vulkan where are you?

You seem to have not read the article, as this would realistically not be noticed from a consumer side. Sure, higher-end pre-built computers could become more expensive, but there's no "baseline" for that anyways, so no one would be able to say it's "more expensive because the OS was more expensive", they would only be able to say "Oh, this pre-built computer is this price? Right, it's no more or less expensive, because that's how pre-built computers work, they are always different prices, each generation, and inbetween manufacturers"

Do not see the big deal if a license for a 2500£$€ laptop costs the double of a low-end 400£$€ machine for the OEM (HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, etc..).

Alessio1989:

Do not see the big deal if a license for a 2500£$€ laptop costs the double of a low-end 400£$€ machine for the OEM (HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, etc..).

I do. Software is software. Should you be charged more for a PC game for playing it on a 1080Ti rather than a GTX 1050, because you are having a "superior gaming experience"? No, you PAID for that hardware to have that superior experience. Microsoft is at its worst and has been since Windows 8 came out. 10 is literal spyware that they want you to pay for. It is ridiculous to pay for spyware that only holds its position due to their unethical, monopolizing business practices, though the US doesn't give a crap about monopolies, collusion, or regulations of any sort anymore, everything is designed to keep the Capitalist class in power and wealthy beyond measure.

Mundosold:

I do. Software is software. Should you be charged more for a PC game for playing it on a 1080Ti rather than a GTX 1050, because you are having a "superior gaming experience"? No, you PAID for that hardware to have that superior experience.

If "software is software", then i guess REALLY what you're saying is, the $100 cost of windows should be the same throughout, and not be discounted, no matter how cheap the PC is, and therefore there will be no longer any really cheap laptops with windows on them, all of them will have linux, or nothing, and 99% of people who buy laptops, will have to spend more on them, right? Because there's no other way to interpret that. Windows already costs much less on pre-built computers then retail, the fact that microsoft wants to have a tiered cost model based off of how expensive the hardware is, shouldn't be something consumers complain about, unless they wish to pay full price regardless, something no pre-built systems are currently having to do.

This change will only make computers more expensive. Windows might make up 20% of the cost of a $200 laptop, but only 5% of the cost on an $800 laptop. They want to increase that 5% to a bigger slice. They see other major companies making money with shady tactics while the US does nothing to regulate them, and want to join in. Great time to be Intel and spread FUD against AMD to send their stock price plummeting, great time to be Samsung/Hynix/Micron and charge $200 for RAM that cost $40 a few years ago, great time to be Nvidia and start GPP. These changes will only make computers MORE expensive, not less. End-stage capitalism in action.

What is high end then? And how long? Will the fees decrease again after my high end pc is just medium level after 3 years? 😉

DocStrangelove:

What is high end then? And how long? Will the fees decrease again after my high end pc is just medium level after 3 years? 😉

Asking the real questions. :>