Microsoft Hikes Windows License Fees, Fueling Higher Laptop Prices

Microsoft is raising the cost of Windows license fees for hardware makers by a significant amount. According to a report from Taiwanese publication United Daily News (UDN), certain OEMs are seeing licensing price hikes of between 7% and 10%. This is higher than the usual low-digit percentage increase.

The increased licensing fee will likely be passed on to consumers, who may see higher prices for laptops. The cost of buying a license for Windows 11 as a consumer remains unchanged, with Windows 11 Home costing $99 and Windows 11 Pro costing $199.

Industry experts say the ongoing memory component shortage has already led to astronomical price increases over the last year. With Microsoft raising prices higher than usual on Windows licenses, it's adding extra fuel to the fire.