Microsoft has higher pricing for operating system license fees

Computer Store News IDC analysts recently reported that due to Microsoft's higher pricing for operating system license fees, Windows RT tablets are expected to sell for as much as $500 to $700. According to the analysis, the high selling price will make Windows RT tablets difficult to survive in the market where low-cost similar products are flooded.

Windows RT tablet
IDC analyst Tom & middot; Maini Li (Tom Mainelli) said, & ldquo; I worry about Windows RT The tablet may be several times higher than the Amazon Kindle Fire's price of $200, or even $599 or higher. This high price will make it difficult for them to obtain a living space. ” As a newcomer to the tablet market for the first time, the pricing of Windows RT tablets is clearly too high, he added.
Like other analysts, Manili is impressed with the 10-inch ASUS Tablet 600 pre-installed with the Office 15 productivity suite at no extra charge. “Pre-installed Office Windows RT tablets may be attractive, but if the price range reaches $500 to $700, then their competitors will be the Apple iPad and the upcoming X86-based Windows 8 tablet. & rdquo; Manili said. The iPad is priced starting at $499.
& ldquo; In addition, we do not know the advantages of Windows RT, but one thing is certain, it will not be able to run all the Windows applications we are familiar with. & rdquo; He added. In order to anticipate Windows RT pricing, IDC said that IDC has talked with many component suppliers and original design manufacturers (ODMs) about the bill of materials (BOM) necessary to make Windows RT tablets. “The reason for the high cost is that Microsoft’s pricing for the Windows RT operating system is higher. Microsoft believes that the price of Windows RT should be higher than the normal version, which may not be a bad idea, but the high licensing fee makes it difficult for hardware vendors to compete with competitors at $200. The license fee paid by the hardware vendor for the operating system may reach approximately $100 per unit. "Minelli said he was not sure that the Windows RT license fee was $100, but added that "Microsoft's pricing is higher than we expected."
The ASUS Windows RT tablet recently exhibited at the Computex conference in Taipei is equipped with 2G memory and the GeForce quad-core processor Tegra 3. According to Manili, the cost of these configurations will be higher than the Kindle Fire. “We don’t get much details, but Microsoft’s touch interface has strict configuration requirements for touch screens, which means that hardware vendors are unlikely to take the low-end route. ”
Analysts generally expect Windows RT to be shipped in October to take advantage of the holiday season, but Microsoft and several manufacturers have not confirmed this date. ASUS president Jim Wong said on Monday that Asustek will launch the Windows RT tablet in the first quarter of 2013.