Microsoft has had a fair share of troubles in China, as the country once banned Windows 8, and even launched an investigation and accused Microsoft of monopolistic practices. Despite this dark past, new reports are showing that the Redmond giant worked with the China Electronics Technology Group to release a custom Windows 10 version for the Chinese government, and that the custom OS is now finalized (via The Verge.)
Not many details are available on what is different in this custom version of Windows 10, and Microsoft has not commented on the matter as of yet. The news, however, comes as the company made multiple moves in the Chinese markets to improve its image, including recent plans to bring Minecraft to China, and a partnership where the company worked with Tencent to offer easy Windows 10 upgrade for Chinese users.
Despite recent positive moves, at one point in 2010, reports showed that over 90% of Microsoft software in China was pirated. In fact, piracy has been a large issue for Microsoft in the country, and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once said that piracy in China has cost Microsoft 95% of revenue in the Chinese market. In more modern, times, however, Microsoft has played nicer with China, and entered into a joint venture to bring Windows 10 to China’s public sector. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even recently visited the nation to discuss an anti-trust investigation.
