We recently reported that Microsoft may slash Windows 8.1 license costs by a whopping 70%, but a new report today from PCMag states that Microsoft might drop Windows Phone licenses by 70% as well.
This new report is not backed by any official statement from Microsoft, however, it comes from a company that was recently revealed as one of Microsoft’s newest partners for the Windows Phone platform. Infosonics, a new Windows Phone partner who is already a low-cost Android headset manufacturer, had their CEO, Joseph Ram, state the following to PCMag in an interview: “We’re hearing Microsoft will drop the license fee quite a bit, as far as 70 percent, which will make their product more competitive in terms of price.”
By having low cost licensing fees, we may see an influx of new OEMs jumping on board the Windows Phone bandwagon, ultimately benefiting the platform. The Nokia Lumia 520 was recently appointed two awards as best low-cost smartphone and the best-selling Windows Phone for 2014, and it runs for only $59.99 with AT&T as of right now.
While we don’t know the exact cost of the licensing fees for Windows Phone that are set by Microsoft, ZTE have stated back in 2012 that each device manufacturer has to pay between $23-30 per smartphone.
Do you think Microsoft would be doing the right thing by slashing Windows Phone license fees by 70%? Why or why not?
