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Super affordable, sub-$200 full-powered PCs like the HP Stream 11 and the recently announced Dell Inspiron Micro are made possible thanks to Windows 8.1 with Bing. Microsoft offers Windows 8.1 with Bing at a significantly reduced price to OEMs, allowing them to sell entry level PCs cheaper, but restricts them from changing the default search engine.
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It seems Microsoft will continue offering a ‘with Bing’ SKU of its operating system when Windows 10 comes along, at least according to Intel. The chip maker recently detailed its roadmap plans for its Intel Compute Stick product, and in a slide of the plans spotted by Neowin, it reveals that starting in Q4 2015, Intel will offer a Core M version of the Compute Stick based on its ‘Cedar City’ platform. It will come with 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, HDMI+MHL and will be powered by Windows 10 with Bing. Additionally, an Intel Atom ‘Broxton’ model due in 2016 and based on the company’s ‘Fall City 2’ platform will also feature Windows 10 with Bing. This version will feature eMMC storage, Bluetooth support but will only have 2GB of RAM.
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Windows 10 with Bing will continue to allow Intel to sell the Compute Stick at an affordable price (currently $149) while at the same time offering customers the latest innovations from Microsoft, including Universal Apps, Cortana, Xbox, Office, and more. It’s important to remember that while OEMs are restricted from changing the default search engine from Bing to anything else, customers are not, and they can freely install any browser of their choosing powered by a default search engine of their choice.
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What do you think of the Windows with Bing SKUs, is it a good idea for Microsoft to continue to pursue? Could it possibly increase Bing’s market share? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. To refresh your memory, check out our hands-on with Windows 8.1 with Bing.
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