Microsoft just found another way to make PCs more expensive, because apparently they weren’t pricey enough

PC buyers are getting squeezed from every side this year, and it is not just memory and chips driving up the cost of your next computer. According to a Taiwanese publication, United Daily News, Microsoft has quietly raised its Windows OEM licensing fees, and the hike is steeper than usual. 

This could make PC prices climb another 5% this quarter. As if the AI-fueled RAM and chipset crisis was not enough, PC buyers are getting another price hike, and the sad part is that they won’t even get anything extra for it. 

How much more is Microsoft charging PC brands?

According to a PC brand executive, Microsoft bumps up its Windows OEM licensing fees every year, but the increases have usually stayed in the low single digits. That changed in July. This year’s hikes are landing between 7% and 10%, a noticeably bigger jump than brands are used to.

The pricing is also not flat across the board. Microsoft charges OEMs…