By Chris Hoffman
Publication Date: 2026-08-19 14:00:00
PC prices are skyrocketing, and a new report from a Taiwanese newspaper says Microsoft is contributing to the problem by raising the cost of a Windows license more than usual this year. The report draws public attention to the hitherto confidential negotiations between Microsoft and computer manufacturers. To be clear, you’ve always been paying for Windows when you buy a PC; it just hasn’t led to noticeably higher prices until now.
The accusation comes at an inopportune time, when Microsoft is trying to optimize Windows 11 for 8GB of RAM and PC makers are developing less expensive hardware to compete with Apple’s MacBook Neo. Any substantial increases in Windows license fees could easily drive manufacturers to release more Chromebooks (or Googlebooks) and Linux machines. That’s the opposite of what Microsoft wants.
Read on for the details on declassified Windows license discussions, a look at the improvements in August’s Patch Tuesday update, and how the…