Microsoft might drop licensing fees for Windows Phone and Windows RT to combat Android

In that location's no denying the massive market share that Android currently has in the mobile landscape. Android is basically crushing the competition globally. For example, 81.0% of all handsets shipped were running Android in Q3 2022. Compare that to iOS at 12.9% and Windows Phone at 3.6% for the same period.

Why is Android so dominant? Is it the number of apps in the Google Play shop? Maybe it's the "openness" of the platform and the ability to customize every aspect of the phone? Or could it exist the licensing costs that OEMs pay Google to use Android (aka nix)? It could very well be those licensing costs since Microsoft is considering doing the same with both Windows Phone and Windows RT in the futurity.

Sources with The Verge have revealed that Microsoft is considering free versions of both Windows RT and Windows Phone. These plans are under heavy consideration by Terry Myerson. As part of the reorg at Microsoft this summer, Terry Myerson became executive vice president of Microsoft'due south new operating systems division. Which makes him responsible for the software on Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox.

So when is gratis Windows RT and Windows Telephone coming to OEMs? Co-ordinate to those sources, they may be role of the "Threshold" update to Microsoft'southward various products in 2022. The plans to remove licensing costs for Windows RT and Windows Telephone aren't close to being finalized within Microsoft, merely they are being considered heavily

Traditionally Microsoft has made a lot of money off of their software licensing fees to OEMs, only Android has more or less pulled the carpet out from under Microsoft. To combat the threat of Android, Microsoft is willing to drop these licensing fees from their partners. To make up for the loss of acquirement from licensing Windows Phone, Microsoft would push for consumers to subscribe to software subscription services like Function and SkyDrive. Revenue could also be generated from the ads inside Microsoft apps.

This isn't the showtime time we've heard rumors of Microsoft potentially cutting out the licensing fees for Windows Phone, although it is the first fourth dimension we've heard of it for Windows RT. In early Oct, Bloomberg reported that HTC and Microsoft were in preliminary talks to drop the Windows Telephone licensing fees for HTC handsets.

It'southward a pretty risky thing for Microsoft to offer Windows Phone and Windows RT for gratis to OEMs. Pull up your finest armchair for analysis and let us know what you think.

Source: The Verge

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