We have been blaming everything on the components for months. The RAM memory has skyrocketed, the SSDs have become more expensive due to the artificial intelligence fever and the processors have risen as if there were no tomorrow. Buying a new computer had almost become an act of faith for your wallet. But the script has just taken a turn that few expected, because the new person responsible for the rise in PC prices is not in a chip factory or in a supply crisis. It's in Redmond and it's called Microsoft.

Yes, you read that right. The company that develops Windows has decided to increase the price of Windows 11 licenses that it sells to computer manufacturers, and that movement will end up reaching, sooner rather than later, the price you pay in the store.

Microsoft increases Windows 11 OEM licenses by between 7% and 10%

According to the Taiwanese media Economic Daily News, the rates that Microsoft charges equipment manufacturers, known as OEMs, have risen on average between 7% and 10% since July. On paper it may seem like a modest percentage, but in the PC industry, where the margins are razor-thin, such a shock feels like an earthquake.

To understand the magnitude of the matter it is worth looking back. A sector executive cited by the Taiwanese publication explains that Microsoft adjusts the price of these licenses every year, something that is part of the business routine. The difference is that these adjustments used to remain in single-digit figures, while this time the jump is considerably greater than what manufacturers had been assuming until now.

These agreements are managed confidentially between Microsoft and each hardware partner, so don't expect an official statement with a pricing table. In fact, when Windows Central contacted the company for explanations, Microsoft declined to comment. Silence also communicates.

The first signs came before the news hit the headlines. Framework, the manufacturer known for its modular and repairable laptops, already warned on July 22 that new orders for its Framework Laptop 13 Pro reflected higher Windows licensing costs, in addition to the higher prices of Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, memory and storage.

How much did Windows licenses cost before and how much do they cost now?

Here comes the part that everyone wants to know, although with important nuances. OEM fees paid by manufacturers are confidential and vary by brand and product category, so there is no single, public figure. What we do know is the pattern. Until now, annual adjustments have moved in single-digit percentage increases, while as of July the average increase has been between 7% and 10%, a rate much higher than usual.

In the field of the domestic user there is a truce. Retail license prices remain unchanged, with Windows 11 Home at $139 and Windows 11 Pro at $199.99. The increase only affects the licenses that manufacturers buy to pre-install Windows on computers that leave the factory, which is precisely the way by which the vast majority of people obtain their computer.

Simply put, anyone who assembles a PC piece by piece and buys the license on their own avoids this increase. The bulk of buyers, those who take a laptop or desktop already assembled with Windows preinstalled, will receive the increase included in the package without seeing it broken down anywhere.

How will your pocket feel when buying a new computer?

The bad news is that manufacturers are already passing this cost on to the final price of their products, according to the Taiwanese report. The Windows license represents only a part of the total manufacturing cost, so it makes no sense to expect all PCs to automatically go up by 10%. The real problem is that this increase does not come alone.

Come in company. The price crisis in RAM and SSD storage, fueled by the enormous demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, has been putting upward pressure on manufacturing costs for months, and processors have followed the same path. With all of these factors acting at once, each manufacturer has to decide how much of their own margin they sacrifice and how much ends up appearing on the product label.

Segments with tighter margins, such as budget laptops, have less room to absorb shocks and that is where the increase in price will be most visible. If in the coming months you see that the laptop you had signed up for increases in price without changing a single specification, you already know the new guest at this price increase party. And this time it is not a scarce chip, it is a decision made in the Microsoft offices.

This news has been tken from authentic news syndicates and agencies and only the wordings has been changed keeping the menaing intact. We have not done personal research yet and do not guarantee the complete genuinity and request you to verify from other sources too.