Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward M. Grant
And real OEMs, I believe, actually make money from putting Windows on computers because Microsoft only charge them a few dollars and third parties pay them to load it up with their crapware (and Microsoft then complain because the crapware makes them take forever to boot).
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Microsoft then takes on most of the device driver and OS support issues for the consumer. Which the OEM would then have to do themselves.
A decade ago, Dell sold a line of PCs with Windows or with Linux. They soon found out that the added support costs for the free OS were higher than what MS charged them. Once they adjusted prices to reflect that, they ended up charging the same for both.
Contrary what some woud like to believe, Microsoft bundles a lot of service and support with their OS licenses (including IP protection for the OEM, which Google does not provide). They are hardly leeches.