Free Windows, oops, I Mean "Zero Dollars"

The Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU requires OEMs to set Bing search as the default (though users can still change the default once they buy machines with it included). It also requires OEMs to use MSN as the default setting on the home page or any browser, again, with users being able to change that default if they so desire.

Microsoft still hasn't gone public with how much it plans to charge its PC maker partners (OEMs) or customers with Windows 10.

But thanks to a document published on Microsoft's OEM Partner Center site, we do know how much it is charging PC makers for Windows 8.1 on Intel-based tablets. (And why Microsoft describes its under nine-inch screen pricing as "zero dollars" instead of free.)

Microsoft announced last year that it would make Windows 8.1 available for "zero dollars" to its OEMs for devices with screen sizes of under nine inches. Microsoft also made available a new Windows 8.1 version to its partners known as "Windows 8.1 with Bing" that was designed for devices with screen sizes of nine inches or more.