According to a Friday Bloomberg report, Microsoft will be reducing what it charges device manufacturers for its Windows 8.1 licenses. Devices that retail for less than $250 will see the cost of a Windows 8 installation drop from $50 to $15.

Since Windows 8 was released in October 2012, it has had a dismal share of the market in relation to Windows 7. Windows 8 has seen a sales volume of just 200 million licenses. In comparison, Windows 7 sold 240 million licenses within its first year.



Notebooks like the $230 Samsung Chromebook 3 are putting pressure on Microsoft at the low end of the PC market.