As we had learnt earlier this year, Microsoft would be removing the licensing cost for Windows for devices that measure under 9-inches. As it stands, the majority of Windows-based tablets are 10-inches or above, like the new Surface Pro 3 from Microsoft, but according to Microsoft’s COO, Kevin Turner, it seems that we can look forward to cheaper and smaller Windows tablets later this year.
This was revealed during the Worldwide Partner Conference that was held in Washington, D.C. earlier today. According to COO, OEMs have started to take advantage of the free licensing to start manufacturing smaller tablets that we can expect to see later this year. While Turner did not mention anything about the Surface mini, we wonder if he could be alluding to them.
However last we heard, the Surface mini is only expected to see a release in early 2015 at best. This goes against a previous rumor that suggested a summer launch, so it seems unlikely that Turner could be hinting at the Surface mini’s launch later this year. That being said it is unclear as to how much these smaller Windows-based tablets will cost, but with the licensing fee removed from the equation, it would no doubt help OEMs keep costs down, so we’ll just have to wait and see what kind of prices we can look forward to.