PC manufacturers and OEMs are preparing to raise prices on Windows-based systems after the software king of the world, Microsoft, jacked up its licensing fees.
Component shortages have already shoved PC prices higher across the market. Memory, storage, processors, graphics cards and motherboards have all been hit by shortages. That means punters are paying far more for machines than they were a year ago.
Much of the chaos has been blamed on demand for artificial intelligence, which has trashed memory supply and made PC building more expensive. Now the software side is joining the mugging.
United Daily News reports that Vole has raised licensing fees for Windows OEM operating systems. The move is expected to push PC end-product prices up by another five per cent in the third quarter.
One PC OEM said Microsoft increases licensing fees every year, but this round is nastier than usual. Instead of a single-digit rise, average fees have increased by seven to 10 per cent since July. The fees vary depending on the CPU specification.
Each CPU tier carries a different Windows price, so higher-end processors mean more expensive licensing. Most PC OEMs have already lifted prices to cover the changes.
Those rises were partly hidden by the wider surge in PC component costs. That trick will become harder as the market slows and buyers start wondering whether a new Windows box is worth the bother.
Taiwan-based Asus and Acer have already warned that products will become more expensive this quarter. The increases are expected to sit in the single-digit range.
Asus products have already climbed by an average of 30 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2025. Current reports point to a sharp drop in PC shipments, with major vendors taking a hit.
