The good news is that Microsoft has announced a free Windows operating system. The bad news is that it’s called Windows for Internet of Things.
Microsoft made the announcement during this week’s BUILD conference in San Francisco, and the company will allow it to be licensed for free when hardware manufacturers use the OS on devices nine inches or smaller.
This puts Microsoft in the running with Google and its free Android OS, though it is still uncertain whether or not Windows for Internet of Things will require a license fee if used on devices such as PCs or tablets.
Before this announcement, Microsoft was charging hardware makers $10 for its Windows Phone OS, an unfavourable move considering Android’s free, open-source software and Apple’s own movement into free OS territory.
Microsoft hasn’t discussed whether or not Windows for Internet of Things will be open-source in the vein of Android, though it’s likely that this won’t be the cause in order to deter an inevitable onslaught of hackers and the like.
This is a risky and bold move for Microsoft, though it’s one that the company undoubtedly needed to make if it wanted to make bigger waves in the mobile market.
