News - Windows 8.1 with Bing to spearhead cheaper devices

[HEXUS]

We should see quite a few OEM products using this SKU at Computex 2014.

Read more.

[Wozza63]

Cool, will probably be easy to mod into a regular version of Windows!

[LSG501]

Cool, will probably be easy to mod into a regular version of Windows!

from what I've read it's literally IE as default browser and bing as the homepage, I assume the bing app is also installed...

[HMS_Victory]

So, it's windows 8.1 then

[scaryjim]

It does sound rather like it's just Windows 8.1 to me - I thought it already came with Bing as the default search provider, but it might ask you to set up providers when you first run IE (with Bing as the default option).

I'm guessing this is more of a subsidy/promotion thing - being advertised as Windows "with Bing" will help to push the integration of Windows and Microsoft's online services; much like the old "with Google" tag that some Android phones used to come with.

[Saracen]

Well, personally, until (and if) MS sort out the issues with MUI, I'm not buying either Win8, or devices with Win8.

If adding IE with Bing as default is supposed to make it more attractive, it's going to fail with me. It's kinda like offering me a car with a front-end smash, then making it "more attractive" by pouring sugar in the fuel tank.

As for cheaper devices ... personally, don't care, until/unless that issue is resolved. It could be free, and personally delivered by MS CEO, wrapped up in a bow with accompanying dancing girls and I'm not interested. Well, not in the Win8 device anyway.

I might, however, be a touch more annoyed with MS than most.

[Brian224]

Will this even be offered in the EU? There seems little point making Bing the default search within IE if Microsoft are forced to include browser choice.

[Denis_iii]

Microsoft should of licensed "Windows 8.1 with Bing" in a way that OEM software and adware/krudware were NOT allowed, metro apps would be fine, and that driver/firmware updates were pushed via Windows Updates not manually nor with an OEM's update utility.

[teko03]

This doesn't affect consumers. It is literally Winodws 8.1. This version is made cheaper to OEM's on devices that meet a specific requirement. In return, these OEM's will NOT be able to change the default search engine to any OEM search powered by Yahoo or Google via bloatware. Bing is intergrated into Windows 8.1 search, there is no Bing standalone Bing app.