PC makers could earn money from Microsoft by recommending Windows 8 apps
For years, PC manufacturers have added to their (usually slim) profit margins by pre-installing third-party software to new desktops and laptops. While users hate the practice of "bloatware" or "crapware" or whatever epithet they want to give to the practice, it helps to fatten the bottom lines of PC makers, as the software companies pay for the privilege of showing up on people's new computer screens.
The good news for consumers is that with Windows 8, Microsoft could help curtail this practice. Its new app store will be a centralized site for downloading software that emulates Apple's iTunes and OS X stores, including the ability for Microsoft to control which apps are approved or sale or download and which ones aren't.
But don't cry for PC vendors yet. According to DigiTimes, Microsoft will be giving them an opportunity to profit from the app store. The manufacturers will now be able to recommend apps for purchasers of their new systems and then share in the revenues from sales of those apps. Neither PC makers nor Microsoft would discuss what the percentage of profits would be, though it should be enough to compensate for the potential end of bloatware.
Of course, exactly how manufacturers will present these app recommendations remains to be seen. Even if it's as subtle as a hammer to the head, it will presumably still be preferable to having bloatware already residing on your new system as soon as you power it on for the first time.
More Windows 8 Coverage on ZDNet:
- Microsoft's headache: Will Windows 8 be another Vista?
- Staples wants to make Windows 8 'worry free' for small businesses
- Microsoft's Windows 8 or hybrid PC/tablets: Which came first?
- Microsoft's Windows 8 Release Preview: What's in and what's out
- Windows 8 from every angle: A guided tour of the Release Preview