Windows RT Licence, can they make it optional?

Microsoft is demanding that OEMs make Windows on Arm devices be Secure Boot locked to run only Windows 8, and is going to price the OS roughly as high as (or higher than) the hardware itself, even though there are much cheaper alternative OSs that could ron on the same (if it wasn't locked) hardware.

What's the definition of an effective monopoly, again?

All the more likely that Win8 tablets and ARM netbooks will sell poorly. I'm guessing that the high price of Win8 RT will be offset for some of the OEMs that cut "deals" with Redmond over Android devices... As in,... Those without a deal will pay $85,... Those with a deal,... $15... All in an effort to dump Win8 tablets through preferred channels like B&N.

Yeah. That should have occurred to me.

Like perhaps the "special deal" will be a Windows RT licensing fee roughly comparable to what the OEM would pay for Android -- but they will have to pay the license on every unit / total number of units shipped, regardless of the OS any device actually ships with (of course it may be worded differently, but that's what it will boil down to). That kind of scam has worked for Microsoft quite reliably.

People who've reviewed the new Surface RT version say it's sluggish... with a quad core ARM,... Yep,... I'm guessing uptake of RT will be C - R - @ - P. So, even if you're paying $5 per unit in extortion fees, and moving 10% RT tablets per Android equivalent,... The 10% Win8RT tablets you sell through other channels ($85), besides the discount channel ($15 discount to extortionees), will still net you almost double the Android tax... M$ pricing is actually pretty smart, in a street thug kinda way,... And the discount channel will drive units into the market, making OEMs more likely to push Win8RT units, due to inflated demand.

If you could put Linux on them (or even Android) these would actually be fairly attractive.

I'm a little surprised, though. "Sluggish" on quad-core ARM? I thought Win RT was supposed to be designed for ARM devices.

Quoting:I thought Win RT was supposed to be designed for ARM devices.

Erm, it is produced by MS, isn't it?

Yes, it's produced by MS. Therefore I expected it to be "sluggish" on dual-core ARM devices that run Android or Linux quite handily.

"Sluggish" on quad-core, though, does surprise me. But I'm not a hardware geek -- how does this "quad core" hardware measure up to the gear we normally see in phones, tablets, etc, running Android or iOS (or even WinPhone7)?

The ARM processor in the Win8RT tablet is similar to the one in the newest Acer Iconia tablet,... successor to the A500,... the A510, I think. That processor absolutely smokes (figuratively) on that tablet from what I heard.