Microsoft has been working hard to make Windows affordable for everyone. Recently, the Redmond giant made Windows and Windows Phone free for devices featuring displays less than the 9-inch mark. Today, Microsoft has announced a new Windows version, Windows 8.1 with Bing for low cost devices.
Windows 8.1 with Bing is only available to manufacturers to pre-load on their devices. Windows 8.1 with Bing is the same Windows we know with the 8.1 update and the latest Update 1 and it comes with Bing as the default search engine of Internet Explorer. It is quite strange considering end users can go ahead and change the search engine in the settings.
Microsoft wrote in a blog post, “As we move forward, many of these lower cost devices will come with a new edition of Windows called Windows 8.1 with Bing. Windows 8.1 with Bing provides all the same great experiences that Windows 8.1 offers with the Windows 8.1 Update, and comes with Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer.”
Windows 8.1 with Bing is aimed to power lower cost devices and it should help the manufacturers brings affordable Windows devices to counter the onslaught of Chromebooks. New hardware running Windows 8.1 with Bing is expected to be unveiled at Computex in the next couple of weeks.