One important thing to note here is
that Windows is not free for end users.
The small screen devices — phones
and tablets — come with the OS
preinstalled. The OS is free for
Microsoft's hardware partners.
Consumers will not be able to obtain or
download Windows for free and install
on their computer, whether it has a
screen of less than 9 inches or a 20-
inch monitor.
While Windows is still the most-used
operating system on personal
computers by big margin, it is no
longer the biggest computing platform.
By giving away the Windows for free,
especially for devices like phones and
tablets that are still seeing big growth
in the market, Microsoft hopes to
negate the advantage of Android and
iOS.