A new rumor undercuts an earlier rumor that Microsoft will charge hardware makers $100 per Windows 8 license for the devices they make. Now DigiTimes the number has dropped to $80-$100 for the Windows 8 Pro x86 version and $60-$80 for the ARM-based Windows RT version that doesn't support legacy .

If true, the lower license fees mean potentially bigger margins for the manufacturers and greater retail price flexibility.

DigiTimes attributes the numbers to suppliers of notebook components in Taiwan.

Tim Greene covers Microsoft for Network World and writes the Mostly Microsoft blog. Reach him at tgreene@nww.com and follow him on Twitter @Tim_Greene.

in Network World's Software section.