Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP

Spare a thought for the system administrators.

More than anything else, 2026 has been marked by basically every piece of technology getting more expensive. While a lot of the price increases have centered around hardware, Microsoft is now reportedly tightening the screws as well. According to a report from Taiwanese economics outlet Economic Daily News (via PCMag), Microsoft will be raising its licensing fees for Windows 11 by as much as 10%. Now, this price increase isn't for DIY system builders who are buying a key for their own PC, but rather for OEM system builders who sell you a completed system. The license fee increases aren&#39

Microsoft recently announced mass layoffs affecting 4,800 people, including 3,200 at Xbox, and now US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has ripped the technology giant for cutting staff at a time when it's making massive profits. Posting on social media, Sanders pointed out how Microsoft made more than $100 billion in profit in 2025, with CEO Satya Nadella getting paid $96 million. He also called out how US President Donald Trump's new tax plan would save Microsoft $12.5 billion. "Please don’t tell me corporate tax breaks create jobs. It never trickles down," he said, calling out the Xbox layoffs

A new report sheds more light on the situation at Xbox that led to the big news this week that Microsoft was cutting 3,200 jobs at the gaming company, divesting from studios, and making other cutbacks to "reset" the business. Bloomberg reported that Microsoft spent "nearly $80 billion" in the past 10 years on deals to help revitalize Xbox and realize its dream for Xbox Game Pass, but those plans did not pan out the way Microsoft envisioned. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said this week that the big bets made under previous leadership--including Game Pass, acquiring studios, and putting its games on riva

Supposedly, it's a "significant increase."