I have bought 4 laptops with windows pre-installed. Immediately after getting them, I erased all windows and installed arch linux.<p>As I know, the pre-installed windows cost around $50, so the total cost of microsoft tax is $200 for me. The only thing MS brings to me is the trouble to erase them and install linux.
I don't quite understand why more computer makers - particularly in Asia - don't pre-install an easy-to-use Linux operating system. It seems like the perfect market for open-source operating systems.