Microsoft has been talking to notebook brand vendors about the licensing of Windows 10 recently and is planning to charge extra fees for notebook models with high-end hardware such as Core i7 processors or Full HD display. However, the vendors are concerned that the increased fees could impact their profitability from high-end models, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Microsoft is planning to let Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users to upgrade their operation system to Windows 10 for free in one year and the strategy is expected to benefit several hundreds of million users worldwide.

However, Microsoft's licensing plan for notebook brand vendors will be changed and is looking to earn licensing income from high-end models, the sources noted.

Vendors including Acer, Asustek Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo, are expected to see their new high-end notebooks being impacted by the new strategy, the sources said.

Since demand for notebooks are unlikely to see any major improvement in 2015, the vendors are likely to absorb the extra costs to maintain their products' end prices.

With Microsoft looking to achieve shipments of one billion Windows 10-based end devices within 2-3 years, the sources are concerned that their operation may be indirectly affected by Microsoft's licensing fee changes in the future.