Re:Apple Says New OS X ‘Mavericks’ Will Be Offered for Free
by parasubvert on Tuesday October 22, 2013 @06:45PM
(#6595501)
The accounting regs were real, but FASB changed revenue recognition principles in 2010 to allow for free releases.
Windows 9 might be free for the same reason -- the new features are in apps and services, and the OS is a compatibility layer than needs to keep up.
For example, hypothetically: Office 2014 is expensive, Win 9 is free to provide access to Office 2014 Viewer or whatever.