Windows 10 Free or Not?
It’s been the question on everyone’s mind since it was first announced
“when will Windows 10 be released?”
and now we finally have a confirmed official date for the next version of Windows.
Microsoft have announced that its new OS will be available to download on July 29th, a date that many had speculated that It would be released. It will also be possible to reserve yourself a copy of the OS so that it will be automatically installed when available. If you are using Windows 8.1 like me then you should be able to see a new Windows logo on your task bar next to the notification flag, if not then restart your PC and it should be there after the reboot. Once you see it you may then click on it and go through a short process to reserve your copy. If you’re using Windows 7 it should be in the same region on your task bar.
It should be noted however that Microsoft was not 100% honest about the release of Windows 10. You see they announced that it would be a free upgrade for everyone, no matter if their OS was genuine or otherwise, but this is not the whole truth. It will be possible to upgrade to Windows 10 from a none genuine copy of Windows 7 or 8, but the copy of Windows 10 will not be genuine and thus your PC’s OS will not be stable or secure. With other versions of Windows this may not have been a big issue, but with Windows 10’s push for a more connected operating system with joint accounts and security in mind this would be a no no. So if you do not have a genuine copy of Windows you might want to avoid this upgrade.
Now that we have been given this new form of information. I kind of get the feeling that Microsoft has missed out on an opportunity to insure that more people will make the shift, use their new OS and thus have new potential customers for the future. Yes there are a few that will make the switch, but with a majority of Windows PCs out there running on none genuine Windows I doubt they would take the initial plunge, and its just a shame that Microsoft is not trying to find a better way to make them loyal customers.
if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on this topic, then I suggest you listen to the Buttonsmashers podcast.
I saw this coming months ago.
you did?
Those who own stolen copy of Windows OS should be grateful that Microsoft haven’t send the law after them.
It’s not always so black and white. It’s also not possible for Microsoft to do that on a global scale because of different laws, and limitations.
I think it’s a logical and wise decision. Think about the amount of possible lost sales. Now-a-days, it’s extremely easy to pirate a copy of W7. If they would upgrade ALL of those illegal copies for free…. Bye bye profit.
Think about it. A company upgrades all their computers to W7 with a pirated version. Since it’s going to get legal for free anyways. It saves the company a lot of money, but Microsoft will loose all that money.
If it’s common knowlegde that it’s possible, people WILL abuse it for sure. I honestly think that loyal costumers deserve a reward and pirates don’t when it comes to OS. Besides, I think a big part of the pirated windows 7 copies are people who use it in a VM for testing or similar cases.
From the business view, this makes a lot of sense.
Windows comes in numerous flavors. one of which is the corporate/ business business model. this version is never free and cost way more than the average copies of Microsoft’s operating system. So no matter if they make the upgrade for basic users free it shouldn’t impact companies that want to upgrade. Also as someone that worked in a few companies in the past I can safely say that most companies are not fans of upgrading to new software because of the overall cost that such an endeavor brings with it.
As for if they will be loosing money, well lets see. Microsoft sells this operating system that is mostly digital and so they don’t need to spend much in distribution cost. The also make money from developers that use their software distribution store, Office is now subscription based so they make an annual installment from that and more. They loose more if people don’t make the switch than if they give it away. giving it away means that they can charge user for other aspects, get more people using their OS and in the long run make more money by building confidence in their investors by overall numbers using their OS.
An example of what will happen with this model is what happened with windows 8. Some will stay with the previous os and some will switch. its a split market and that’s not what Microsoft wants. at least that’s not what I think they would want.