Microsoft Reveals Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade

mpicpp was one of many to point out this bit of news about Windows 10."Microsoft just took another big step toward the release of Windows 10 and revealed it will be free for many current Windows users. The company unveiled the Windows 10 consumer preview on Wednesday, showcasing some of the new features in the latest version of the operating system that powers the vast majority of the world's desktop PCs. The developer preview has been available since Microsoft first announced Windows 10 in the fall, but it was buggy, limited in scope and very light on new features. Importantly, Windows 10 will be free for existing Windows users running versions of Windows back to Windows 7. That includes Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Phone. Microsoft specified it would only be free for the first year, indicating Windows would be software that users subscribe to, rather than buy outright. Microsoft Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore showed off some of the new features in Windows 10. While Microsoft had already announced it would bring back the much-missed Start Menu, Belfiore revealed it would also have a full-screen mode that includes more of the Windows 8 Start screen. He said Windows machines would go back and forth between to two menus in a way that wouldn't confuse people. Belfiore also showed a new notification center for Windows, which puts a user's notifications in an Action Center menu that can appear along the right side, similar to how notifications work in Apple OS X. Microsoft Executive Vice President of Operating Systems Terry Myerson revealed that 1.7 million people had downloaded the Windows 10 developer preview, giving Microsoft over 800,000 individual piece of feedback. Myerson explained that Windows 10 has several main intents: the give users a mobility of experience from device to device, instill a sense of trust in users, and provide the most natural ways to interact with devices." More details are available directly from Microsoft.

Comments

Only for the first year

[Timmy D Programmer]

I think the key question is what happens after the first year? How much does it cost after year 1? If you don't pay will it brick your PC or just stop providing updates?

Re:Only for the first year

[phantomfive]

Either way, I predict a massive revolt about 365 days after the upgrade is released.

I doubt it. There wasn't a massive revolt when Adobe went to subscription. Or Microsoft Office. As long as they don't completely mess it up, they will be ok.

I also predict a massive PR push by various Linux groups starting about 300 days in.

They don't have the funding to make a massive PR push.

Re:Only for the first year

[AK Marc]

Nah, you'll see me do like I did with Office 2013. Screw 360. I own my Office for life. I don't pay subscription fees for software. It's mine, or I don't run it.

Re:Only for the first year

[sexconker]

http://blogs.windows.com/blogg...

Relevant portion:

This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no additional charge.

Define "device".
Upgrade the CPU in your old desktop and your free, lifetime license will go out the ...
In the past they had the option to call a toll-free number and simply state that it's the same device and they'd give you the reauthorization key. I've used it and it's painless. But there's no reason to believe that that option will be offered in perpetuity.

Re:Only for the first year

[nabsltd]

I doubt it. There wasn't a massive revolt when Adobe went to subscription. Or Microsoft Office

I don't need any licensed (or even installed) Adobe software or Microsoft Office in order to play games or browse the web, but I need the OS.

Re:Only for the first year

[Anonymous Coward]

You evidently don't actually use Windows 8.1. The much-maligned UI is actually just the Windows 7 UI with a full-screen Start menu, which I find interrupts my workflow to exactly the same extent that the Windows 7 Start menu does, meaning minimally. I can't comment on Windows 8, which I've never used, but I find Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 indistinguishable for all practical purposes. I'm also writing this on a Macbook running OSX, which dual-boots into Linux (Fedora 20, if you're interested), and the desktop with Windows 8.1 on it dual-boots into Fedora 21, while my other desktop which I now rarely use dual-boots Vista (also much maligned, in the same way that XP was on launch, except that XP recovered its reputation thanks to an overwhelming monopoly and an internet that was only nascent at the time, whereas Vista has been damned for eternity even though 7 is effectively nothing more than Vista SP2) and Mint. 15, I think, or perhaps 16, it's a while since I used it.

The point of this tedious dribble is that the UI in Windows 8.1 is no better or worse than the others I'm using, and nor is the functionality. Admittedly, I've put Cygwin on the Windows machines, minimally, and installed gcc and clang separately from Cywgin, and I've put Macports onto the Mac and again installed gcc and clang separately from Apple's somewhat outdated versions, and I've got Code::Blocks on both the Mac and Windows, but that's a comment on app availability rather than the OS, which is basically meaningless these days. And I've only got Code::Blocks on the Windows machine for when I'm developing in Fortran; VS 2013, despite its many, many eccentricities that shorten my life on a daily basis since my day job is C++ development in a heavily Microsoft shop, is actually quite a nice IDE for small C++ projects. Certainly nicer than the likes of Code::Blocks and NetBeans and Eclipse.

Mindlessly propagating propaganda doesn't really help your cause (though I'm not totally clear what your "cause" is, except that it probably involves the phrase "M$" somewhere).

Re:Only for the first year

[DaHat]

Or... maybe, just maybe 8 isn't as bad as some claim.

Shall I go on a rant about how unusable Linux is today for many users and then accuse those who may be a little more used to the system and defend it as being "not that bad" of being shills?

Re:Only for the first year

[edtice1559]

Which is the reason that software companies want to sell subscriptions. It's hard to employ an army of highly paid developers if you don't know whether you have any future revenue.. If not enough people buy new versions or subscriptions, the company goes bust and then there's nobody to maintain the software you already have. You'll find a way to keep it running Dumpster diving for the necessary hardware cause the app won't run in modern operating systems. And some other creative things. All of which will be more expensive than just paying an annual subscription and/or support/maintenance fee. It's really a question of whether you want to squeeze your suppliers or be successful together in the medium to long term.

Re:Only for the first year

[RDW]

You evidently don't actually use the advanced features of the Windows 7 Start Menu. There are good reasons that the full-screen Start menu is so maligned.

Neither is as good as the Classic Shell start menu, which works on both.

Re:Only for the first year

[Gliscameria]

The people complaining about win8 don't use keyboard shortcuts effectively.

Re:Only for the first year

[Anonymous Coward]

I also predict a massive PR push by various Linux groups starting about 300 days in.

Linux failed to capitalize on the failure that was Windows Me, then the horrible Windows Vista and most recently the much maligned (if only really the UI of it) Windows 8. Face it, it doesn't matter how bad Windows is that still doesn't make Linux any good for end users.

Re:Only for the first year

[Anonymous Coward]

I use windows 8.1 as well. The start screen is annoying and obtuse and useless but it's not much less usable than the win7 start menu.

But that's not a problem for us. We're power users. We know what we're doing. We can turn off and uninstall the useless distracting dreck that comes pre-loaded on the start screen.

For everyone else win 8 is an abject fucking nightmare. What used to be a familiar star menu is a whole other computer-in-a-computer. A bizzare split-brained experience with this new.. Thing covering up the old and familiar when all they want to do is browse the web or launch word. I've seen users launch the calculator app and be completely unable to get out of it, left staring at a full-fucking-screen fucking /calculator/ designed for a touch interface. On their desktop computer.

And that's the real issue. The start screen isn't a replacement for the start menu. It's it's own OS that's had the start menu functions shoehorned in to it. It has it's own APIs, its own software store, it's own interface metaphors.. And it sucks. It's completely and utterly inappropriate for a business environment to boot. A whole shitload of new things nobody in the business world needs that need to be turned off and managed because who-fucking-knows what data they leak to MS servers. Who the fuck thought it was a good idea for enterprise versions of windows to ask for microsoft-cloud-appstore-onedrive-what-the-fuck-ever accounts on first boot? (Fortunately you can now bitchslap the majority of that out of existence with group policies and the rest with some easy scripts)

The underpinnings of win 8.1 are fantastic. It's fast, has support for cutting edge hardware, is stable as hell, and is somehow smaller than windows 7 (After updates. I'm not kidding. Look for yourself.)

If microsoft could decouple windows from the braindead consumer shit they try to shovel on to it they'd have no problems going in to the future.

Windows 10 is shaping to be the next win7. It looks like microsoft has finally realized they pulled a vista with win8 and they're listening to their users.

Rent seeking

[codepigeon]

indicating Windows would be software that users subscribe to, rather than buy outright

No thanks. Just like with Adobe CS, it looks like it's time to buy up some licenses before they dissapear. I have no interest in renting my software.

Re:Rent seeking

[fahrbot-bot]

indicating Windows would be software that users subscribe to, rather than buy outright

No thanks. Just like with Adobe CS, it looks like it's time to buy up some licenses before they disappear. I have no interest in renting my software.

Renting software, especially non-essential software, is one thing, but renting the OS, without which the system won't even function, is more akin to renting ransom-ware. (good move M$, he said sarcastically)

If, on the other hand, the system will still function - at full capacity - but just w/o further updates, then I predict many, many out-of-date systems (because people are fugal) - that is, until, more complete uses of "trusted computing" take hold and routers and/or network services deny access to systems that are not fully-patched. (off in the distance, he hears RMS giggling and muttering "wait for it...")

Also, how is this subscription service suppose to work? Am I suppose to give M$ my credit card number for recurring charges? I don't think so - although I imagine that's what many Apple consumers do (I don't know).

Please no...

[Detonia]

indicating Windows would be software that users subscribe to, rather than buy outright.

I sure hope that indication is wrong.

Re:Please no...

[nine-times]

I think you're right, and Apple has done something similar. I actually think Apple's move was very smart. By encouraging people to stay up to date with the latest version, they significantly cut the demand for legacy support, which in turn, I'm sure, cuts their support costs in general.

Microsoft can't do quite the same thing, though. While Apple has always treated software as a loss-leader to sell hardware, Microsoft has relied on Windows licensing as a pillar of their business. I suppose they can give the desktop OS away for free, indefinitely, as a loss leader to sell other associated software/services (Office 365, Windows InTune, Windows Server, Exchange, and whatever else), but I would imagine that would be a significant change in their business model.

Be afraid, be very afraid

[Anonymous Coward]

If you aren't paying for it, then you aren't the customer.

Not another McAfee...

[danbob999]

McAfee free for 30 days. Windows 10 one year. What a hell it will be to buy a Dell laptop next year.

Free upgrade for one year

[dm513]

From what i've read on other sites...free for a year means...that they will offer the upgrade free for just one year...If you want to update to Win 10 later...you'll have to pay...I've seen nothing to indicate that means Windows is going subscription.

Dear Microsoft

[DickBreath]

Please remember the words of your younger, wiser self. If it is free, then it must not have any value.

They are deliberately being vague about this

[Anonymous Coward]

By being vague about the subscription aspect of this they can then backtrack later on if it looks like people won't stomach the the idea of a subscription model.

Re:Subscription service eh?

[rockabilly]

Go back about four iterations of the EULA. No one has owned their Windows operating system in quite some time.

Full-screen Start is the problem

[tepples]

The much-maligned UI is actually just the Windows 7 UI with a full-screen Start menu, which I find interrupts my workflow to exactly the same extent that the Windows 7 Start menu does, meaning minimally.

The fact that it's forced full-screen rather than snapped is the problem. At least with the Windows 7 Start menu, I could see a bit of what I was working on in the corner of my screen, which provided some subconscious continuity. In fact, if I had a program snapped to the right side (Windows+Right), I could see all of it while the Start menu was open. But with Windows 8's Start screen, everything is covered up. The full-screen context switch imposes a cognitive burden similar to going through a doorway and forgetting what you came in for. That's why the first thing onto every Windows 8.1 PC that I use regularly is Classic Shell, which reproduces the functionality of Windows 7's Start menu.