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Microsoft Trademarks "Windows 365"
jones_supa writes The talks about a subscription-based Windows have begun again. With Windows 10 those ideas did not materialize in the way that many had speculated. Even though Microsoft has not fully detailed its Windows 10 pricing strategy, it is not believed that Microsoft is targeting an annual subscription charge for Windows at this time. However, it turns out that Microsoft has recently filed for a trademark for Windows 365, which adds a bit of fuel to the subscription based version of Windows. As of right now, Microsoft has only claimed this branding right, but as for what they will do with it, only time will tell. Deep inside the company, the idea is clearly still bubbling there.
Really depends on how they price it. I have couple old machines that are still running Windows XP, because it's at least $100 for the most recent version of Windows and I can't justify spending $100 all at once on a machine that isn't even worth $100. Now if it was only $20-$30 a year, I might pay for a year or two of the current version of Windows. I might spend more in the long term, assuming I keep those machines around a long time, but it's hard to say.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
On all fronts, the competition has been hurting them by reduced/no OS licensing cost inflicted on the consumer and/or vendor. For Apple, it's to push hardware, for google to push ecosystem. In both their major competitor's cases, they are making inroads by using the OS as a giveaway as a means to a more profitable end.
MS doubling down on charging for the OS would only help their competition. If they are serious about enabling their ecosystem, they need to restructure things so those goals fund the OS development, not require the OS development to pay for itself.
MS also misunderstands another facet. They think a rolling release OS is critical to their success. They think they need the OS to be able to incorporate new function on a whim. They probably feel that way as they are impatient to have Windows 10 come along to fix what they did wrong in Windows 8. The problem is no one was demanding features out of Windows 7. The sin in windows 8 was inflicting undesired features, not being slow to deliver features. A rolling release will mean that MS customers pissed with some major design change are less able to latch on to some MS sanctioned safe haven (e.g. today it is windows 7) and look harder at jumping on OSX, IOS, Android, or a desktop linux depending on the area. Enthusiasts may bitch and moan about not having Lollipop 5 minutes after it releases, but 99% of the world would just as soon have their device work basically the same way day to day.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Registering a trademark is cheap, especially for any outfit that's large enough to have their own lawyers already on staff. So, there isn't much percentage in trying to read anything big into the registering of a trademark. In this case, they would need no greater reason to trademark "Windows 365" than the fact that they already have some related trademarks.
Every computer will come with it and you won't be able to get a game or new hardware without having to check extensively that it supports Linux (or BSD) and find that it doesn't yet.
You won't be able to get older versions.
You won't be allowed on the internet without a "supported OS".
You will have no choice in this matter except not to play at all and give up computers. And then if enough do that, it will be "explained" as being due to piracy or some other guff.
I can picture the situation quite clearly: "I'm very sorry Mr. Surface Pro 5 Owner, but with the current release cycle your hardware will no longer be supported at the end of this year... and we do not offer subscriptions for legacy hardware." At least with Windows XP, Mac OS 10.5.x, etc "sunsetted" OSs can continue to be used (albeit with increased security risk) perpetually. Will Microsoft offer this same policy with 365 users as feature and requirements outstrip aging hardware? I think not.