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Windows 10 Now Runs On 300M Active Devices; Upgrade To Cost $119 After July 29
On Thursday (May 5), Microsoft announced that Windows 10 is now running on 300 million active devices, up from 270 million monthly active devices as of March 30. The feat comes nine months after Microsoft released Windows 10, the latest version of its desktop operating system, after offering it for months to developers. The company also announced today that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (as well as Windows 8) users with a valid license wouldn't be eligible for the free upgrade starting July 29. After July 29th, Microsoft says, users will be able to continue to get Windows 10 on a new device, or purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119.
Windows 10 offers a range of interesting features including virtual digital assistant Cortana. While these features and a substantial boost to performance and speeds could be a big reason for the fast adoption of Windows 10, it's also no secret that Microsoft continues to push Windows 10 update to computers ... sometimes even when users don't want that.
Windows 10 offers a range of interesting features including virtual digital assistant Cortana. While these features and a substantial boost to performance and speeds could be a big reason for the fast adoption of Windows 10, it's also no secret that Microsoft continues to push Windows 10 update to computers ... sometimes even when users don't want that.
They damn well better issue a patch to remove all the nagware then. Yes I know it can be disabled, but it shouldn't be there to begin with.
I personally doubt that Microsoft will actually follow through with that, which would obviously stipulate an end to the forced 10 upgrades. Since when has Microsoft been known to stop doing something incredibly annoying once they start?
Microsoft has removed the capability of even system administrators to block/remove the Windows App store in Windows 10, even in the Pro version. Whereas previously it was possible to use registry edits or GPO to remove/block the app store and other forced start menu tiles in Windows 10, a recent Microsoft update has eliminated that capability and re-enabled these features.
Some smart people said; just block the update. But, that's not an option in Windows 10 either. With this new "feature" the only way to prevent users access to teh app store and the willy nilly installation of apps is to use teh MUCH more expensive Enterprise version of Windows 10.
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At this point, I cannot see myself relying upon Microsoft when Microsoft has shown me that it is unworthy of my trust.
Click here to install now.
Click there to install 5 minutes from now.
Force the window closed to install anyway.
Hold the ACPI power button down to force the power off, and install when you reboot.
Pull the power cable to see this dialog again.
That's a good point.
After July 29, involuntary automatic upgrades to Windows 10 will include automatically searching the user's data (local or cloud-based) for credit card numbers or other financial accounts to bill for the upgrade. Expect a Windows Update KB patch in July to implement this additional feature in the GWX subsystem.
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
No way. A grand, minimum, or I'm staying on 7.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
The forced upgrade cycle gave the usual OEM's ample time to roll out Windows 10 devices and most consumers will simply move to Windows 10 by way of failed or slow computer forcing their hand to upgrade that way. By that momentum alone Windows 10 adoption will continue to rise steadily.
Windows 7 will continue on as the new Windows XP in the professional space and we'll all repeat the painful process of resisting unwanted change for the next ten years.
I have serious privacy concerns over Windows 10, but I do run it on my gaming-only box, figuring there isn't too much to harvest anyway. I also have a Win 7 and Win 8.1 machine which I've been reluctant to upgrade because of this. Especially after watching Windows 10 wipe out my privacy settings and restore the defaults.
That being said, Windows 10 is so much faster at starting up and coming out of sleep and will likely be the only version receiving updates in the future. I would love to upgrade my other boxes for free, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
In unrelated news, an Apple spokesperson announced that they have to increase prices for their computers come August, citing an expected serious increase in demand for their products.
Also in the news, in an unparalleled and before unheard union between Linux distributors they all announced that no later than in mid-July they expect their new release to hit the market. Asked what sparked this sudden union of all distributions our reporter was informed that "the time is right, this is going to be the year of Linux on the Desktop. And this time for real".
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Why not take a page from Apple? Start looking for all documents, upload them to OneDrive, and automatically delete the one on the local storage without user permission. Once the user has paid the $119 ransom^W upgrade to Windows 10, they can access their files.
Posting anon for obvious reasons. The plan internally is to continue to offer it for free indefinitely after the existing period expires. I expect an announcement will come in July about the extension. MS doesn't want Windows 7 to be like XP where people stay on it until they are pried away.
Actually, Apple pretty much did just that. You remember when Google got in trouble with the EU for recording too much wifi info while its street view cars were driving around taking pictures? The reason they were recording wifi info was to correlate the SSIDs with physical locations. That way, even if your GPS is off, Google can make a pretty good guess at your general location.
When Apple ditched Google Maps, they didn't have their own database of SSID locations. The first year they paid for a database from Skyhook. The next year, they used their own database. How did they mysteriously generate this database without sending around Apple street view cars to record every wifi hotspot's SSID? By secretly logging iPhone owners' locations and nearby SSIDs, and having the phones send the info back to them. Essentially, Apple turned all iPhone owners into unpaid contractors who traveled around recording the locations of every SSID on Earth. Given that they got away with it, while Google got sued by the EU for trying to do it the non-evil way and paying to send their own cars around to record it, I expect next time Google will just secretly harvest the data from its users.