Microsoft: Windows 10 Will Remain Free For People With Accessibility Needs (betanews.com)

Reader Mark Wilson writes: The free ride is coming to an end. Windows 10 was always going to be free for the first year after release, and this year is up on 29 July. There are, of course, still ways to get your hands on Windows 10 for free beyond this date. One way is to buy a new PC with Windows 10 installed, although not many people would regard this as a free upgrade. But Microsoft has also confirmed that people with accessibility needs will still be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free after the deadline. Writing on its Accessibility Blog, Microsoft points out that the 29 July cut-off point does not apply to people with accessibility needs.From Microsoft's blog post: As you may have heard, the free Windows 10 upgrade offer for customers running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 is set to end on July 29, but we want to clarify that that deadline will not apply to customers who use assistive technologies. We are continuing to deliver on our previously-shared vision for accessibility for Windows 10 and we are committed to ensuring that users of assistive technologies have the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for free as we do so.

Comments

Interested to know the mechanism

[The-Ixian]

Does this imply a specific build of Windows 10 that has accessibility options permanently enabled? That would seem unlikely unless it just enforces 1 option to be active at all times.

I am guessing if that were the case, the "hold ctrl to find the mouse cursor" option would not count...

The solution would have to be automated though, right? I mean, MS isn't going to make a huge amount of work for themselves by verifying doctor's notes or something like that...

Interested to see how this will work and how long it lasts (since it seems like a pretty easy system to "game").

Perhaps MS is just creating a glaring loophole and giving everyone a "wink and a nod" to allow them charge for Windows 10 at the same time as making it "free" for anyone who wants it...

Re:Interested to know the mechanism

[ezelkow1]

I dont think they are really leaving a loophole, its because they dont want to have to backport features. There are a huge amount of accessibility requirements that came down from the FCC for all manner of electronics and software that has to be implemented by the end of this year (thats why there have been multiple accessibility articles as of late, companies using this for free good press as they push out their solutions). So Im guessing MS does not want to have to backport features to win7/8/etc to keep those who need them happy and would rather they just upgrade for free

Windows 10 Downgrade Still Free!

[Anonymous Coward]

Good news everyone! Downgrading your OEM install of Windows 10 Professional to Windows 8 Professional or Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate is still free! And will still be free after 29 July 2016.

https://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/what_to_do_downgrade_rights.aspx

https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/downgrade_rights.aspx

Re:Microsoft cares!

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Are they not merciful? All hail Microsoft!!

Many of us didn't want it to begin with..

[evolutionary]

So, does this mean MS will stop trying to force feed that bloated piece of spyware now? (do any of us really think that is likely to happen...). Now they are trying to look cool be saying people with disabilities get added consideration? I smell tax credit somewhere...(I'm no tax lawyer but it smell like they benefit from this financial on top of all the data they intrusively collect and the ability to turn on/off features as they see fit...gee sounds like the iphone..)

Re:Win 10 Upgrade is NOT free.

[Nidi62]

It requires that you trade in a license of win 7, 8, 8.1, which means that the upgrade costs you the current market value of the OS you are trading. If a Win 7 Pro license currently sells for $50, then upgrading to Win10 costs you $50, even though no money leaves your bank account.

Wrong. It doesn't matter what a new copy of Win 7 costs, it's what you could get for your own copy of Win 7. If you could sell your copy of Win 7 for $50 then the upgrade has a(n) (opportunity) cost of $50. Now, it looks like depending on your situation it is legal to resell a Win 7 license, but with new copies going for $50 or less, a used key would probably net you $25-30 at best. But in the end, the upgrade did not cost you money. It simply cost you the opportunity to make (very little) money. You sound like you went to an MPAA sponsored accounting class.

Interesting watching Microsoft adjust their game

[ErichTheRed]

Forget all the "Windows 10 is spyware" stuff for a second; the interesting thing to watch is the tactics they're using. In my opinion they're pursuing a good strategy (for them) but it's going to really anger most "prosumer" users and smaller business users.

The interesting thing about Windows 10 is that it's not a "free upgrade," it never was "free," The consumer versions (Home and Pro) of Windows 10 use data mining to pay the bills with Web 3.0 bubble money. From an IT perspective, the only option these days is Enterprise if you want full control over the machine. You only get Enterprise if you sign a Software Assurance agreement, meaning you basically are paying on an ongoing basis for the OS. The big difference is with Windows 7 and 8, small to medium shops would usually just re-use the Professional license that the OEM obtained when they built the PC, without having to re-license it, because the Professional version gave enough control over the computer. With Windows 10, you can't disable the Store or the telemetry on anything except the Enterprise version, nor can you access the Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) which is the closest thing you can get to the old RTM + Service Pack update cadence.

Honestly, it's just semantics. Since it's still a "product," Microsoft still needs to tout a free upgrade as the stepping stone from the previous OS versions. They're just taking a one-time revenue hit pulling everyone up onto the same version of the operating system much the same way Apple has been trying to do. In return, they get all the "grandma PCs" running ancient versions of Windows out of the ecosystem and can redeploy all those development resources doing legacy stuff to the new versions. Windows 8 is basically in the coffin, and Windows 7's end-of-support date is constantly being moved up in such a way that they don't violate any promises, but they do make it hard to deploy new copies of it. In reality they're going to be offering whatever channels they can for free upgrades to Windows 10; there's no upside for them not to at this point.

Re: Or, pretty much anyone

[sremick]

proof of recent psychiatric admission.

Sounds like a good start. Require a psychiatric evaluation for anyone wanting Windows 10.

Re: Win 10 Upgrade is NOT free.

[Anonymous Coward]

except your previous license can still be used. so no, it's not a trade. you will never see a license key for windows 10 when you upgrade and you keep the option to roll back at your desire.

Yes, it's a trade (with some caveats) You can roll back, sure, but you can't use your Windows 7 license on a computer, upgrade that computer to Windows 10, then install your Windows 7 license to a different computer, for example.

Re:Translation:

[Dogtanian]

Microsoft's conduct in the Windows 10 forced-upgrade affair, privacy issues and in many other areas has been utterly contemptible.

This doesn't change the fact that even beginning to compare this behaviour to the atrocities committed by Daesh is- quite rightly- going to be seen as the cheapest of arguments coming from an utterly insulated, out of touch and borderline sociopathic basement dweller intent on exploiting human tragedy for some navel-gazing argument.

MS win here, because by making yourself sound like (or rather, exposing yourself as) that person, any argument you make is going to be ignored.