On Monday, Aul clarified that Windows Insiders won't be getting Windows 10 for free, at least not exactly.
Though July 29 marks the release of the "final" version of Windows 10, Microsoft will continue to tweak and enhance the operating system beyond that date. The company will also continue to run the
Windows Insider program, through which participants can download the latest preview builds to test Windows 10 as it continues to evolve and then offer Microsoft their feedback.
And it's those preview builds that Windows Insiders will freely receive on a regular basis. Each preview build expires at a certain point, but Microsoft promises that it will be replaced by the next build. So in essence, those who wish to remain in the Windows Insider Program can get Windows 10 for free, but the version you run will always be a prerelease build, in other words a non-activated beta product.
"Since we're continuing the Windows Insider Program you'll be able to continue receiving builds and those builds will continue to be activated under the terms of the Windows Insider Program," Aul said. "We provide ISOs for these builds for recovery from any significant problems, but they are still pre-release software."
Those who wish to upgrade to the fully-tested and public release of Windows 10 on July 29 as well as in the future still need to be running Windows 7 or 8.1 to qualify for the free upgrade.
As Aul describes it in his blog post, users can choose from a couple of scenarios:
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