Microsoft will have no choice but to give consumers free Windows upgrades once it launches Windows 10 and kicks off its fast-fast-fast tempo, an analyst asserted. Windows 10
"If Microsoft wants consumers to update and keep up to date, it really means that Microsoft is going to have to give those consumers those updates for free. There's really no other way to do it," said Michael Silver of Gartner at the research firm's annual technology conference.
"A consumer isn't going to give Microsoft a credit card and say, 'Charge me for a new release whenever one comes out,'" Silver added. "It's very likely that consumer releases will be free."
That will affect Microsoft's bottom line: With Windows 10 expected to be the nameplate for the OS for years longer than the usual three-year cycle between major upgrades -- from Windows 7 to Windows 8, say -- free means that consumers will never again have to pay to upgrade their PC's OS.
More at: Free at last: After Windows 10, consumers won't pay for updates or upgrades | Computerworld
It'll be nice if its free but I don't mind paying, I don't expect anything for free so why Windows. I build my own machines and a copy of Windows is just an extra part of building the machine, which is only around $100. I only paid $39 for the Windows 8 upgrade, so I bought 4. My machines last me around 5 years now, so around $100 every 5 years is pretty cheap.
Free? I don't think so Tim. I'm with Nuccii, subscription maybe but not totally free. If they do stick to a rapid release cycle it makes more sense to charge a monthly fee than to keep asking consumers to pony up a lump sum for the latest and greatest. It also means that "most" people will update/upgrade to the latest version. Eventually everybody will be running the "one" current version of Windows. They won't have to patch multiple versions like they do now.
Computer Type: PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number: Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 4B OS: Windows 10 IoT CPU: Broadcom BCM2711B0 quad-core A72 (ARMv8-A) 64-bit @ 1.5GHz Motherboard: Raspberry Pi Model 4B Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM Graphics Card: Broadcom VideoCore VI Sound Card: Combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video Monitor(s) Displays: 7 Inch Pi Foundation Touch Screen Screen Resolution: Two 4K displays at up to 4Kp30 or a single display at up to 4Kp60 Keyboard: Mini Wireless with touchpad Mouse: FT5406 10 point capacitive touchscreen PSU: USB C 5.1V @ 3A Case: Pibow Coupe Ninja Cooling: Heat Sink and Fan Shim. Hard Drives: 16 GB SanDisk Ultra Class 1 Micro SD card. Internet Speed: Gigabit Ethernet + 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac Browser: Edge Antivirus: non Other Info: Dual Micro HDMI
2 USB 2 ports and 2 USB 3 ports
40 GPIO pins
Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Camera interface (CSI)
Display interface (DSI)
Micro SD card slot
One important thing to keep in mind is that this "news" does not come from Microsoft. It is an opinion of a researcher and analyst working for a research company, presented at a conference organized by his employer.
Computer Type: Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number: HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS: Windows 10 Pro CPU: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory: 8 GB Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card: Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays: 17" laptop display, 22" LED and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution: 1600*900 (1), 1920*1080 (2 & 3) Keyboard: Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse: Logitech Performance Mouse MX Cooling: As Envy runs a bit warm, I have it on a Cooler Master pad Hard Drives: Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 2*3TB USB3 network drives for media Internet Speed: 100/20 Mbps VDSL Browser: Maxthon 3.3.4.1000, IE 11.0.9879.0 Antivirus: Windows Defender 4.7.9879.0
One important thing to keep in mind is that this "news" does not come from Microsoft. It is an opinion of a researcher and analyst working for a research company, presented at a conference organized by his employer.
Not much actually comes from MS these days, either they don't know what they want or like to drop bombshells.
Why would Microsoft comment, the world's media hate them, old time Windows users hate them, they're better off just keeping quiet, let the press speculate.
People would like them better, if they would provide free no cost upgrades like Apple.
Since when has OSX been a free, no cost upgrade?
If you're referring to iOS, they actually did charge for new versions back in the early days.. but they found people got really mad that they had spent a premium on the hardware and then got nickeled and dimed over the OS.
If you're referring to iOS, they actually did charge for new versions back in the early days.. but they found people got really mad that they had spent a premium on the hardware and then got nickeled and dimed over the OS.
No, I am not referring to iOS. I have an iPhone. I've been told that people get software upgrades on Apple computers for free. Now, they need to provide 10 as a free update, for users who are not computer smart and who want their start menus back. I think they should leave the metro start screen as is, but also include the regular Windows start menu on the desktop.
Hi everyone, this is my first post. Best greetings to everyone!
I see from other posts that this forum is super helpful with so many people very knowledgeable and generous with their time so I'm very hopeful.
So... I'm trying to save a Windows...
Long story short, I got a new HP laptop with Windows 10 and had nothing but problems. At first the laptop would sleep and not wake up and HP told me I needed to connect to the internet for updates, a graphic driver update in particular. I ended up...