Three Reasons Microsoft Stopped Free Windows 10 Upgrades

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    Three Reasons Microsoft Stopped Free Windows 10 Upgrades

    Three Reasons Microsoft Stopped Free Windows 10 Upgrades


    Posted: 15 May 2016

    Three Reasons Microsoft Stopped Free Windows 10 Upgrades

    Microsoft MSFT -0.82% has stood by its promise. Last week the company confirmed it will soon start charging for Windows 10 bringing its free upgrade offer to a close and it won’t be cheap. For those baffled by this decision, here are the three biggest reasons why…

    The Free Upgrades Have Done Their Job

    Microsoft was desperate to avoid another Windows 8 scenario where its new operating system simply failed to catch on. In fact even calling it ‘Windows 10’ was an attempt to distance the platform from its much (if unfairly) maligned predecessor.

    Making Windows 10 upgrades free for a year has done exactly that. Microsoft now claims 300M Windows 10 activations have taken place in just 10 months. That’s the fastest adoption of any Windows operating system in history – even slightly ahead of monster hit Windows 7.

    But adoption is slowing.

    Following the expected rush on launch, Windows 10 growth continued to be pretty stellar for most of 2015 and then had a huge (expected) boost across the Christmas/New Year period. However since then growth rates have dropped off and in April Windows 10’s market share increased just 0.2% from 14.15 to 14.35%.

    As such it is becoming clear those who want Windows 10 now have it and those who have yet to be persuaded are unlikely to be persuaded now. So rather than headlines in six months about how Microsoft “can’t give Windows 10 away”, the company is smarter to pull the offer now while history will be kind.
    Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonke...4#2cdfc6f9451e
    Cluster Head's Avatar Posted By: Cluster Head
    15 May 2016


  1. Posts : 552
    Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
       #1

    Makes sense.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 80
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
       #2

    Wonder how's Windows 10 adoption rates after the free offer ended.
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  3. Posts : 822
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #3

    I didn't read the article but Microsoft said from the get go that Windows 10 would be a free upgrade for one year.

    This is why I did not read the article, I will not disable my ad blocker for Forbes.
    On arrival, like a growing number of websites, Forbes asked readers to turn off ad blockers in order to view the article. After doing so, visitors were immediately served with pop-under malware, primed to infect their computers, and likely silently steal passwords, personal data and banking information. Or, as is popular worldwide with these malware "exploit kits," lock up their hard drives in exchange for Bitcoin ransom.

    One researcher commented on Twitter that the situation was "ironic" -- and while it's certainly another variant of hackenfreude, ironic isn't exactly the word I'd use to describe what happened.

    Source: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...ware-ads.shtml
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  4. Posts : 149
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #4

    Last week the company confirmed it will soon start charging for Windows 10 bringing its free upgrade offer to a close and it won’t be cheap.
    Microsoft has long advertised that the free upgrade will end July 29, 2016. Are they pulling the plug sooner than that? I didn't read the Forbes article either for the same reason as sml156 above.
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  5. Posts : 22,740
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #5

    marsmimar said:
    Microsoft has long advertised that the free upgrade will end July 29, 2016. Are they pulling the plug sooner than that? I didn't read the Forbes article either for the same reason as sml156 above.
    I read the article and it didn't say that.
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  6. Posts : 29,078
    Windows 10 21H1 Build 19043.1023
       #6

    marsmimar said:
    Microsoft has long advertised that the free upgrade will end July 29, 2016. Are they pulling the plug sooner than that? I didn't read the Forbes article either for the same reason as sml156 above.
    I'm going to hazard the statement that, "No, they're not going to pull the free upgrade early!" There would be such a backlash as has probably never been seen before if they pulled it two months early.

    I'm good in that I already have Windows 10 on all my machines, including my 11.6" tablet hybrid and have upgraded several friends' systems.

    I'm also going to hazard a guess that mmmm . . . starting somewhere around June 15, upgrades will increase, as those who've said they're waiting until the last minute, will decide they need to jump onboard sooner than later. And yes, I've seen that statement made a number of times.
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  7. Posts : 17,838
    Windows 10
       #7

    For those who 'blow' the free upgrade: looks good on ya!

    Then again, most power users spend thousands on their PC's yearly; whats a couple 100 bucks for Windows 10 gonna hurt!?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #8

    If they pull the free upgrade early, then there will be 50 false advertising claims filed with the 50 different states' Attorney General's offices and massive lawsuits. Microsoft publicly put it in writing that the free upgrade will be for 1 year, it would be illegal for them to stop it early. Again, like the TPM 2.0 article, a whole bunch of hand wringing and fretting over nothing....
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  9. Posts : 29,078
    Windows 10 21H1 Build 19043.1023
       #9

    NavyLCDR said:
    If they pull the free upgrade early, then there will be 50 false advertising claims filed with the 50 different states' Attorney General's offices and massive lawsuits. Microsoft publicly put it in writing that the free upgrade will be for 1 year, it would be illegal for them to stop it early. Again, like the TPM 2.0 article, a whole bunch of hand wringing and fretting over nothing....
    And that's the backlash I was talking about . . . I think it's safe to say that Microsoft is fully aware of the consequences and would never do such a thing . . . Much ado about nothing if you ask moi . . . and no one did. :)
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