Where are you seeing that? This is the text from Microsoft's site. The * footnote is just about compatibility, etc.
I read that as it will be free if you upgrade within the first year that Windows 10 is on the market. If you wait until after that first year, you will have to pay. Once you get the free upgrade, it will be free for the supported lifetime of the device it is running on.
Not sure where you are getting the subscription fee from. Looks like they will have a fee, but that is for folks that are late to the party. Looks like they are trying to entice people to upgrade to Windows 10 sooner rather than later.
So how do you think Microsoft will make money? They don't make the actual machines so they can't get the R&D costs for Windows back by selling more hardware. They don't sell ads on the OS... they (hopefully) won't get paid by 3rd parties to bundle crapware on the distro... using Windows won't hook users to other Microsoft products (Office is on OS X for instance)... so how will they make money?
They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. If they truly give it away free then they're starting to get desperate and the logic is to hook people on a free Windows 10 so you can make money on later versions.... otherwise look for for a subscription after the 1st year or a forced upgrade to Windows 11 (which won't be free).
"Actually, during the Q&A after the event, someone asked about after the first year, and Microsoft didn't know what they would do. They may charge money, or they may even keep it free. They simply don't know yet."
Oh come on... they know.. you can't spend 3 billion (9b R&D assuming Windows is 1/3 of R&D) and give it away free. The game plan is... if it takes off charge for it... if nobody wants it then it's free...
Microsoft does make hardware that runs Windows and even more that will run Windows 10 (Phones and Surface).
They are only giving the upgrade free for the first year. We don't know what they will do after the first year. We can rest assured they will charge for Windows 10 for new systems.
They need to keep people from leaving their ecosystem. Giving the free upgrade is almost like an apology that they had lost their way and that this free upgrade will try to win back the hearts and minds of the customers burned by 8 and 8.1 as well as those stuck on 7 because of how bad 8 and 8.1 was.
I like what Microsoft is doing here even though I won't be loading Windows any time soon. They are at least coming out from the dark ages stuck under Balmer.
I wish people would quit reporting that it's a free upgrade without reporting that it's free for the first year, then you pay a subscription fee.
If true I will install another instance of XP under VMWARE and upgrade it to EXWindows (Windows 10 ) and test out my 2 apps and if after a year MSucks demands payment. I will delete the instance and go back to XP. A lot will depend on the gobs of memory exWindows uses no doubt, I prefer XP cuz I can keep it down limited to 750MB.
So there is one of the pillars of Microsoft's income shot away. Next give Office away and it will be well on the way to oblivion. The guy with the annoying hair in the video say's "With Windows 10 we want you to love your PC ...' You can almost hear him thinking ... 'as opposed to hating it!'
Microsoft money does not come from you and me... it is corporate sales. Dell, HP, Samsung, Lenovo and the rest of them will still pay for each computer they sell with windows on it. Also we do not pay retail copy for Windows, we have a bulk licensing agreement - Windows is just part of the entire package. Trust me, Microsoft still makes money off of Windows regardless if we pay for it or not at home.
can I upgrade from XP? I run VMware on my mac for the 2 apps i use under windows, I have XP installed i don't do any surfing from it at all except on the few occasions when I'm buying something to get cheaper prices on PC vs the Mac. Once I stop the VMware instance the memory is freed up for the mac
Windows 10 isn't a free upgrade from XP. For older systems, you have to do clean installs. When you quit VMWare, the free space in the disk image is still being used but it frees up the RAM. I think it would be nice if all unused space was freed up. For using with a couple of apps, just sticking with XP is ok.
I was sitting in Cafe Roma on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Ca . I glanced up and counted 10 mac laptops and one PC laptop. Not a great sample but hey
7 years ago everyone and their grandma had a Nokia, Motorola, or Blackberry phone. And now? Tides can change.
The litmus test for "it's free (as in beer)" is if Microsoft removes Windows Genuine Advantage and all the activation restrictions that goes with it.
You'll still have to activate. My company, like the majority of large businesses, rents Microsoft software by the year. As part of the agreement, all computers must come with Windows but can be upgraded or downgraded to any version of Windows. When you activate, the install must be an upgrade, or else the server checks for valid OEM keys for prior versions of Windows.
Perhaps every button click, every drop down menu, every visible surface in Win X will be plastered with advertising and exhortations to buy add-ons and extras. I can't see them risking an entire years worth of software payments from customers. That's a massive loss.
Perhaps every button click, every drop down menu, every visible surface in Win X will be plastered with advertising and exhortations to buy add-ons and extras. I can't see them risking an entire years worth of software payments from customers. That's a massive loss.
Looking at the adoption rates of Windows, I can see why they would do this. They need to show people that Windows is good (which makes me think, they believe this will be an impressive update — and maybe it will be with Ballmer out of the picture).
My guess is that they expect and want people using Windows 8.1 or earlier say, "Windows 10 is great. I guess for my next purchase I won't try a Mac. I might even jump from Android to WinPhone." Or not...
Looking at the adoption rates of Windows, I can see why they would do this. They need to show people that Windows is good (which makes me think, they believe this will be an impressive update — and maybe it will be with Ballmer out of the picture).
My guess is that they expect and want people using Windows 8.1 or earlier say, "Windows 10 is great. I guess for my next purchase I won't try a Mac. I might even jump from Android to WinPhone." Or not...
Considering the majority of Windows installs in Asia are reportedly stolen copies, I'm having a hard time seeing a way forward and a road to continued profitability for Microsoft.
Microsoft makes a significant portion of revenue from Windows, these are numbers for 2014:
Advertising $4b
They make money off of advertisement?
I would guess that the basic version will be free with paid upgrades available inside the OS to Office subscriptions and Pro features e.g:
"I see you've connected a second display, before you can use it, you have to subscribe to the premium IAP"
"I see you're trying to encrypt your filesystem, that needs you to subscribe to the professional IAP"
That would be a ...surprise when doing such a thing.
There is an awful lot of code that check windows version just from the first digit (if you are familiar you can easily verify with a search on github). So Win9 would easily fall in the Win95 / Win98 bucket, with catastrophic effects: a lot of programs would stop working or start malfunctioning.
Comments
Where are you seeing that? This is the text from Microsoft's site. The * footnote is just about compatibility, etc.
I read that as it will be free if you upgrade within the first year that Windows 10 is on the market. If you wait until after that first year, you will have to pay. Once you get the free upgrade, it will be free for the supported lifetime of the device it is running on.
Not sure where you are getting the subscription fee from. Looks like they will have a fee, but that is for folks that are late to the party. Looks like they are trying to entice people to upgrade to Windows 10 sooner rather than later.
So how do you think Microsoft will make money? They don't make the actual machines so they can't get the R&D costs for Windows back by selling more hardware. They don't sell ads on the OS... they (hopefully) won't get paid by 3rd parties to bundle crapware on the distro... using Windows won't hook users to other Microsoft products (Office is on OS X for instance)... so how will they make money?
They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. If they truly give it away free then they're starting to get desperate and the logic is to hook people on a free Windows 10 so you can make money on later versions.... otherwise look for for a subscription after the 1st year or a forced upgrade to Windows 11 (which won't be free).
"Actually, during the Q&A after the event, someone asked about after the first year, and Microsoft didn't know what they would do. They may charge money, or they may even keep it free. They simply don't know yet."
Oh come on... they know.. you can't spend 3 billion (9b R&D assuming Windows is 1/3 of R&D) and give it away free. The game plan is... if it takes off charge for it... if nobody wants it then it's free...
Microsoft does make hardware that runs Windows and even more that will run Windows 10 (Phones and Surface).
They are only giving the upgrade free for the first year. We don't know what they will do after the first year. We can rest assured they will charge for Windows 10 for new systems.
They need to keep people from leaving their ecosystem. Giving the free upgrade is almost like an apology that they had lost their way and that this free upgrade will try to win back the hearts and minds of the customers burned by 8 and 8.1 as well as those stuck on 7 because of how bad 8 and 8.1 was.
I like what Microsoft is doing here even though I won't be loading Windows any time soon. They are at least coming out from the dark ages stuck under Balmer.
I wish people would quit reporting that it's a free upgrade without reporting that it's free for the first year, then you pay a subscription fee.
If true I will install another instance of XP under VMWARE and upgrade it to EXWindows (Windows 10
) and test out my 2 apps and if after a year MSucks demands payment. I will delete the instance and go back to XP. A lot will depend on the gobs of memory exWindows uses no doubt, I prefer XP cuz I can keep it down limited to 750MB.
So there is one of the pillars of Microsoft's income shot away. Next give Office away and it will be well on the way to oblivion. The guy with the annoying hair in the video say's "With Windows 10 we want you to love your PC ...' You can almost hear him thinking ... 'as opposed to hating it!'
Microsoft money does not come from you and me... it is corporate sales. Dell, HP, Samsung, Lenovo and the rest of them will still pay for each computer they sell with windows on it. Also we do not pay retail copy for Windows, we have a bulk licensing agreement - Windows is just part of the entire package. Trust me, Microsoft still makes money off of Windows regardless if we pay for it or not at home.
What happens after the first year?
Nothing, you have one year from release to claim your free upgrade. That is the deal, if you wait longer it is not free.
Windows 10 isn't a free upgrade from XP. For older systems, you have to do clean installs. When you quit VMWare, the free space in the disk image is still being used but it frees up the RAM. I think it would be nice if all unused space was freed up. For using with a couple of apps, just sticking with XP is ok.
I was sitting in Cafe Roma on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Ca . I glanced up and counted 10 mac laptops and one PC laptop. Not a great sample but hey
7 years ago everyone and their grandma had a Nokia, Motorola, or Blackberry phone. And now? Tides can change.
http://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-windows-10-will-not-be-sold-as-a-subscription/
The litmus test for "it's free (as in beer)" is if Microsoft removes Windows Genuine Advantage and all the activation restrictions that goes with it.
You'll still have to activate. My company, like the majority of large businesses, rents Microsoft software by the year. As part of the agreement, all computers must come with Windows but can be upgraded or downgraded to any version of Windows. When you activate, the install must be an upgrade, or else the server checks for valid OEM keys for prior versions of Windows.
7 years ago everyone and their grandma had a Nokia, Motorola, or Blackberry phone. And now? Tides can change.
That's right! And right now Windows is ebbing big time.
What happened to Windows 9?
It was so good, Microsoft couldn't dare to release it:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html
Dammit. I feel for that.
Seriously though, is it just a marketing reason?
D
Dammit. I feel for that.
Seriously though, is it just a marketing reason?
As far as I know, yes, it is just a marketing thing.
D
It was so good, Microsoft couldn't dare to release it:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html
Dammit. I feel for that.
Seriously though, is it just a marketing reason?
Perhaps they intend to wait until Windows 10 fails,
then release it as "Windows 9-11"?
(...which will be disastrous.)
Looking at the adoption rates of Windows, I can see why they would do this. They need to show people that Windows is good (which makes me think, they believe this will be an impressive update — and maybe it will be with Ballmer out of the picture).
My guess is that they expect and want people using Windows 8.1 or earlier say, "Windows 10 is great. I guess for my next purchase I won't try a Mac. I might even jump from Android to WinPhone." Or not...
Considering the majority of Windows installs in Asia are reportedly stolen copies, I'm having a hard time seeing a way forward and a road to continued profitability for Microsoft.
They all use Macs, but Apple uses more Macs. And an Apple event draws thousands of participants/spectators. MS, not so.
Marketing research in Germany showed no one wanted Windows nein.
They make money off of advertisement?
That would be a ...surprise when doing such a thing.
Except when doing online banking, it's not allowed anymore. Or at least, in my country.
There is an awful lot of code that check windows version just from the first digit (if you are familiar you can easily verify with a search on github). So Win9 would easily fall in the Win95 / Win98 bucket, with catastrophic effects: a lot of programs would stop working or start malfunctioning.