Windows 10 is now free for everyone

Over the weekend Microsoft delivered a bombshell. Windows 10 is now free for anyone who wants it. In short, anyone who installs the latest Windows 10 beta will be upgraded automatically for free to the full Windows 10 Home retail version when it is released on July 29th. This is regardless of whether the previous version of Windows you were running was eligible for the free upgrade or not.

To be more specific Windows XP, Windows Vista, excluded Windows 7 and Windows 8 users and even fake copies of the install Windows 10 beta build 10130 (available from the Windows Insider website) will get a full copy of Windows 10 for free and with no future costs during the lifetime of the platform. So why would Microsoft suddenly make this decision? In my opinion it’s for these reasons:

Reason #1: Perfect PR

Truthfully I believe the move is a marketing win for Microsoft at the perfect moment. Offering more users your latest software for free will only be greeted positively and it reinforces the image of a ‘New Microsoft’ under Satya Nadella that is more progressive and open to the wishes of all customers.

The humiliation surrounding Microsoft after it horrible Windows 8 operating system may well be washed away in an instant.

Reason #2: Establish the Platform

Microsoft needs all the good will it can get at the moment because, basically, Windows 10 is Microsoft’s most important software release in about a decade. If you doubt that just ask yourself why Microsoft is calling it ‘Windows 10’ in the first place?

What makes it so crucial is Windows 10 truly marries both desktop and mobile, and a massive take-up of Windows 10 on PC is crucial if Microsoft is to stand any chance of regaining a foothold in the smartphone and tablet markets. After the relative failure of Windows 8, Windows 10 is all about increasing market share across every possible hardware device and that is more important than profit margins right now to a company with deep cash reserves.

Reason #3: Minimal Cost

For those who do doubt Microsoft’s decision from a financial perspective, I would contend the cost of encompassing Windows 10 to XP and Vista users will be minimal. After all these ageing machines will still need to meet Windows 10’s minimum specification requirements, which will rule out many however see Microsoft retain the moral high ground because the free offer was still there. Of course legitimizing Windows for millions of pirates (illegal downloaders) around the world could be seen as significantly greater lost revenue. But let’s be honest, this revenue was already lost by definition because these customers are pirates. On the other hand giving pirates legitimate copies could well re-monetize this lost group with sales of other apps and services by capitalizing on their goodwill in being made legitimate, so there’s nothing to lose.

Reason #4: A Final Mass Beta Test

By creating the caveat that previously excluded users must install the latest Windows 10 beta to get Windows 10 free, Microsoft will now gain millions of additional testers prior to launch. This should give the company masses of extra data and the potential to fix any outstanding bugs all these new PCs reveal.

Having seen both Vista and Windows 8 buried by buggy launches (despite the fact both were actually strong platforms after several updates) shows how crucial a positive, bug-free launch is. Windows 10 now looks certain to have that.

Reason #5: Security

Extra beta testers not only means a less buggy launch, but the benefit of getting millions more on Windows 10 should also mean users have a safer and more secure platform. This will go a long way to countering Windows’ reputation for viruses and malware.

Even more essential, Microsoft no longer protects Windows XP from new threats and Windows Vista will be cut off in 2017. By contrast Windows 10 should be supported for at least a decade after launch.

 

Despite all this, I’m sure many will still complain and there is some substance to the main complaints.

For starters the obligation to install beta software on your main computer to qualify for the free upgrade will be a risk many dislike. On top of this Windows 10 launches in just over a month so there isn’t a great deal of time for users to take advantage of the offer. There is also a lack of clarity about several points, including:

• Can users install the beta after the Windows 10 official release and still qualify?
• Why make beta installation a step at all?
• Why only quietly announce this major move within a low profile blog post that millions will miss?
• Why announce it so late?

There will also be many who wonder if this is all part of some master plan by Microsoft to get users onto subscription payments. Personally I don’t believe this will apply to Windows 10, but Microsoft has said its successor (just named ‘Windows’) is going to use a subscription model and there will be suspicions that getting customers on Windows 10 will in some way make it easier to then force them onto ‘Windows’.