Microsoft reminds: free update on Windows 10 ends July 29

Windows users get ready to pay

Microsoft once again recalled that the free upgrade of computers running Windows 7 and 8 to the Windows 10 operating system ends on July 29, 2016 . After this day, buying a license for Windows 10 Home will cost $ 119, and on Windows 10 Pro - $ 199.

Free update on the new OS was the first in the history of Microsoft. Never before has a company done this. But the economists of the Redmond Corporation calculated the average life cycle of personal computers under Windows 10 - and they figured out that a free upgrade would be beneficial if a significant part of users were transferred to Windows 10 for free, and a year later to introduce a paid subscription.

In the future, Windows 10 is positioned as a service with a paid subscription and regular updates.

After July 29, all users of the free version of Windows 10 can continue to use it for free until they change the computer.

According to Microsoft, the life cycle of the device is "from two to four years." The release of free updates, according to preliminary plans, will continue exactly two years for Windows 10 Home users, regardless of the device on which the OS is installed, and four years for Windows 10 Pro users, regardless of the device. According to the calculations of the Redmond company, most of the "free" Windows 10 will be paid within two years.

Income table for Windows 10 OEM, from Microsoft presentation :



The plan for transferring users to “free” Windows 10 is not fully justified.. Despite considerable efforts, Windows 10 was installed only on 300 million computers , although the task is to install it on a billion devices in 2-3 years after launch. Now the fulfillment of the goal looks somewhat doubtful, because after the end of the “free” offer, the number of new installations will decrease.

Despite this, the introduction of a paid upgrade decided not to postpone.