What is Windows 10 Really Going to Cost You?

Microsoft, in my opinion, has been rather vague about this whole free upgrade to Windows 10 saying it’s free for the supported lifetime of the device, but what is the supported lifetime of the device? Apparently some leaked informtion indicates the supported lifetime is 2-4 years, possibly 2 years for home customers and 4 for pro customers. What happens after that is anyones guess, but I’ve been hearing the words freemium and subscription being tossed around.

On top of that I thought forced updates were only going to Windows Home, but apparently Windows 10 Pro will also have forced updates, only enterprise edition will allow the user to control how and when they get their updates. What do you think?

P.S. It should be noted that Microsoft is keeping a lid on what their plans are for the expiration of supported lifetime, freemium and subscription based are just rumors. At the same time if free updates end in two years that’s three years befor free updates end for Win7. Personally I think Microsoft might be moving towards ad based revenue, but that’s just a hunch, I have no evidence to back that up.

Say for instance two years from now Microsoft starts pushing out updates that enable ads on your desktop, what are you gonna do to stop it since you can’t delay your updates or choose which ones not to install.

Anymore you can put together a computer and have some expectations of it being a workable machine for ten years (with upgrades) Granted it may not be the ideal gaming machine at the end of that life cycle but anymore you can build a fairly high end machine, And over the next 5 years or so just upgrade vid card every other year and you are fairly good to go.

I think that’s the idea there Joe, Microsoft is saying that Windows 10 will be free for the “supported lifetime of the device.” The idea being that it sounds as though your free upgrade will remain free over the lifetime of the device you’re installing it on, but that’s not true, it’s not free for the lifetime of the device it’s free for the “supported” lifetime of the device. Microsoft has not publicly acknowledged what they mean by this, but some leaked documents indicate that the “supported lifetime” is actually 2-4 years, two years for Windows 10 Home and four years for Windows 10 Pro.

This means that free Windows 10 support will actually end before Windows 7 and Windows8/8.1 support does. Free Windows 10 support will end in 2017 for Home users and 2019 for Pro users while Windows 7 support isn’t scheduled to be cut off until 2020.

Of course there’s no mention on what Microsoft plans to do when that free support ends. When Windows 7 and Windows 8 support ends that’s it, there’s no more support you just have to upgrade to a new version of Windows, but Windows 10 is different. Microsoft is calling Windows 10 the “last version of Windows.” That’s because they’re no longer going to be making any major Windows releases, with Windows 10 you’ll never install a fresh new OS, instead everything is upgrade based. Different parts of the OS get upgraded periodically. Once free support for Windows 10 ends you’ll need to start paying for those updates, including security updates, one way or another and Microsoft is keeping their mouth shut on that subject.

For now no one, outside of Microsoft, knows how Microsoft plans to monetize Windows when free support ends. Leaked documents indicate that Windows revenue is being deferred for three years, meaning that due to the free release/support Windows will be generating little to no revenue for three years, after that Microsoft expects Windows to start turning a major profit again. What happens in three years? How are they going to start monetizing Windows if there are no new major releases to purchase?

You’re going to pay for it one way or another, the question is how? It’s not really free, my guess is that it’s a trap. However Microsoft plans to start monetizing Windows is so disconcerting that they have to trick people into it by luring them into this new deal by pretending to offer them a free upgrade that locks you in and once you’re in the deal changes. Bait and switch.

P.S. Of course they can do this because they have such a massive slice of the OS market share. Once you upgrade to Windows 10 and the deal changes what are you gonna do? A large part of their audience can’t afford to switch to Mac and the vast majority of them have no idea Linux even exists nor do they have the technical know how to install it. Not too mention Microsoft’s UEFI has gone to great lengths to make things harder for Linux.

P.P.S. Personally I’ve switched to Linux and am quite happy with it so far. I’m keeping Windows 7 installed, for now, and will not be upgrading it to Windows 10. If I still have it when support ends then I’ll probably give my system a good full format and install just GNU/Linux. My girlfriend has a Windows 8.1 tablet that I will not be upgrading to Windows 10, instead I’m going to see about getting GNU/Linux on it. It has a 32-bit UEFI coupled with a 64-bit processor which, as I understand it, complicates things a bit when it comes to installing Linux, but I think I can make it work.

Perhaps my mistake can serve so that others can learn from it. If you’re planning to buy a new computer or tablet I recommend you make sure it has either a 64-bit UEFI or BIOS setup, 32-bit UEFI complicates things in terms of options apparently.

The rumor mill has been in overdrive in the last few months regarding Windows 10, but that’s just what they are, rumors.

For instance, there was a promotion a couple of years ago run my Microsoft that upgraded your OS version to 8 for free, none of them suddenly had to pay up in order to continue the use of their machine.

Also, I have heard that if you really don’t like Windows 10, it will keep a copy of Win7 or Win8 in an archived folder so you can roll back to it if needed. Though Microsoft is working tirelessly to bang out all of the kinks in version 10 in the hopes that few are actually going to do that.

Here’s the kicker though. There will be no more major Windows releases after Windows 10, you will never buy a new Windows operating system after Windows 10. Windows will be upgraded through Windows Update, they will not be upgrading the entire operating system anymore, instead different aspects of the OS are updated periodically and these updates are not necessarily synchronized with one another so the file system might receive an update in 2016 while the windowing system might receive an update in 2017.

You will never buy another version of Windows, however; Microsoft expects to start monetizing Windows again in three years, how? You’re not going to be buying a new version of Windows so how are they going to be making money?

These rumors are circulating because everyone knows Microsoft needs to monetize Windows, but Microsoft is not saying how they plan to do it. The rumors regarding a subscription model are based off of logical deduction. No one will ever buy a new version of Windows, there will never be a new “version” of Windows, Microsoft is now calling it “Windows as a service.”

Like I said though, personally I wouldn’t be surprised if you start seeing ads on your desktop in the not too distant future. I mean other than ads or subscription what other options are there for Microsoft to monetize “Windows as a service?”

P.S. Really the infrastructure for putting ads on your desktop is already present. Windows Live Tiles are perfect for cycling through ads.

selling you things like cloud storage, cloud apps, and games etc?

maybe they have a plan to ‘Xbox Live’ windows?

like have essential stuff behind a paywall?

maybe they plan on killing cable companies? or selling a AR desktop?

holo Lens seems like there next idea for interface? 3d mice etc? (have they secretly listened to all my rants?)

Bpr places tin foil knight helmet on

It could be like pay to win mmo’s So you might see a windows banner looking like this someday

$200 to unlock your ram to 8 Gig, But this weeks special will unlock to 12 gig for 250.
$50 for each pcie slot you want to unlock
$100 per core unlock on cpu

I know people pirate windows products on a very regular basis, And Microsoft makes due with that because they know pirated or legit it adds to the % of the market share using microsoft products and that is something they can use as a selling point. But I keep one thing in mind when I want to try a new OS, A new harddrive is only a couple hundred.

That sounds awfully extreme there BPR. The fact is that Microsoft plans to monetize Windows, this is not a secret. Microsoft has not publicly stated how they plan to do so.

Forbes.com, the article I linked to, seems to be under the impression Microsoft wants to turn Windows into a subscription or freemium service which makes sense since they’re calling it “Windows as a service” now. I happened to notice with Windows 8.1 Microsoft started including ads in a number of their apps, putting those ads in the start menu and on the desktop seems like the next logical step.

I mean, you already have ads plastered all over your television screen, why not your monitor too?

P.S. For the record I’m not even saying there’s anything particularly wrong with that, Microsoft can monetize Windows however they want. It’s not my particular cup of tea so I’ll be minimizing or eliminating my use of Windows.

I’m not railing against Microsoft here, just presenting my thoughts on one possible future. Just because it’s a theory doesn’t make it a conspiracy theory. I don’t know if Microsoft wants to place ads on your desktop, just sayin’ I see some signs that suggests that might be where they’re going with Windows 10, but it’s just a theory.

So far I haven’t heard anyone else offer any thoughts on how they think Microsoft might monetize Windows.

That’s the thing, the conspiracy mills have a tendency to start churning out potentially bogus information until something is stated explicitly and in great detail, that’s just how the internet seems to work. Some actually think that Microsoft will resort to illegal practices with this version, we need to be aware that this isn’t the Steve Ballmer company anymore?

There are currently theories that Microsoft will monetize Windows by charging for new feature packs released on an annual basis. One of the main points of getting everyone on Windows 10 though is that they have every user on the same page in terms of updates (which will save a load of development time and lower the costs).

I’m certainly not suggesting Microsoft is planning anything illegal with Windows 10. Your feature packs theory is interesting and certainly a possibility, but, to me, it still begs the question as to why Microsoft is being so tight lipped about their plans to monetize Windows? If they want to charge for feature packs why not say so?

It’s true that Microsoft’s secrecy on the matter is fueling all the speculation and some of that speculation is more wild than others, but Microsoft must know that their secrecy is fueling such theories so they must feel that the pros of secrecy outweigh the cons. So the negative press this secrecy is generating is less costly than revealing their actual plans. I find that interesting, it’s certainly no smoking gun, but interesting.

I’m not sure what you mean about Steve Ballmer in regards to illegal Windows activity, seemed like he was as good a CEO as any other best I can tell. Just found himself the head of Microsoft when Microsoft was in a tough spot with Google, Apple and Firefox giving Microsoft a run for their money on several fronts, most notably the mobile market which Microsoft failed to make much, if any, headway in.

I never said Steve Ballmer did anything illegal, it’s just that they seem to be making some significantly better decisions under Satya (becoming more friendly to Open Source ideals to the point of open sourcing some DirectX related components, fixing what people didn’t like about Windows 8, ect…).

Anyway, the good thing about Windows 10 at least is that apps. like Blender will still be allowed to run on it, they could’ve always gone the iOS route in outright banning FOSS if they wanted to.

My bad, you included Steve Ballmer in the same sentence about Windows illegal activity theories. I do find it a bit odd that Windows not eliminating the ability to run FOSS on Windows is considered a feature. I mean not reducing compatibility is considered a feature now?

P.S. Kinda funny about the mobile market. Microsoft bought Nokia which was, at the time, considered a very credible mobile manufacturer and I suppose the idea was that Microsoft might pick up some of Nokia’s credibility. Instead of Microsoft gaining credibility Nokia lost credibility.

Verizon, the largest US carrier, doesn’t even sell Nokia/Windows phones anymore.

I didn’t say allowing FOSS was a feature either, and it was never considered by Microsoft to end compatibility with apps. under Open Source licenses.

The reason I bring it up is that Microsoft would have the ability to make all future versions of Windows incompatible with everything FOSS if they wanted to (because they control every aspect of the software as well as Visual Studio). We know for a fact that Apple already made such a decision for iOS (though lucky for Mac users they never made that move with OSX).

Also, about the decision to stick with Linux, I think the main thing that held Linux back is because their developers have historically not given a hoot about getting serious with making it as GUI-driven and as easy to use as Windows (expecting new users to learn how to use a terminal and even hunt down dependencies for programs in cases). The historical drive for Linux was good-ole software ideology rather than user feedback (though some newer distros like Mint have gone some ways to fix that).

If the worst came to be true and people have to start paying constantly for the privilege of using a computer, then Linux better be ready and put the terminal and dependency hunting away for good (for the vast majority of use). Otherwise it’s just going to be another story of FOSS failing in its goals (and in its bid to reduce the control of big corporations on general computing, simply because the ethics of the corporation wound up being a lot better in comparison).

It’s nice that Microsoft hasn’t cut out FOSS from Windows indeed, but that’s not to say that Microsoft hasn’t gotten in a few pot shots. Take a look at UEFI, Microsoft requires hardware vendors to enable “Secure Boot” on their devices in order to become Windows 8 certified.

In short part of what this does is prevent anyone from installing Linux, or any other operating system, or even running a Linux Live ISO. Now a user can disable Secure Boot if they so choose and install Linux, although originally Microsoft wanted manufactures to make it so that Secure Boot could not be disabled at all neither did they want to allow users to use their own keys and certificate authorities which would effectively have given Microsoft ownership of your computer as they would have been in complete control of what you can and cannot do with it.

Apparently Microsoft only changed their mind for x86 hardware, but what happens in the future when Microsoft ends up getting their way?

You have a point when it comes to the ease of use of Linux, it’s not the easiest OS to use, though that certainly varies from one distribution to the next. At the same time I think the developers want to ensure that end users have as much functionality and freedom to customize and control their setup to their liking.

Of course that makes it more complicated. I mean if you walk up to an ice cream parlor that only serves plain vanilla then the ordering process is pretty strait forward, but if they have 32 different flavors, 27 different toppings and 4 different cones it’s going to take you a little time to familiarize your self with the menu and put together something you’ll be happy with.

There’s no need for Linux to be a carbon copy of Windows, that defeats the point of having options. Linux is not Windows and that’s why there is a place in this world for Linux.

Linux is not better than Windows, neither is Windows better than Linux. Linux is great for those who want those options, it’s great for those who know their way or are willing to learn their way around a computer. Windows, on the other hand, is great for those that don’t mind making a few sacrifices for ease of use.

I have my own caveats with the direction Microsoft is taking Windows and so I have chosen to move over to Linux, there’s nothing wrong if others don’t make that same choice.

If Linux doesn’t work for you then stick with Windows or give OSX a go, it is not the job of others, Linux developers in this case, to cater to your every desire.

Windows and Linux (Ubuntu Series) are good combination, they work best together. Just like a husband and a wife, they fit together.

You can remove Windows viruses using Linux. Linux comes with free office suite and Windows is good for gaming and Linux is efficient at 3D rendering.

–My experiences with computers

I like to say that regardless of the OS one likes to use a Linux Live CD, DVD or USB is a handy thing to keep around. That way if something ever happens and you can’t boot into your OS, for whatever reason, you can boot into the Live image to diagnose and probably even fix the problem. Of course it’s always a good idea to keep your important stuff backed up.

google drive is a life saver

Yeah on-line cloud storage is probably a good solution for backups. Myself, I like to use an external hard drive that my girlfriend and I picked up on the cheap not long ago. Even if you’re using cloud storage I would imagine keeping your own external drive on hand to double backup the most important stuff isn’t a bad idea. You never know when you’re gonna need it and not have an available network connection, plus with all the high profile hacks going on these days I’d find it hard to say that cloud storage is perfectly safe.

While on-line storage is maintained by Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etcetera your off-line storage is maintained by you so you can be sure that your storage medium will be as safe as you trust yourself to keep it safe.

When choosing an off-line storage medium be sure to do your homework and get the medium that best suits your needs. Traditional mechanical external hard drives will hold on to the stored information indefinitely, however, because they are mechanical they are prone to failure when given a serious jolt such as when dropped. Solid state drives (SSD) on the other hand are basically the opposite of that, there’s no moving parts so they fair quite well against being dropped or jolted, however the data they contain needs to be refreshed with electricity from time to time otherwise it becomes corrupted.

I’m no expert on this, but as I understand it a typical SSD will hold it’s data for roughly two years without being connected to a power source, but that time period changes depending on the storage conditions of the drive. As I understand it for every nine degree rise in the ambient temperature where the drive is stored the data retention time is halved. So a drive stored around 77 degrees will retain it’s data, without power, for about two years while a drive stored at 86 degrees may only retain that data for one year.

I tried dual booting windows 10 and linux
but then windows 10 technical preview if you can believe it, registered the lubuntu drive as malware!

I don’t even update my old Windows 7 OS. I encountered no problems so far.