14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this year, China asked Microsoft to extend Windows XP support in the country and continue providing updates for this OS version after April 2014, explaining that local authorities purchased genuine copies of the operating system only a few months before the deadline.
That didn’t happen, however, and Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows XP in April all over the world, including China, so you can imagine the frustration of local authorities after paying for a software solution that was discontinued shortly after that.
A similar situation is now happening across the world with organizations that have only recently upgraded to Windows 8.1, as Microsoft has already unveiled Windows 10 Preview and is working hard to bring the stable product to the market as soon as possible.
The ICT Service Director of Nottinghamshire County Council said in an interview with Computing that the Windows 10 Preview launch came as a big surprise for local officials, as local computers had only recently been upgraded to Windows 8.1.
Windows 8.1 still good enough
Even though there’s no doubt that it’s a bit frustrating to upgrade to an operating system only a few months before the new version is unveiled, local authorities claim that Windows 8.1 is still good enough for their business.
“There is a business issue in terms of our ongoing discussions around [Windows 10]. In terms of our users and our [general] perspective, we were happy with 8.1, but I think it's worthy of a discussion in terms of Windows 10,” ICT Service Director Ivor Nicholson was quoted as saying.
Of course, businesses and organizations that have only recently upgraded to Windows 8.1 are already thinking about moving to Windows 10 when it becomes available, and there’s no doubt that Microsoft knows that.
Windows 10 could be free for Windows 8.1 users
As a result, the company is already considering an option that would allow users running Windows 8.1 to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, in an attempt supposed not only to help those who have recently completed the upgrade to this modern OS, but also to boost adoption of the new operating system.
At the same time, Microsoft could also offer Windows 7 users the chance to switch to Windows 10 at a much more affordable price, with huge discounts to be offered soon after launch.
Nothing is confirmed so far, but there’s no doubt that Windows 10 is going to be a very exciting product for everyone in the industry, so making it more affordable could be a great offering.