14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a long debate taking place online right now, which discusses the possibility of getting Windows 10 with a freeware license, even though Microsoft hasn’t yet commented anything on the pricing model that it wants to adopt for the upcoming operating system.
But according to some people close to Microsoft’s development plans, Windows 10 could be offered with a freeware license, at least to certain users, in order to make sure that the desktop market share of Windows is maintained.
Gregg Moskowitz, software analyst with Cowen, says in a note to investors that Microsoft is very likely to offer Windows 10 free of charge to those running Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 because otherwise “it would seem penny-pinching at best.” Microsoft needs to repair the damage caused with Windows 8, so a free license of Windows 10 for users who upgraded seems logical.
Windows 7 users could get a discount. Or not
As far as those running an older version of Windows are concerned, the analyst believes that Microsoft has mixed plans which could in the end make the new Windows 10 available at a lower price.
Windows 7 users, for instance, might be allowed to upgrade to Windows 10 with a discount, but this plan is not yet approved, so until fall 2015, when the new OS is expected to see daylight, a lot of that could change.
Windows 7 is currently the number one operating system worldwide on the desktop and is very likely to become the new impossible-to-kill Windows XP in 2020, when it reaches end of support. Microsoft needs to get people off Windows 7 by that time, so offering Windows 10 at a discounted price again seems to the logical step in this direction.
Windows 10 is expected to make its public debut in the fall of 2015, but Microsoft is very likely to share more on these plans on January 21, during a press conference focused on the consumer experience with the new operating system. Windows Phone 10 details are also said to be part of the main keynote during this event.