Windows 10 was released with much fanfare in the summer of 2015, and since then, Microsoft has been continuously pushing everyone to adopt it.
And since it’s being offered as a free upgrade for those running Windows 7 or 8.1, the company has also turned to a very aggressive campaign to bring Windows 10 on these computers, including “accidental” installs that started all of a sudden for a number of users.
Additionally, Microsoft is also displaying upgrade notifications on computers running a previous Windows version to let them know about Windows 10, saying that this approach is supposed to make the transition to the new OS a little bit easier.
So it’s no surprise that many are very angry with Microsoft’s strategy, especially if they want to stick to their current OS install and avoid the update to Windows 10.
What users say
Anti-Microsoft and anti-Windows 10 posts are all over the web these days, but the best place to look for them is the Microsoft Community forums, where users publish their criticism because they’re sure the company would read it.
And there are a lot of messages saying that, after being upgraded to Windows 10 all of a sudden, they decided to switch sides and go to Apple or Linux.
“I'm so fed up with Microsoft and their lack of concern and decided to get a MacBook Pro. Loved it! Since purchasing the MacBook Pro, I've gotten an iPad Pro, too. Love it! I also have an iPhone. This issue with Microsoft is simply the icing on the cake of growing discontentment with all things Microsoft/PC!” one user explained.
What Microsoft says
On the other hand, Microsoft says that it’s well aware that its campaign could anger some users, but bringing people to Windows 10 is a priority and a responsibility, given the fact that it offers increased security and better performance.
Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, has explained that the company wants to fight fragmentation, and it’s hard to move the world to Windows 10 without angering some people.
“We just know there's a lot of people out there who constantly kick the can down the street without a little bit more of a, frankly, a push and there's no doubt with a basis big as ours it's hard to move anyone to a new model without angering some people. We don't want to anger anybody, but do we feel a responsibility to get people to a much better place and we think Windows 10 is a much better place than Windows 7,” Capossela says.
In the end, everyone believes that users should be allowed to choose what to do next, and Microsoft goes along with that, adding that Windows 10 is a 100 percent optional download for everyone. We’re pretty sure not everyone agrees, though.