14 DAY TRIAL // Back in July 2015 when it rolled out Windows 10, Microsoft unveiled an ambitious plan to bring the new operating system to 1 billion devices by the end of FY2017.
And while the company has already admitted that such a goal can no longer be achieved, adoption of Windows 10 improves at a good pace, with CEO Satya Nadella revealing that Microsoft’s latest operating system is now running on 600 million devices.
As reported by GeekWire, Nadella commented on Windows 10 adoption during the company’s annual shareholders meeting, adding that the 600 million figure includes all devices and not just PCs, like tablets, gaming consoles, HoloLens, and even phones – though it’s pretty clear smartphones barely contribute.
Microsoft has already abandoned Windows phones and said no major updates to Windows 10 Mobile and new mobile hardware is planned, so the focus is on other device categories.
Free upgrades ending December 31
As part of its push to bring Windows 10 on as many systems as possible, Microsoft originally offered the OS as a free upgrade to computers running Windows 7 and 8.1.
And while this offer was only available in the first 12 months after the launch of Windows 10, a loophole that Microsoft left behind most likely on purpose enabled anyone to upgrade to this OS version free of charge as long as they promised they were using accessibility features.
This upgrade offer was aimed at people with disabilities still on Windows 7 and 8.1, but since no checks were performed for accessibility features, pretty much anyone could upgrade to Windows 10 using it.
This loophole, however, will be closed on December 31, so beyond this date no free upgrades to Windows 10 would be possible, which means that whoever is still on Windows 7 and 8.1 and hasn’t yet activated a Windows 10 upgrade would have to purchase a license for the latest OS.