14 DAY TRIAL // With Windows 10, Microsoft will migrate from the classic model of the operating to what is being called Windows as a Service, a new approach that would allow the company to keep computers always updated by shipping patches and improvements as soon as they’re ready.
The idea of turning Windows into a service isn’t entirely new and there were some rumors pointing out that Microsoft could launch a subscription-based version of the operating system called Windows 365, that would be inspired by the same approach as that of Office 365 and require users to pay a monthly or yearly fee instead of a lifetime license.
Even though the company has never talked about such a project, it turns out that Microsoft actually registered the Windows 365 trademark just ahead of the Windows 10 launch, when its operating system finally becomes a service.
Of course, it’s not yet clear whether the company is indeed looking to launch such a project or only get the trademark so that nobody else could register it, but it’s pretty clear that Redmond is looking at a different pricing model for the upcoming operating system.
Windows 10 would be free for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs within one year after launch, the company announced, but details regarding pricing after this promo are yet to be disclosed.
Windows to become one of the largest services on the planet
Microsoft’s Terry Myerson said during the January 21 Windows 10 event that their operating system was set to become one of the largest services on the planet in the coming years, suggesting that this transition had already started by dropping the numbering system for Windows.
“In fact, with Windows 10 we think of Windows as a service. In the next couple of years one could reasonably think of Windows as one of the largest Internet services on the planet. And just like other Internet services, the question what version are you running will cease to make sense,” Myerson said.
More details will be disclosed at a later date, as Windows 10 is still in development and is expected to make its public debut in the fall of 2015 together with new mobile and tablet versions.