We had earlier stated that the shape of Windows operating system was going to change and that it will be provided as a service rather than an software package. We also said that the future of Windows operating system would be subscription-based against one time payment we have been making for one time purchases all these years.
At its conference Ignite, Microsoft employee, Jerry Nixon confirmed the first speculation that Windows 10 will be the last operating system from Microsoft. He said in a statement that:
“Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10”
The above statement clearly means two things.
First is that there will be no other operating system like Windows 10.1 or even Windows 11. Windows 10 will be the ‘last’ operating system and it will be kept updating as and when changes are made. These changes will be pushed through Windows Updates instead of grouping them together and making a new version of Windows. The statement from Jerry Nixon comes as a confirmation for the first theory.
The second important thing that we can deduce from the statement that Windows may go to subscription based. As there will be updates and the updates will be made available to the users of Windows 10 users, there has to be some way or the other to make money for the company. This pushes the concept of subscription model. Though it may take some time but eventually, it will end up with the subscription model meaning you will have to pay an annual fee (or whatever period Microsoft chooses) to receive updates. Windows is one of the most wide selling products of Microsoft and it won’t give it away for free forever.
Though it is well known that Windows 10 will be free upgrade for users of Windows 8 and Windows 7 for one year from the date of its release, the company cannot afford to keep on providing free updates to users. The user base of Windows is too big to be ignored and not monetized. This lends brevity to our theory that Windows will become subscription based as there won’t be any more versions of Windows operating system as said by Jerry.
While the move comes as expected and will counter piracy and similar issues, it is yet to be seen how Microsoft manages the cost of updates. Since the user base includes college students and people from different income brackets, we can just hope that either there will be different subscriptions or the subscription amount will be within budget of most users.
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So, will Windows 10 keep countinuing support forever? True or False
More likely.
This reminds me of Mac OS X Updates and Minecraft Updates.
I think they’re going to do what Adobe does. When you get Adobe Creative Cloud, you get whatever the current version of their software is. This enables them to support updates and features for the newest version of their software rather than worrying about long-term support for old releases.
Per reports, it is clear that Windows 10 will be supported forever as it will be the last in the series and they need to keep it secure. So updates will always be there until something changes Microsoft’s mind.
That is really going to push more people to use Linux than could ever have been imagined. A wise move, microsoft, good luck ;))
In the past I have always purchased the RETAIL versions of Windows as in IMO this is [for me] the most cost effective way. By doing it this way I have always had the ability to remove the OS(s) from one PC and install it onto another newly built or changed hardware PC.
Going onto a subscription basis will make me think twice about Windows 10. I believe that MS [on a subscription basis] will tie the subscription to one PC [just as present OEM versions are] and a new subscription will be needed for each new PCHardware setup and do away with retail versions. This would increase my costs and this I am not happy about. But as has been said it depends on how MS decides to charge for subscriptions. But they will have to tread lightly so as not to antagonise lot of folks
If MS goes the way I think they will I will once again seriously begin to contemplate continuing with present OS’s [Vista, 7 and 8.1] and as support winds down from them move over to Linux. That once again depends on MS’s new secure boot system and wonder if they will make it easy to install Linux [or other OS’s]. At the moment it seems that MS is trying its best to make it difficult for other OS’s to be installed onto new PC’s. So I guess, like all of us, it is still a wait and see period as to MS actual way forward.
Erniek
The collection cost will be high for subscription model. The revenue and net profit will drop. It is the nightmare for PC manufacturers too. Pre-load Linux and pre-load Android will come up to replace pre-load Windows. Free upgrade for Win 7 and 8 are not attractive since a lot of users are still using Win XP. Subscription model will be a killer to Microsoft Windows.
If what Microsoft said is true, then I would be willing to wager, this direction taken by Microsoft would open the doors to other industries to jump in and try to be their replacement. We may, at this time, be the leader, but the USA certainly doesn’t hold a Patent on OS technology.
I can see it now. New, and now available at Newegg, the new OS by Honda Technology Systems. On sale now at it’s introductory low price of $99.99 for the basic version, $144.99 for the Ultra Pro and for $225 you can be the first on your block to get the latest in OS technology with the 128 bit Starlight Ultimate.