Does it mean that if you do the free upgrade, once the year is over you'll have to pay to continue using it? Or does it mean instead that the upgrade will be free for the first year, and if you want to upgrade after that it'll cost you?
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From what I understood from the video it means you get the chance to upgrade within a year of release. They also said you'll be receiving automated updates for the supported life time of the device (whatever that means)
They've done a really poor job of communicating that.
The free upgrade for one year thing is fairly cut and dry. However what they meant by that "we'll support updates for the lifetime of the device" is completely meaningless and confusing. As opposed to what they've been doing until now..?
Also they keep on talking about "Windows as a service" with zero clarification on what that means. Is Windows becoming a paid subscription? Is that just meaningless marketing speak?
I'll say this, Microsoft has a bad track record of making these events 50% longer than they should be and filing in the gaps with marketing department nonsense that doesn't mean anything. There were some bits of that that were simply cringe and or a huge time waster.
Some fruit-named company do these presentations better. They're still better than Google however...
I agree that the language "This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no additional charge." found on Terry Myerson's blog ( http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next... ) is troubling at worst and confusing at best.
Since when does Microsoft decide what the "supported lifetime of the device" is? All of my devices running Windows were hand built by me from best-of-breed components that I frequently swap out.
I could see it making sense if it was for the supported lifetime of Windows 10 because that at least is something where Microsoft should be expected to define a final end of support date. But that is not what it says, and even that would be odd...Microsoft is going to either turn off my OS when they decide to no longer support it, or make me start paying to use it at that point?
Makes no sense any way you slice it, at least as currently (poorly) communicated.
What do you mean they've done a poor job communicating it? It sounds like you have it down perfectly. You get the upgrade for free within one year of release, just like you could get Windows 8 for a reduced price for a limited time. But it's not free for a year then pay for it, it's free, full stop, if you upgrade within a year. And after that year, you're not going to get charged for updates. Yes, it's different from how they did it before, because this time it's free. In the past, it was "buy it for $200, then free updates". This time it's free, with free updates.
Plus, the press event was like an hour ago, with the release date several months from now. No one is rushing out to buy it at the stores right now. There's time for you to be less confused.
As opposed to what they've been doing until now..?
My interpretation is that Windows 10 will by the last 'version' of Windows, in other words, that there won't be a Windows 11. So, for as long as you own the device, Windows will be supported on it.
Sounds more like a year long trial period as you never seem to quite own the "free" copy.
Not exactly what loyal Windows 7 and 8 users would have wanted (a real free lifetime copy), but a genuine step in the right direction.
You never "own" software in the first place. But yes the license is perpetual for whichever device(s) you activate it on.