Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade for ‘Genuine and Non-Genuine’ Users
As you may have heard before, Microsoft has long had an issue with Windows piracy, especially in developing markets. Back in 2011, then-CEO Steve Ballmer estimated that only 10% of users in China were actually paying for Microsoft software. Rather famously, one of the main reasons that Windows XP had such a massive share of the desktop market for so many years was due to rampant piracy in China. A more recent study by the BSA says that 74% of commercial software in China is unlicensed.
But now, according to Myerson, it’s time to “re-engage” with Chinese users of Windows—and that means a free, legitimate upgrade license for Windows 10, even if you’re a pirate. We don’t yet know how this program will be implemented, but presumably it’s an extension of the previously announced program, which will see Microsoft offer free upgrades to Windows 10 during the first year of availability.
The arrival of Windows 10 heralds a different way of doing business for Microsoft. While Windows licenses have historically been a huge source of income for Microsoft, it’s now moving towards a more service-based model; instead of a large up-front license cost for Windows, Microsoft will instead leverage services such as Skype, Office 365, and Software Assurance subscriptions. For this new modus operandi to be successful, it’s very important that Microsoft gets everyone onto the same common platform—Windows 10—rather than a bunch of fractured, older operating systems. A free upgrade across the board, including an armistice with the pirates, will be very effective at moving everyone to Windows 10.
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