Well, the rumors are true: Microsoft revealed its opening price point for Windows 10, and it’s cheaper than almost everyone expected.
Yes, Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 for free to all current Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. There’s no catch and you don’t have to “pay at a later date”.
Instead, all you need to do is “buy” Windows 10 within the first year of its release. After that first year is over, you’ll have to pay the usual license fees if you were to buy a new retail copy. If you jump on the offer in the first year of its release, however, then you’ll never have to pay a dime for Windows 10.
That’s a nice gesture by Microsoft – especially to those poor souls who jumped on Windows 8 early and suffered through all the early UI changes and problems.
It should also mean that Windows 10 users won’t suffer from another problem of Windows 8 users: the fact that nobody really uses their operating system. Windows 7 and Windows XP are both used by more people than Windows 8.
Thanks to Microsoft’s free offer, Windows 10 should be able to beat Windows 8’s market share overnight.
In any case, Microsoft just make next summer’s Windows 10 release date a lot more interesting.