Windows 10 really Windows 365, only one year free then pay every year?

[4ktv]

So Microsoft might just force Windows 8 users though windows update and trick Windows 7 users into upgrading to Windows 10 to then after the first year rename the product to Windows 365 and make everyone pay $100 a year for windows.

After Windows 7 it feels like Microsoft just can't do anything right and after reading that I now see they can't wait to get us on a pay by the month or year model for Windows that could cost up to 5+ times more in the end than what it cost us now.

Not even talking about that always online DRM I am sure that new cloud happy CEO is going to shove down everyone's throat.

They got rid of class actions, so it's not like anyone can sue them once they do this in any numbers that would make them care. And most people wouldn't know what to do but bend over and pay the higher cost with all the junk that comes from always online cloud based systems. (Not even to say they the grounds for suing would be soft at best because they haven't made it legally clear what the "supported lifetime of the device" is or what kind of support via updates they would really give it after that first year. Likely next to nothing and it will become the next XP less than 2 years after release with tons of holes.)

If it cost $100 a year, then I will quit Windows.

Link:
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/with-the-windows-365-trademark-the-windows-10-subscription-plan-becomes-apparent/#ftag=YHF87e0214

So any comments?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

If you upgrade within a year of the release it's free.

That is fiction , made a good article though.

 

[USAFRet]

"If" they were to do this, they'd be shooting themself in the head.

They are not going to do this. It will not be a yearly/monthly subscription.

 

[Solandri]

"If" they were to do this, they'd be shooting themself in the head.

They are not going to do this. It will not be a yearly/monthly subscription.

They already tried this with their business accounts. When Win XP came out, they sales staff talked a lot of companies into buying a 3 year support contract instead of outright buying XP. The contract covered the cost of Win XP, phone tech support if they had problems, and automatic upgrades to the next Windows OS when it came out. At the time Microsoft's upgrade cycle was a new version of Windows ever 2.5-3 years, so it seemed like a safe bet. A lot of companies were wary that they were switching from an outright purchase model to a subscription model, but Microsoft priced it well for 2 OSes so many of them signed on.

Vista wasn't released until 6 years after XP. Long after most of the contracts promising licenses to the "next version" of Windows had expired. I think Microsoft ended up extending the contracts by an extra year or two for free. And Vista wasn't even considered a very good upgrade so a lot of companies stuck with XP until Win 7, which came out 8 years after XP. So the companies which signed up for the 3 year subscription model got royally screwed. And it'll be a cold day in hell before they sign up for a subscription OS.

This also highlights one of the major problems with a subscription model for software. It destroys the incentive for the software maker to roll out upgrades on a timely schedule if they know they're going to get paid each year regardless of if they ship the next upgrade out on time. It works for magazines where you have to put out a new product every month. It doesn't work when you can essentially hold your customers' computers hostage unless they continue paying every year, even if you don't put out any updates.

 

[4ktv]

"If" they were to do this, they'd be shooting themself in the head.

They are not going to do this. It will not be a yearly/monthly subscription.

No one has really made it clear at Microsoft, so I think they are just covering this up hoping folks will just buy into it like they did when they made Windows 8, ME and so on.

Once I said they would make a tablet based UI(IE windows 8) folks said "If they did that and forced it on desktop users that would be shooting themselves in the head."

Once I said they would make what became Windows Vista and folks said "If they made an OS that did all that they would be shooting themselves in the head".

Once folks thought it was BS Microsoft would ever even say or talk about doing a always online Xbox but then just as I said they publicly stated that it would need to ping home every 24 hours. They went back on this later, but came close to doing what to many was a shoot self in the head move.

What is my point, this is Microsoft and fighting them on anything is nearly impossible. I know after the whole thing of a Samsung laptop that lost the product key in the BIOS. What a living nightmare that was, I will now keep many copy's of records on my Toshiba laptop to take M$ to court if this happens again. Thanks M$ tier 3 support and upper management for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBUtlFU1Oc

Also that Microsoft will do what they want even if they know many will complain. Even if the numbers might not look good, why because Microsoft loves to try new things at the cost of the customer.

 

[McHenryB]

No, it just doesn't make sense. Everywhere software is moving towards the free model - certainly for operating systems - with money to be made from services rather than the OS itself. (cf. Apple computers) For Microsoft to do otherwise would be crazy. They make most of their money out of corporate customers, and I'm sure this is the only place that we will see any subscription-based model.

And, in the end, you don't have to fight Microsoft. Nowadays you can just ignore them if you so wish.

Makes good reading for the Microsoft knockers, but otherwise it is pure hokum. As you are talking in terms of taking Microsoft to court, I guess it makes good reading for you.

 

[4ktv]

No, it just doesn't make sense. Everywhere software is moving towards the free model - certainly for operating systems - with money to be made from services rather than the OS itself. (cf. Apple computers) For Microsoft to do otherwise would be crazy. They make most of their money out of corporate customers, and I'm sure this is the only place that we will see any subscription-based model.

And, in the end, you don't have to fight Microsoft. Nowadays you can just ignore them if you so wish.

Makes good reading for the Microsoft knockers, but otherwise it is pure hokum. As you are talking in terms of taking Microsoft to court, I guess it makes good reading for you.

I can't take them to court over the Samsung laptop as I don't have the bill of sale for it. I could do it if it happened to the Toshiba because I would have records of the sale and likely I would win. But that was side tracking on the main topic.

As I stated before I liked Microsoft with Windows 7 and before. Windows 8 and Windows 10 disappoint me so far. A person can ignore all but water and food if they so wished to live. An unwise argument but I don't care to debate this so you win that one.

Mac as always has next to no software support, Linux is about the same so Microsoft knows they have the market under an iron fist. And I think they are going to use it as they make many things a bigger pain with local accounts, hiding product keys from customers and UI stuff.

It is not good reading for me at all as I would like to keep using Windows, but people always say no way until it happens then go I never saw it coming.

Can you support your case that Microsoft won't do this? Why did they do Windows 8 the way they did if they were all knowing business people, why did they take the PR hit over the Xbox one if they knew what would happen?

Sorry but after bill gates left Microsoft just isn't the same and the effect is really starting to show and not for the better.

 

[USAFRet]

Can you support your case that Microsoft won't do this? Why did they do Windows 8 the way they did if they were all knowing business people, why did they take the PR hit over the Xbox one if they knew what would happen?

Can you show where Microsoft said they WERE going to have Win 10 be subscription only?
Not some speculating blog...but from the MS mouth.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

There were a few articles out there , all speculation , not from Microsoft.

 

[USAFRet]

There were a few articles out there , all speculation , not from Microsoft.

Exactly.

 

[McHenryB]

You are only in a Microsoft jail if you lock the door yourself and throw the key out of the Window. The rest of us have several choices. Although I think it unrealistic to suppose that these speculative blogs are correct (not everything you read on the Internet is true), it really doesn't matter. I'm not about to imprison myself.

 

[MidnightDistort]

I would say either move to Linux or Apple. No one is forcing you to pay for a subscription and as USAFRet has mentioned, MS would be shooting themselves in the foot. They have already done that with W8 and will certainly not win the subscription battle. Folks on the internet like to spread rumors you gotta take what people say on the internet with a grain of salt these days.

Even if MS were to go to a subscription based model, they would get backlash. It seems the new CEO does know how to do things and really wants people to move off of older OS's that are expiring. You see how many people stuck with XP even after MS pulled the plug on it. Windows 8 made the situation worse. I didn't believe MS would go towards a subscription either and i still don't. W10 is a free upgrade for 365 days, it's free for those who are using an older version of Windows (i believe except XP) provided your copy is genuine.

Microsoft has gotten quite a lot of flak since Vista with their more extreme genuine copy authentications so the new CEO is stepping up and giving users a free OS. Subscription thing is nothing more but a rumor.

 

[orlbuckeye]

No, it just doesn't make sense. Everywhere software is moving towards the free model - certainly for operating systems - with money to be made from services rather than the OS itself. (cf. Apple computers) For Microsoft to do otherwise would be crazy. They make most of their money out of corporate customers, and I'm sure this is the only place that we will see any subscription-based model.

And, in the end, you don't have to fight Microsoft. Nowadays you can just ignore them if you so wish.

Makes good reading for the Microsoft knockers, but otherwise it is pure hokum. As you are talking in terms of taking Microsoft to court, I guess it makes good reading for you.

You can't compare them to Apple since Apple is a hardware company that includes it's own OS. But MS may have a Cloud version of Windows but they will also have the desktop version. MS is trying tin integrate the cloud in the devices so you can share data between devices. They are also doing this with Android and Apple with the Office for Ipads and Android devices. The may even have Windows 365 in cheap devices to compete with chromebooks.

Not sure if it's just a rumor as they did apply for a patent on the name 'Windows 365'