Free Windows Upgrades For The Life of Your PC?
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 3/27/2017 1:00:00 AM
Paying as much as $130 for an "Upgrade" of Windows is just plain wrong.
One of the biggest mistakes Microsoft made over the years their policy of charging enormous prices for upgrades to Windows. This policy has stagnated the industry for decades as PC owners need to decide whether or not to pay for each upgrade. More often than not, they choose not to, which means that the majority of Windows owners are running outdated software.
By contrast, Apple's upgrades continue to be free.
While some may argue that Apple can justify giving MacOS upgrades for free, because unlike Microsoft, they rely on the sales of their Operating System as their primary source of income, but that's the wrong way to look at it. While it may be true that Microsoft makes the majority of their income from sales of Windows, they earn most of that from OEM sales to computer companies who pre-install it on each new PC.
With that in mind, Microsoft needs to consider the big picture when it comes to Windows. If Windows is going to remain on top, they need to make sure as many people as possible use the latest version. Until recently, Windows XP was installed on more PCs than Windows 7, 8, and 10 combined, even though it was released in 2002. This is because very few XP owners were willing to pay over $100 to move to Windows Vista, or Windows 7, 8, or 10.
I wrote about the concept of giving Windows upgrades for the life of each PC a few years ago. The idea was simple. Instead of charging for upgrades, I suggested they link each upgrade to the original serial number of the PC it was licensed to. Since most PC users get a new computer every 3-6 years, they would get about 1 major upgrade before getting a new PC (and new license).
Thankfully, Microsoft realized how few people were moving from Windows 7 to 8, and 10, so they decided to offer a free upgrade to Windows 10. The trouble was, it was for a limited time, and that promotion is over. Let's hope they decide to offer the next version for free or they'll see further stagnation in the industry.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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