Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 completely free for consumers, no matter the timing of their install

Mar 31, 2015 04:32 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has already announced that Windows 10 will be free of charge as an upgrade within the first year after launch, but it turns out that the company is working to make the operating system available at absolutely no cost for all consumers no matter the timing of their install.

Basically, Redmond previously said that Windows 10 would come in the form of a free upgrade for computers running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, but only if this upgrade is performed in the first 12 months after launch. What would happen next was still unknown, but now a Microsoftie with more knowledge on the matter suggests that Windows 10 could remain free for all consumers.

In an interview with Yahoo News, Aaron Woodman, senior director of product marketing at Microsoft, indicates that “no consumers will pay for Windows 10,” no matter if they upgrade within the first year after launch or not.

Does this mean that Windows 10 could remain free of charge for consumers forever? Most likely, but the one-year upgrade window plays a key role for Microsoft, as the company wants to bring users on the latest version of the OS as fast as possible, not only to boost PC sales and move away from old versions of Windows but also to increase the market share of its new software.

“We never said Windows is free”

There still are a few unknown things that could raise additional questions as to how some users could get Windows 10 running on their computers.

For example, if Windows 10 is indeed available as a free upgrade within the first year after launch, what happens to consumers who actually want to install the new operating systems on their computers not running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1? Or what if the upgrade doesn't work as expected and a clean install is needed?

Those are questions that are yet to be answered, but Microsoft could come up with a small fee that might require consumers to pay a few bucks for getting a copy of Windows 10. “We never said Windows is free,” Woodman explains, which could be a sign that Microsoft is still looking into ways to make money out of the new operating system in some way or another.