Microsoft announce free upgrade to Windows 10

Yesterday Microsoft held a Windows 10 Live Event outlining the future of the operating system and new offerings to come later in the year.

Along with some very exciting advances in functionality they stated that the new operating system will be available as a free upgrade, much like the operating systems of Apple.

Windows as a Service and a Free Upgrade to Windows 10

Microsoft's big announcement was that "a free upgrade for Windows 10 will be made available to customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 who upgrade in the first year after launch.*"

The only restriction to this was *It is our intent that most of these devices will qualify, but some hardware/software requirements apply and feature availability may vary by device. Devices must be connected to the internet and have Windows Update enabled. ISP fees may apply. Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update required. Some editions are excluded: Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise outside of this offer. We will be sharing more information and additional offer terms in coming months.

It looks like a lot of windows users will be benefitting from yesterdays big news and this also includes future upgrades on the devices that take advantage of the free upgrade. "Once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no cost."

New details of Windows 10 experiences?

Cortana, Microsoft’s personal digital assistant, comes to PC and tablet, for the first time with Windows 10.

Windows 10 for phones and tablets.

A new web experience for Windows 10 - A new browser.

Office universal apps on Windows 10.

Xbox Live and the new Xbox App bring new game experiences to Windows 10.

Continuum Mode.

The much loved start menu returns.

New devices

The live event also introduced 2 new devices to the Windows 10 family: Microsoft Surface Hub and Microsoft HoloLens.

For more detailed information visit the Microsoft blog.

By Mark Donegan