Question about the next OS, W 9 or whatever they call it

[jmaga3080]

Hey people, I have this question, and as I think there isn't any official statement, I want to know your opinions:

Do the Surface Pro tablets (all three generations) will have the "Windows 9" update for free, or it will be the same as if we were buying the software for our desktops/laptops?

 

[Jas00555]

We have no idea what Windows 9 will cost for anyone. I would imagine that for the sake of not pissing off their OEM partners, they would price it the same across the board. Windows 8 users should be able to upgrade to Windows 9 for free, though, so that "same price" would still be $0, so a non-issue anyways.

 

[onlysublime]

yeah, I'm betting Windows 9 will be free for 8/8.1 users.

 

[webkrawler]

Doesn't the Pro tablets have a locked partition where you cannot install any other OS on it?

If so, its possible MS would not support upgrading those tablets to Windows 9.

 

[RajeevT]

Doesn't the Pro tablets have a locked partition where you cannot install any other OS on it?

Amazing how people blindly believe and propagate such misinformation. All x86/x64 (i.e. non RT) devices are required to have the ability to turn SecureBoot off, which BTW is a UEFI thing and not something Microsoft came up with.

About Windows 9's retail price, personally I doubt it will be free, but same as always I expect Windows 8 users to be able to upgrade (for a limited time only) at a low price.

 

[nmercy]

I've seen enough rumors from credible sources that Windows 9 will be a free upgrade for at least Windows 8 users if not also Windows 7 users. In the very worst case I imagine they'll run a deal like they did for Windows 8 where for the first few months the pro version cost $49.99.

As far as upgrading I would expect the Pro series to be able to upgrade at 99.9%, the Surface RT at 90%, and the Surface 2 at 98%. Mainly because I don't think they want to have to support Windows 8 in any form for very long and by providing a free upgrade to Windows 9 they can say they have supported it without cutting off support harshly.

 

[RajeevT]

Mainly because I don't think they want to have to support Windows 8 in any form for very long and by providing a free upgrade to Windows 9 they can say they have supported it without cutting off support harshly.

Even if they did provide Windows 9 as a free upgrade I do not think that would affect Windows 8's support lifecycle, so they would need to keep supporting the older OS for the promised period. Even if it's free not everyone will automatically upgrade, not unless they make it mandatory in some way.

 

[webkrawler]

Well, I wasn't propagating misinformation with my question about Secure Boot.

Since I did not know, this is why I asked the question.

Thank you for the answer.

 

[coolqf]

Most of their money comes from OEM. Providing upgrades for free really doesn't affect their bottom line. One would argue that it helps because it helps keep a more consistent OS experience, which means less development and greater quality control.

 

[Bogdan Gheorghe]

It's a little bit complicated. Unlike Apple,

MS is not a hardware company. It has Surface/Lumia/Xbox and peripherals but it's a software company.
This means it needs OEM partners to sell its software. From this point of view MS is a lot like Google.

My guess is that it Windows 9 won't be free for those who bought it in stores or got Windows 8/8.1 laptops.
However, MS can and I hope it will make the update free on Surface.

When it comes to phones and tablets things are more or less the same. OEM partners license the OS to put it on their hardware.
MS however made Windows license free for devices below 9", meaning all phones and 80% of Windows tablets. But again, MS needs those OEM partners to sell it's software, in this case to deliver it.

Don't forget that Android is a free and more over open source OS yet most phones/tablets manufacturers block the updates. Even high end devices such as Galaxy series only see 2 updates on their initial release and 3 on the Neo (or whatever they call the re-released) devices. And since those come with more or less same Android version, this means +1 update from the original device.

The thing is that since Windows is not open source like Android (1) and updates come through built in system directly from MS (2), it might make it difficult for manufacturers to block them but not impossible. On Android manufacturers start building custom firmwares and build in tons of themes and bloatware to prevent the users from updating. I guess we can only hope they won't go this far because if they do they risk in turning WP into Windows Mobile/Android 2.0.

They can however talk Microsoft into blocking the updates for those devices themselves otherwise threatening to ditch WP
/WP tablets. And since MS needs Windows running everywhere, they will do it.


Leaving that aside, I guess at least Lumia devices will get the update for free except maybe low end devices.

But this is just my point of view.

 

[Studio384]

Even if they did provide Windows 9 as a free upgrade I do not think that would affect Windows 8's support lifecycle, so they would need to keep supporting the older OS for the promised period. Even if it's free not everyone will automatically upgrade, not unless they make it mandatory in some way.

They are going to kill of Windows 8 in January 2016 too. The upgrade to Windows 8.1 is just the same as an upgrade from 7 to 8. Or 8 to 9 for the matter of fact. If it's a free update, the chance that Windows 8 will be killed off for good, is high. Microsoft already said that they want to limit the versions they support. Killing support Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 where the first steps (for Windows 8, will be part of the first step, as I said, this will happen January 2016, and yes, support for Windows 8.1 has been ended already, Windows 8.1 Update is now the required OS).

 

[Wevenhuis]

History has shown that for every new OS number current windows licencees have to pay for an upgrade. Windows 9 will be the same, even for current windows 8 and surface owners.