windows OS free forever

[grandmaster1618]

Hello. I was wondering, now that apple is giving its desktop OS for free, can MS follow suit?
i know Apple gets most of their income from selling hardware and MS from its software..
i was thinking of a system in which MS continues developing surface devices and gives new OS upgrades for free (windows 9, 10...)
as for other OEMs devices.. The end user gets upgrades for free too.. Provided OEMs agree to pay a small licensing fee every year.
thereby everyone will have the latest OS (if hardware permits but most machines have more than the min requirement anyway).. Security threats can be better handled. MS can stop supporting many versions and concentrate on the current version..
software piracy will be a thing of the past..
more Linux users and possibly mac users will switch to windows if upgrades are free so the OEMs can sell more units..
MS gets a steady income from all its OEMs irrespective of volume of sales So OEMs can make more profit if they truly are competent or if they find the right market.
what do u think?

 

[maclancer]

I don't think it will work. Windows is the big cow of Microsoft, they can't make Windows free. However, they could reduce the price to $40 bucks upgrade and $60 full version. That will be reasonable for them to make money.

 

[jmshub]

I don't think free Windows would work either. But I think that $40-60 price would be a lot better. I'd be willing to even spend $100 for the pro version, with domain connectivity.

 

[grandmaster1618]

I think i wasn't very clear. I m not a native English speaker so pardon my simple vocabulary and hence complex sentences.
i am saying the end user gets the upgrade for free.. He/she pays for it once while buying the laptop/desktop/tablet to the device manufacturer. All upgrades from then on are free courtesy the annual fee MS gets from OEMs. If u look at the statistics..when a new version comes out now.. What percent of the users actually buy this new OS? Very few right? Assuming 20% of them upgrade paying approx $100.. That's not much if u look at what they spend on supporting windows 7, losses cos of software piracy, setting up and maintaining a a center for piracy control,etc

 

[hopmedic]

I don't think it will work. Windows is the big cow of Microsoft, they can't make Windows free. However, they could reduce the price to $40 bucks upgrade and $60 full version. That will be reasonable for them to make money.

Actually, looking at FY 2012, Windows was in third place for revenue behind Server & Tools (Server, SQL, Visual Studio) and Business (Office, Exchange, SharePoint). That said, the model that has been Windows for so long is a dated model, and now they have a source of revenue in the Windows Store that wasn't there before. There are some that believe that it could be more profitable to make Windows free and thereby increase the market share, increasing the demand for apps, which MS could make money on. There are also those who believe Windows could shift to a subscription model, similar to Office 360.

http://www.tannerhelland.com/4273/microsoft-money-updated-2012/

 

[maclancer]

Well, can't deny that info you provided but I think the only thing that Microsoft can make free is Windows Phone. So, phone makers can start mass producing smartphones with WP8.

 

[Kebero]

MacOS technically isn't free. It also, technically, isn't for sale. There are no supported retail channels for purchasing a copy of MacOS that you can install on whatever hardware you want. It just so happens that as Apple is the only manufacturer who can release systems with the OS (since Steve Jobs got rid of the clones), you don't have the licensing fees you have with Windows.

Remember, you can always purchase a retail copy if Windows to install in whatever you want.

 

[camaroz1985]

Couldn't they still charge the OEMs for it when the device is built, but then offer free updates to the consumer? That would get them the best of both worlds it seems.

 

[Kebero]

Service packs have always been free, and version upgrades, within reason, have at least been at a reduced rate. Time will tell re: the new release cycle for the client OS. Honestly, I don't think it necessarily accurate to compare the two operating systems. Apple may now be offering free updates, but unless they change their methodology of making something legacy, it really is no different than how smartphones are treated.