Microsoft to give away Windows 8.1 for free?

[Tar_Ni]

Hi,

This news has come out a few days ago, I am surprised it has not been reported here.

So Microsoft will make a free edition of Windows 8.1 bundled with Bing that any users (XP, Vista or 7) will be able to upgrade to for free.

There is no confirmation as yet but all the information seems to suggest it' very real. Very surprising and the new management of Microsoft is indeed full of surprise (or desperate?)

The news right here: http://www.extremetech.com/computing...e-market-share

So it seems that Linux will probably not be the first and obvious choice for XP users, as this free edition will probably be fairly lighweight and basic which various hardware might actually be able to support.

Alas! still, Linux is freedom and remains a very good option, if not the best, for these users.

[ian-weisser]

"Considering" is not the same as "will." And "all the information" seems to be one rumor.

Linux was never the first choice of the remaining XP users (including me). Continued XP support would be our first choice.

I don't think this is news until it's real.

[Tar_Ni]

"Considering" is not the same as "will." And "all the information" seems to be one rumor.

Linux was never the first choice of the remaining XP users (including me). Continued XP support would be our first choice.

I don't think this is news until it's real.

I think we can say ''experimenting'' with. Take a look here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2454388,00.asp
There are screenshots made available by a Russian leaker. We will have more answers on April 2 at the Microsoft's build conference.

[sudodus]

I think we can say ''experimenting'' with. Take a look here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2454388,00.asp
There are screenshots made available by a Russian leaker. We will have more answers on April 2 at the Microsoft's build conference.

Not to mention April 1

[lykwydchykyn]

If they ever put out a free version of Windows, I guarantee it will be horribly limited, both with technical and licensing restrictions. Remember Win7 starter edition?

[Tar_Ni]

If they ever put out a free version of Windows, I guarantee it will be horribly limited, both with technical and licensing restrictions. Remember Win7 starter edition?

I think this is a strategy to kill the chromebooks growth actually and offer a free and basic (which probably means fairly lightweight) opportunity to XP and Vista users to upgrade. According to various tech websites, this stripped down version of Windows 8.1 would be centered around Microsoft services such as Internet Explorer 11, Bing, Onedrive, Skype ect. Pretty similar to the Chrome OS concept but with less restriction. It seems also to be part of Microsoft's idea to sell cheap laptop around 250$ (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A1L0WS20140222)

I think we are seeing here a change of paradigm by Microsoft and it's new CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft doesn't hide the fact that it want to be more like Google which is a succesful model of web-based cloud services and that's the direction in which the web and a lot of it's users seems to be going.

[lykwydchykyn]

I think this is a strategy to kill the chromebooks actually. According to various tech websites, this stripped down version of Windows 8.1 would be centered around Microsoft services such as Internet Explorer 11, Bing, Onedrive, Skype ect. Pretty similar to Chrome OS but with less restriction. It seems also to be part of Microsoft's idea to sll cheap laptop around 250$

That makes sense, but it only reinforces the idea that this version will be crippled in some technical or legal way. It only needs enough functionality to make it more attractive than a chromebook, and nothing more. And I'll bet it will be nigh-on impossible to switch the cloud services to something non-MS (also much like the chromebook).

I could be totally wrong here, but it seems to me that Windows licensing is a huge part of their revenue; they'll have to make up that revenue somehow.

[Tar_Ni]

I could be totally wrong here, but it seems to me that Windows licensing is a huge part of their revenue; they'll have to make up that revenue somehow.

My understanding is that they will still make money with full-blown Windows edition. Windows 9 is expected for 2015 as a matter of fact. This free edition will serves it's own purpose. That of offering a basic cloud-based operating system for this category of users that Google is getting an hold on. Plus, monetizing Microsoft app services and so recover the revenue there. Just like Google's chromebooks. Also, by selling low-cost laptops and tablets it is likely that Microsoft will gain on the exchange.

[phidia]

I think this is a strategy to kill the chromebooks growth actually and offer a free and basic (which probably means fairly lightweight) opportunity to XP and Vista users to upgrade. According to various tech websites, this stripped down version of Windows 8.1 would be centered around Microsoft services such as Internet Explorer 11, Bing, Onedrive, Skype ect. Pretty similar to the Chrome OS concept but with less restriction. It seems also to be part of Microsoft's idea to sell cheap laptop around 250$ (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A1L0WS20140222)

I think we are seeing here a change of paradigm by Microsoft and it's new CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft doesn't hide the fact that it want to be more like Google which is a succesful model of web-based cloud services and that's the direction in which the web and a lot of it's users seems to be going.

I agree and Microsoft has spent significant ad money targeting chomebooks so they are certainly in their radar.

[deadflowr]

I agree and Microsoft has spent significant ad money targeting chomebooks so they are certainly in their radar.

You know somewhere I was reading that the newly appointed head of strategy for Microsoft is the brains behind the scroogle campaign.
Google it.