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Microsoft Demos Free Windows 10 Update, Debuts New 'Project Spartan' Web Browser

mikefla said:
Windows 10, free? Here's more crapware coming your way.

-Mike
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The more I thought about MS rolling this out, the more it seems to be copying Apple's philosophy - a philosophy that is not working imo. Yosemite has a lot of bugs. Apple rolling out annual upgrades for free is not working in providing stable environment. While the price is not the problem, the annual upgrades is. Windows appears to be headed down the same path, and I think windows will have a more difficult time of rolling out stable updates.

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JanetMW said:
So is windows 10 free for ONLY 1 year then we have to pay for it?
When is it available for download.
I'm running win 7 and I'm not that computer savvy so I am really nervous.
I use google more than IE and I'm not sure it will even work :eek:
Click to expand...

Well, download it and save it, then when you have your system backed up, upgrade.
 
I appreciate the focus of the new MS.

the 'windows 10 is free' thing is very obvious: basic windows 10 is free and make as much upgrades as possible, premium services will be charged.

They need to make it free, not because of OS X but because of Chrome OS. That's what they are competing against.

I hope Apple learns from this that the focus shouldn't only be hardware.
OS X Yosemite has too much bugs, no Siri, no decent photo sync, icloud can be improved...I mean there's so much work to be done.
Apple seems to ignore the software/service market and just wants to create a new rising star product. Let's face it, the ipad sales are dwindling, :apple:watch won't be the new ipod nor iphone. So there's a lot of pressure.
 
roadbloc said:
They didn't really mention... just "later this year" apparently.
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Ok, I guess that's a good thing, not being painted into a corner that you may not make. Still, from what I see, I am anxious, but I'm not anxious enough to load the tech preview (or any consumer preview) as my main OS on my Surface Pro 3
 
mr.bee said:
I appreciate the focus of the new MS.

the 'windows 10 is free' thing is very obvious: basic windows 10 is free and make as much upgrades as possible, premium services will be charged.

They need to make it free, not because of OS X but because of Chrome OS. That's what they are competing against.
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The only company M$ is competing against on the OS side of things is M$ themselves. Windows is still head and shoulders ahead of the rest as far as user base. What they're trying to do by offering a free upgrade to Win OS 10 is bring every Windows user over to the newest OS. They have entirely too many users on an older OS. Because of this, they waste far too many resources on supporting older Operating Systems when that could be better utilized. If they can get every older OS user onto Win 10 it would shatter install base records and make Devs even more interested in developing for it. M$ gets a percentage off every app sold through their store. Imagine the potential profit they could be sitting on if every Windows 7 - 8 and 8.1 user, along with those still running Vista and even XP, all of a sudden became Windows 10 users? We are talking record breaking user adoption. That gives M$ a massive user base for their new OS and new potential customers in their store. Not too mention that the faster they can get the majority off of older operating systems the less they have to spend on support.

It really isn't hard to see what M$ is doing here. It is actually quite a smart move and one that could be extremely profitable for them, especially if the install base explodes like they're hoping... and with the way people buy and use apps these days they could make more money from their apps store if every Windows user, or at least the vast majority, all of a suddenly was on Win 10 then they ever could selling Win 10 licenses to a much lower install base.
 
I think this article says it all: http://www.wired.com/2015/01/window...crosoft-still-far-behind/?mbid=social_twitter

Microsoft is actually playing catching up with Windows 10. This is a good thing for Windows users which will get features Apple and Google had for years:
  • Reading list
  • music playlist sync
  • a way to sync all photos in the cloud
  • a lightweight browser
  • an OS that works on phones and tablets (Microsoft is still very much behind as far as tablets concern)

Microsoft has just presented an OS where the Surface Pro can be used optimally. The question is, who needs such a hybrid device? I don't, thus I don't need Windows 10.
 
maflynn said:
The more I thought about MS rolling this out, the more it seems to be copying Apple's philosophy - a philosophy that is not working imo. Yosemite has a lot of bugs. Apple rolling out annual upgrades for free is not working in providing stable environment. While the price is not the problem, the annual upgrades is. Windows appears to be headed down the same path, and I think windows will have a more difficult time of rolling out stable updates.

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Well, download it and save it, then when you have your system backed up, upgrade.
Click to expand...

You honestly thought Windows XP, 7, 8.x, ... never had a bug?
You honestly thought Leopard, Snow Leopard, ... never had a bug?

I had a HORRIBLE time with Snow Leopard. It was very very slow on my computer. Everybody I talked to said it was Apple's Vista - one of the worst OS Apple has released.

Some users will always have trouble with any new OS. Others will not. I remember the hate that Windows XP got when it first came out.

Ratings does not mean much these days. I will give you an example:

When Lord of the Rings was first coming out on Blu Ray, Amazon had it at 1 star. What was the reason? "Wait for the $80 EXTENDED Super Awesome Edition, this one is a fail!". I am sorry, I would rather spend $30 less and get the blu ray experience. I don't care one bit about 10 extra never before seen footage and 15 hours of behind the scenes. So I ignored the ratings and the product was FINE.

I have never had an issue with any OS X releases since Lion. Does that mean they NEVER have bugs? No. Does that mean if Apple would have waited even 20 years before the next OS X release that it would be bug free? No.

I love Windows 8 in many ways. But I also had a lot of issues with it. How long did it take to come out?

Also, would people please stop with M$? Microsoft is a company. Why is it so horrible for companies to make ANY money these days?

As people have said here, not many people upgrade their OS. They usually get a new one. Also, wasn't this confirmed for just the home edition? If you want features in the professional version, I think you will have to pay. I am not talking about businesses here. I have a Windows PC at home that has 8.1 Pro.

So if only 1% of windows users upgrade, Microsoft is not really losing anything here.

Also, did people forget about the $15-30 upgrade pricing of Windows 8 within the first year or months? When that ended, I did not have to pay the rest of the price.

Also, I agree about OS X having the better software. I prefer OS X alternatives to most of the Windows software. However, Visual Studio is still the king for development.
 
Last edited:
xWhiplash said:
You honestly thought Windows XP, 7, 8.x, ... never had a bug?
You honestly thought Leopard, Snow Leopard, ... never had a bug?
Click to expand...
Did I even say they were bug free? No, but the current philosophy of racing out new upgrades makes matters worse imo
 
maflynn said:
Did I even say they were bug free? No, but the current philosophy of racing out new upgrades makes matters worse imo
Click to expand...

Microsoft releases a major OS every 3 - 4 years (and ironically alternates between a hit and a miss):
1995: Windows 95 - Hit
1998: Windows 98 - Miss
2001: Windows XP - Hit
2006: Windows Vista - MESS
2009: Windows 7 - Hit
2012: Windows 8 - Miss
2015: Windows 10 - (Hopefully a hit)

They never 'raced' upgrades. They continuously send updates and service packs to all their OS's, and maybe not in the most efficient manner, but their OS relaese schedule is stable
 
Tiger8 said:
Microsoft releases a major OS every 3 - 4 years (and ironically alternates between a hit and a miss):
1995: Windows 95 - Hit
1998: Windows 98 - Miss
2001: Windows XP - Hit
2006: Windows Vista - MESS
2009: Windows 7 - Hit
2012: Windows 8 - Miss
2015: Windows 10 - (Hopefully a hit)

They never 'raced' upgrades. They continuously send updates and service packs to all their OS's, and maybe not in the most efficient manner, but their OS relaese schedule is stable
Click to expand...

You forgot Windows ME...
 
Also regarding the name, why is Microsoft changing the brand due to some old programs that had lazy developers? Would those even run? Is it still an issue today? I doubt Adobe Creative Cloud looks for Windows 95 and 98...

I doubt a computer that used a program that checked for Windows 95 or 98 wouldn't be able to run Windows 10.
 
Spartan?

So, features aside, it's odd to me that anyone would name a piece of software, esp. a browser, something that is so closely associated with Trojan Horses. Just sayin'
 
Tiger8 said:
Microsoft releases a major OS every 3 - 4 years (and ironically alternates between a hit and a miss):
1995: Windows 95 - Hit
1998: Windows 98 - Miss
2001: Windows XP - Hit
2006: Windows Vista - MESS
2009: Windows 7 - Hit
2012: Windows 8 - Miss
2015: Windows 10 - (Hopefully a hit)

They never 'raced' upgrades. They continuously send updates and service packs to all their OS's, and maybe not in the most efficient manner, but their OS release schedule is stable
Click to expand...
I think you misunderstood my post, if they are embracing that same philosophy (read IF) then that does not bode well for the quality of the OS. They have in the past year stated they're likely to roll out more frequent updates (or did they say upgrades I forget) and that's my point.
 
xWhiplash said:
You honestly thought Windows XP, 7, 8.x, ... never had a bug?
You honestly thought Leopard, Snow Leopard, ... never had a bug?

I had a HORRIBLE time with Snow Leopard. It was very very slow on my computer. Everybody I talked to said it was Apple's Vista - one of the worst OS Apple has released.

Some users will always have trouble with any new OS. Others will not. I remember the hate that Windows XP got when it first came out.

Ratings does not mean much these days. I will give you an example:

When Lord of the Rings was first coming out on Blu Ray, Amazon had it at 1 star. What was the reason? "Wait for the $80 EXTENDED Super Awesome Edition, this one is a fail!". I am sorry, I would rather spend $30 less and get the blu ray experience. I don't care one bit about 10 extra never before seen footage and 15 hours of behind the scenes. So I ignored the ratings and the product was FINE.

I have never had an issue with any OS X releases since Lion. Does that mean they NEVER have bugs? No. Does that mean if Apple would have waited even 20 years before the next OS X release that it would be bug free? No.

I love Windows 8 in many ways. But I also had a lot of issues with it. How long did it take to come out?

Also, would people please stop with M$? Microsoft is a company. Why is it so horrible for companies to make ANY money these days?

As people have said here, not many people upgrade their OS. They usually get a new one. Also, wasn't this confirmed for just the home edition? If you want features in the professional version, I think you will have to pay. I am not talking about businesses here. I have a Windows PC at home that has 8.1 Pro.

So if only 1% of windows users upgrade, Microsoft is not really losing anything here.

Also, did people forget about the $15-30 upgrade pricing of Windows 8 within the first year or months? When that ended, I did not have to pay the rest of the price.

Also, I agree about OS X having the better software. I prefer OS X alternatives to most of the Windows software. However, Visual Studio is still the king for development.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of the things you wrote but one. People use the M$ instead of Microsoft as a name because the company has a history of always putting marketing goals on top of everything else. Microsoft creates products based on their marketing needs, while Apple (at least when Steve was there) creates them first to solve a problem and then comes the marketing.
Of course both companies want to make money. Apple believes though that there is more money to make by using this approach..
 
Luscious said:
Most Windows users don't upgrade to the next version of Windows on the PC that they own, they upgrade when they buy their next PC with the latest version of Windows pre-installed. Windows 8, like Vista before it, has such a bad reputation that many users aren't buying new systems because they'll have to go to Windows 8.

That's worse for business than giving away Windows 10 for free to existing users willing to upgrade. By giving away the upgrade to 10 they are hoping to change the "Windows 8 sucks, hang onto your Windows 7 PC" mindset that has set in amongst consumers and many involved in the corporate IT world.

Windows 8 was an epic failure. If Microsoft can convince a certain percentage of users who dislike Windows 8 to sign onto buying new PC's with Windows 10 pre-installed by offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 for existing users willing to give it a shot then it makes them money in the long run provided that Windows 10, like Windows 7 before it, corrects the problems and bad perceptions associated with its predecessor.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
John.B said:
The MR article could have been wordsmithed better. Here's how it will actually work, straight from the horse's mouth:

The next generation of Windows: Windows 10 | Microsoft.com
Click to expand...
That reminds me a lot of the Office 365 documentation and training materials. You are subscribed to a service and get updates continuously. You drop the moves from versions to just being subscribed to the product. Additionally, you can stick to faster or slower release tracks at your preference.

I can really see this model moving toward a subscription but they have me bought with Office 365 already and 5 licenses for $79-99/year.
 
Nobody wants Windows anymore. That's the problem. Even if Microsoft paid people to use Windows over OS X, the vast majority of people would go with the Mac. Apple has all the momentum and there is nothing Microsoft can do to get it back.
 
dumastudetto said:
Nobody wants Windows anymore. That's the problem. Even if Microsoft paid people to use Windows over OS X, the vast majority of people would go with the Mac. Apple has all the momentum and there is nothing Microsoft can do to get it back.
Click to expand...

There is always something that can be done, but I don't think the issue here is the desktop computer. It's mobile. Microsoft has lost the war on mobile to Apple and Google, and that is why Microsoft has become irrelevant for a lot of people.
Windows 10 is a welcome addition to modern OSes, but it should happen 3 years ago. Better late than never I would say..
You are right though, an OS X user has no reason to switch to Windows. Not one.
 
Rogifan said:
Might be better than Windows 8 but its still too busy for me. I'm not sold on the live tiles concept. When I look at Windows 8/10 screen my brain doesn't know what to focus on. Information overload.
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maflynn said:
Thanks to Stardock's Start8 utility, the metro interface is hidden for me. I agree, I hate those tiles on a desktop/laptop computer.
Click to expand...

But you don't need a third party utility to boot right into Desktop mode do you?

On my Windows 8.1 VM I boot straight to desktop and only keep the tiles of programs I usually use (like 8) on the main metro screen.

The only thing that I don't like about W8 and I hope they fix in W10 is the inconsistency. Sometimes a picture would open in the desktop windows viewer or a PDF would open in Adobe Reader and other time the image or PDF would whisk me away from the desktop to the full screen metro app. I have no idea why, but it drives me nuts.
 
Hey guys! We made a new web browser! It's called Spartan, and you can tell that it's not just Internet Explorer with a new name because we said so!
 
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