Read more.Trademark could mean Windows subscriptions are coming in the not too distant future.
Read more.Trademark could mean Windows subscriptions are coming in the not too distant future.
I think that the promise of free upgrades to Windows 10 for the first year is just that. After the first year everyone who gort the "free" upgrade will be invited to take out a subscription for Windows 365.
I think they will burn in hell if they try and force a subscription on people just to use there PC's and laptops, however if its a secondary way of having windows along side the regular 'pay £75 and its yours' model then they might get away with it.
I can't see Microsoft moving to subscription for any of the core elements of the OS, at least not in the foreseeable future. My (completely uninformed) guess would be that 'Windows 365' would be a re-branding exercise combining Office 365, Skype subscription and OneDrive backup subscription under one umbrella (and one payment).
Or am I being blissfully naive?!
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While some people will be flaming the most likely scenario is that there will be a Windows subscription option.
This again? Seriously people, the announcement clearly said that after the upgrade there'd be no charge for the lifetime of the device. MS are not dumb enough to alienate their entire customer base by crippling their devices in some kind of global ransomware heist - not least because the various competition commissions would come down on them like the proverbial tonne of bricks, and they really don't want that much bad publicity.
I think it's fair to assume we'll see a pared back OS, and I strongly suspect they'll incentivise (thought license-fee reductions or waivers) the device makers to reduce on-device storage for certain classes of device to push people towards using one drive. But pretty much anything they try to move to a service will either already have an equivalent available from someone other than MS, or will VERY RAPIDLY have competing services offered by other companies. Look how quickly start menu replacements became available for Win 8, for instance.
Microsoft would love everyone to use their versions of the services they strip out of the core OS, but ultimately if they try to force people to use their services they'll be kicked hard where it hurts by the inevitable anti-trust actions. And I'll say again - they're not dumb enough to invite that kind of trouble. The OS will be bare but functional, and people will be free to get the services they need wherever they want. MS will make it REALLY EASY to use their version of the service, but the choice will be there. It's the only way MS can actually make this work.
I think it all depends on what MS have planned. Several things before this indicate MS is planning to sell Windows differently in the future, and this just supports that perspective.What do HEXUS readers think?
It might mean doing an Adobe, and going subscription-only. I doubt it though, and certainly hope not, and the moment it does is the moment I, personally, stop using (new versions of) Windows.
But there are other possibilities, one of which is for base Windows to be "free for 12 months" then charged at a modest level, on a conventional basis, and for "services" to be charged as an add-on, on a subscription basis. If those services are things like those outlined in the presentation slide on HEXUS, then fair enough .... though I won't be subscribing. As long as 'core' Windows remains viable, I'll store my own data and organise my own backup. I'm not relegating either to the cloud, regardless of what MS do.
Or, MS might do as they have with Office, and offer dual paths - traditional licence and '365' subscription.
Personally, I can see why Office 365 might appeal to some users, especially business users, but for me it's an absolute non-starter. And nor, now or in the future, us Windows 365 if it implies a similar "monetization" basis.
If they do that, I'll either simply stick to existing Win7 (or Win8 with MUI castrated), or if I need new or additional OS's, migrate that need to Linux wholesale.
But right now, it seems to me we don't have enough info to be sure where MS are going with this. I don't like the inderences I find myself drawing of the writing on the wall, but only time will tell if I'm drawing the right inferences.
Just a quick idea - Its could be a replacement for volume licensing of OSs? Rather than pay for 10,000 Windows user licenses subscribe your employees to Windows 365 and get the latest OSs with free Skype and Onedrive... I can see the sales pitch now.
I absolutely hate monthly or annual subscriptions!
I liked AutoDesk’s original subscription program, and I have been using it for may years for 3DS Max, as it gave me the choice after I purchased the main application to either continue each year and get the latest release or stop, but be able to continue using the programs you have already purchased, and re-register them on a new system, now AutoDesk have even changed to a monthly or annual plan, without the option to buy the program outright . But its there loss. Yesterday I was going to purchase Mudbox which I have wanted for a long time, only to find that I can no longer buy the complete software package, but have to pay monthly for it. NO WAY.
I don’t know when I will actually have time to sit down and learn Mudbox, as it will be more of a hobby at first, before I can integrate it into my daily workflow, and I have very little time these days because of work.
Same goes for Adobe. I wanted to purchase the new versions of Dreamweaver and Flash pro last year, but again, only monthly subscriptions now, and again I don’t know when I will be able to sit down, learn the new software and work on my website as my work and clients are priority, so went with a different brand, and very happy. Adobes loss!
I’m not going to throw money away every month on something I may not get the chance to use.
An OS is different of course in that you have to use it every day, but I want to just buy the compete retail package, and know that I can reinstall it again a few years down the road if I need to without additional costs.
I want to have the choice to buy and use the software in my way, my time, not have a software developer think they know what’s best for everyone! All they are interested in is making it easier to predict how much capital they will make for their investors, nothing about ease of use, or choice for their customers!
Now someone told me that it doesn’t quite work they way I think, in that if you pay for one month, say in March, you don’t just get to use it from March 1st to the 31st, instead you get one month total use even if its spread out over several months, but this just feels wrong, like having a time card, and I for one, cant feel relaxed about using software in this way.
Totally wrong. If Microsoft go this route, its time to finally move over to Linux.
With all the talk of streamlining windows versions etc. Could it be that basic Win10 will be free (equiv. to Windows home) with subscription fees for additional services/functionality via a single portal (could include e.g. some of the business/power user features from Pro/Ultimate type windows, additional Cortana/mapping features etc. and even additional software like image manipulation/Office 365 etc.) but as something more than just an entry in the app store.
I believe MS volume licensing is already subscription with ability to upgrade to latest versons etc.
But again I can't see MS being stupid enough to force people down an OS subscription route. Perhaps give it as an option, free Windows with a subscription or pay up front. That gives extra choice, and choice is nice. If they try and force people though, then that would just make Win7 more popular than ever and I don't think they want that.
Yep, I'd see that one having legs - especially if it was some kind of "pack" arrangement, i.e. where you can "easily buy a Windows365(tm) subscription to cover your entire household in a single, easy to manage, payment from a variety of local stores".
Some kind of pay-as-you-use arrangement for businesses would be another possibility - offer them the carrot of potential savings and then stick it to 'em with a services hard-sell.
Other thing that springs to mind - prompted by that slide - is a virtual PC, sorry "cloud PC". So you use an easily obtained client (web browser?) on your Mac, phone, tablet, Chromebook or even obsolete PC to access your Windows365 desktop wherever and whenever. Exactly the kind of thing that Citrix etc have been doing for years. With Microsoft handling all the upgrades etc, so you'd always be on the latest version of OS and apps (bundled Office).
One thing I am pretty sure about though - it definitely won't be a mandatory subscription for base Windows, e.g. like the gamers etc use. To do that would be commercial suicide, and pretty much hand control of the desktop to the pirates and the Linux proponents. Not to say providing much work for anti-trust lawyers no doubt.
It will surely be run in parallel, at least for the foreseeable future. We know that Windows 10 isn't going to incur us costs and we know Office365 is running along side normal Office.
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This was basically my thought too - it'd be dead easy for them to do a "ChromeOS" type delivery of a lightweight Windows kernel plus browser "shell" for low storage mobile devices (4GB - 8GB) and run the majority of the OS in-browser and in-cloud. They could even do a bare version free, like they already do with Office Online.
Plus, as you say, that could then be accessed from any computer anywhere, so if you didn't have your device on you you could still work in your own "desktop" - a bit like a Windows to Go USB key, but in the cloud.
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