Consumers have not embraced Windows 8, the current PC operating system from Microsoft. In fact, some people have paid to get rid of it and downgrade back to the more comfortable Windows 7. Microsoft wants users to give their latest offering a try, and are making Windows 10 available as a free download to users of their current operating systems.

Free upgrades will be available for one year after Windows 10 is released. Users need a compatible device now running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows Phone 8.1. Why is Microsoft doing this? Competitor Apple now offers mobile and desktop operating system upgrades to users for free, and Google’s Android operating system for phones and tablets is free as well. Adoption of Windows 8 is very low, possibly because consumers don’t like it very much. CNET points out that fewer than 10% of Windows PCs are running Windows 8.1, while more than twice as many are running Windows XP. That’s an operating system that debuted in 2001.

What Microsoft hasn’t announced is what the upgrade pricing will be in 2016. Right now, clicking on the link for more information about Windows 10 just leads users to this page:

Guess the page isn’t ready yet.

The next generation of Windows: Windows 10 [Microsoft]

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