The Microsoft Windows 10 Release Date has got everyone excited about their free upgrade available. There are several things that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users can do before the release date, and you should also consider the consequences that Microsoft might add on to their new version of their operating system.
According to Business Insider, Microsoft Windows 10 is all done and ready to go out to PC Manufacturers so they can start installing the operating system on new machines ahead of the July 29th launch. This "released to manufacturing" or RTM is a new milestone for the operating system, but when it reaches the 29th, it will roll out in 190 countries and 111 languages.
The Telegraph reports that any Windows 7 or 8.1 user can pre-register for their free Windows 10 upgrade by clicking the Windows log that will have appeared on the right-hand side of their taskbar. If you click that button, this doesn't mean that you will be the first to have Windows 10 on your computer. No, this update will be rolled out to the 4.4 million users who took part in the Windows Insider program.
On the day of upgrading, Microsoft will begin notifying people who have reserved their copy of Windows 10 in waves, scaling up after the 29th of July. When a copy becomes available, Microsoft will scan the user's computer to check to see if it is compatible, and then download Windows 10 automatically.
Anyone with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can get this free upgrade to Windows 10 within a year. By the way, if you have Windows 8, you will need to upgrade to 8.1 to qualify for this free upgrade.
Forbes recently wrote about how Windows has 3 Massive Unanswered Questions. The first is related to the definition of "lifetime of the device". Since Microsoft has told Windows 10 owners that it will be free for that amount of time, is it possible that perhaps Windows 10 will not be free when you want to upgrade your device.
There is also the Lifecycle Support, as the Mainstream Support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 will end in January 2015 and 2018 respectively. The security updates will end in January 2020 and 2023 respectively, but how will this relate to Windows 10.
The third unanswered question is the consequences of forced updates, meaning that Windows 10 Home users have no way of bypassing anything Microsoft wants them to install. This means that if a new update comes with bugs, you will have no choice but to have them, not to mention anything that Microsoft wants you to have.
The choice is yours if you decide to upgrade, and know what could be the consequences. For those who are with Windows 7 or 8.1, you have a year to decide. After that, you will need to pay $119 for Windows 10 Home and $199 for Windows 10 Pro.
