Once again, Redmond's back-and-forth is only fueling rumors about its next operating system. Although it has been confirmed that legitimate copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will receive the new version for free for a year, details keep emerging about how to get Windows 10 for free through other means. On Friday, the company announced that Windows 10 preview users would benefit, but... let's say they changed their mind.
Few things are as problematic in the computing world as incorrect information "confirmed" by company spokespeople. Personally, I don't think they are willing to lie; the errors probably stem from simple ignorance... but we must also consider the so-called "policy changes". Surprisingly, these changes can happen within hours, and depending on the situation, the user is either protected or completely out in the cold (it often ends up being the latter). Take, for example, Microsoft's latest public relations short-circuit. Last Friday, the official Windows blog, via Gabe Aul, published a very interesting piece of information that would allow Windows 10 preview users to access a legal copy on July 29. Basically, Windows Insider program participants had to link their previews to a Microsoft account to keep receiving updates, and when the RTM was ready, the preview would be upgraded to that version with legitimate activation.
From what we can tell, that stance lasted less than 24 hours. First, it's important to note that linking a Microsoft account is mandatory "only" for Windows Insider participants, and the final version of Windows 10 can be used with local accounts. Second, the text still states that preview versions of the OS will be updated to the final build. And third, it was established that those copies will not be activated, simply because the word "activation" was removed in a classic ninja edit. Microsoft took the stumble as an opportunity to remind users that legitimately activated Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are the only two operating systems authorized to receive Windows 10 without cost. From a certain point of view, one can understand Redmond's correction. What they just did is plug a leak of free copies, not so much for the end user, but for the business world. A company accessing 50 copies of Windows 10 by installing the preview a month before launch is not good for Microsoft's finances.
I imagine more than one user will try the experiment anyway, to see if their latest preview gets updated to the RTM legally. However, this only accentuates Windows 10's big problem: its price. It's not rocket science: All the hoops people jump through to get Windows 10 for free reveal the unmistakable truth that the average user doesn't want to pay what Microsoft demands for its OS. Asking $120 and $200 respectively for its versions is tantamount to being out of touch with reality, and that's something nobody at Redmond seems to fully understand.
