Times have changed and so is Microsoft. Remember when Windows shipped in several floppy disks? Ok, that may be too long ago. Remember when you used to get a Windows DVD with every purchase of a compatible PC? Yeah that changed as well since all you’ve had in the last few years was simply the product key on a sticker on your brand new Windows device. Like you were able to seamlessly upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 without having to go out and buy a bulky DVD and a lot of waiting, that’s the future Microsoft is adopting post-Windows 10‘s release.
Microsoft will no longer make users wait for several years before a brand new version of its popular Windows operating system is available. The company is transitioning to what is being referred to as Windows as a service. This means that the company will now provide support for Windows on the go without having to wait for a big update every few years and spaced out patches in between in the form of service packs. Users will be getting the latest version of Windows without the company going through the current lengthy rollout process of every new version of Windows like Apple has been doing with OS X or Microsoft itself has been doing with Office 365.
This new move, which should not be new at all to those in the Windows Insider programme, is made possible by unbundling built-in apps from the main operating system allowing such applications to be updated from time to time without having to wait for Microsoft to update the core as well.
Windows 10 will be available from July as a free upgrade to everyone with a Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 license for the first year. There was talk that even those with pirated versions of Windows will be allowed to update their machines to Windows 10 but that won’t be happening as far as we know.
Source: TechRadar
