Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 Pricing for Non Windows 7 and 8 Users

June 1st 2015 has seen a flurry of activity from Microsoft regarding Windows 10. The software titan from Redmond announced that Windows 10 will be released to the public on July 29th and provided a way for users to reserve their free upgrade via the Get Windows 10 app. Earlier this year Microsoft has promised to make the Windows 10 update free for devices running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 for a full year from the release date.

Though initially leaked yesterday, Microsoft has finally provided the details on how the upgrade to Windows 10 will cost users of older Windows installations. The upgrade structure for Windows 10 pricing will be as follows:

Genuine Licenses of Windows 8

NOTE:

1. Windows 8 users will need to ensure they have updated to Windows 8.1 in order to be eligible for the Windows 10 update. This is a free update available via the Windows 8 app store.
2. If you have a device running Windows RT (e.g. the Surface RT or Lumia 2520 tablet) your device is not eligible for the full Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft has promised that a subset of Windows 10 features will be released to these devices, but has not yet made these details available.

Genuine Licenses of Windows 7

NOTE: Windows 7 users will need to ensure they have updated to Windows 7 SP1 (Service Pack 1) in order to be eligible for the Windows 10 update.

Any OS Older Than Windows 7 (e.g. Vista, XP, ME, 2000 etc)

NOTE: If you upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, the license will cost $99.00

Minimum PC System Requirements to Upgrade to Windows 10

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
• Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
• Display: 1024×600

I have been testing Windows 10 on my backup laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo, 3GB RAM) since October 2014. It has so far performed better than when it had Windows 7. The current performance (even without the coming Windows 10 bug fixes and optimization) is on par with Windows 8.1. Needless to say, Windows 10 will make your older PCs run better than the original OS they came with.

Windows Phone Smartphones

NOTE: All Windows Phones must be upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1 to be eligble for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade.

In conclusion, if you qualify for the free Windows 10 upgrade, it is your best interest to upgrade to Windows 10 before July 29th 2016. If you own a device that runs an operating system older than Windows 7, I strongly suggest that you consider upgrading to a newer device. With Windows 10, Microsoft has worked with its partners to ensure that affordable laptops can be bought for under $300.00

For more information about the Windows 10 update, visit the following Microsoft websites:

• Windows 10 Requirements
• Windows 10 FAQ & Tips

Source: Neowin – Windows 10 Pricing