Microsoft says pirated versions of Windows will also get a free upgrade to Windows 10

[Petrovic]

Content source

http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-says-pirated-versions-windows-will-also-get-free-upgrade-windows-10

Microsoft announced earlier today that Windows 10 would be launching sometime this summer in a plethora or countries and languages. Along with that announcement, Microsoft unveiled a number of other details about the operating system too, including a bit about the upgrade process and licensing.

According to Microsoft's Terry Myerson, Windows 10 is a free upgrade for all Windows 7 and Windows 8.x users, regardless of whether your install is genuine or not. This looks to be a way to convince everybody to move to Windows 10, and if pirates also get a free upgrade why would they refuse?

This is an excellent way to tackle piracy when it comes to Windows. A large percentage of users in China are reported to be running an illegal copy of Windows, so it'll be good to see those piracy numbers drop when Windows 10 launches.

 

[yigido]

Why they made a decision like this? It sounds they allow to crack patch to their Windowses...
Why they excuse these users? Now people think that "Microsoft allows us to patch this" paid users think "Why we paid for this then?"
Questions in my mind..
Thanks for the post Petrovic

Edit: It means Microsoft allows everyone to use Windows 10.. Windows 10 will be free for everyone (even XP users) Guide:
-Download a patched Windows 7 or 8, then upgrade it to Windows 10!
Just want to say Great!!

 

[cruelsister]

Here's something further from Reuters specifically as this relates to the China market:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/microsoft-china-idUSL2N0WJ2N220150318


SEATTLE/BEIJING, March 17 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is making its biggest push into the heavily pirated Chinese consumer computing market this summer by offering free upgrades to Windows 10 to all Windows users, regardless of whether they are running genuine copies of the software.

The move is an unprecedented attempt by Microsoft to get legitimate versions of its software onto machines of the hundreds of millions of Windows users in China. Recent studies show that three-quarters of all PC software is not properly licensed there. Terry Myerson, who runs Microsoft's operating systems unit, announced the plan at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China.

"We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10," he said in a telephone interview with Reuters. The plan is to "re-engage" with the hundreds of millions of users of Windows in China, he said, without elaboration. Myerson said Windows 10 would be released globally sometime "this summer". That is the first time Microsoft has put a time frame on the release, although it has been expected in autumn, based on Microsoft's release history.

Microsoft said in January it would offer free upgrades to Windows 10 for users of Windows 7 or later in an attempt to hold onto users and make up for lost revenue by selling services such as Office over the Internet.
Microsoft is working with Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's biggest PC maker, to help roll out Windows 10 in China to current Windows users, Myerson said.

It also is offering Windows 10 through security company Qihoo 360 Technology Co and Tencent Holdings Ltd , China's biggest social networking company, which will build a Windows 10 app that will work on smartphones and PCs for its popular QQ gaming and messaging service. QQ has more than 800 million users.

Lenovo said in a statement that it will make phones running Windows software, available through China Mobile, sometime later this year.Microsoft also said it is working with Chinese handset maker Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd - which generally uses a form of Google Inc's Android on its devices - to offer some customers a test version of Windows 10 on their smartphones."

 

[Exterminator]

I always thought MS turned a blind eye to the pirating of their Operating systems. In fact it almost seems as though they welcomed the attention pirating of their software received.The OEM activator for Windows 7 and the Skype activation method of Windows 8 that became knowledge everywhere was just overlooked.The Windows 8 media center free upgrade glitch was left alone also.In fact it still will work to this day if you used it and saved the key.
Maybe they consider it free advertising and the cost of combating it is not worth it.Maybe it is because Linux is free and moving ever so closer to the mainstream.A free OS such as Windows 10 will take the piracy right out of the equation at least for the OS itself.

Ahoy,me Hearties!!! Take it from this Old Salty scallywag,if you haven't upgraded from XP or Vista then shiver me timbers do it now!!

 

[Ink]

The only major risk of using pirating software -apart from legal-, is the security / privacy risk of using compromised / modified software, that is unknown to the downloader / end user(s).

Free upgrades for non-genuine Windows = wider market share / adoption of Windows 10.

 

[Cch123]

They probably figured out that it was too difficult to go after the millions of pirates worldwide. In any case, free upgrades will mean that Microsoft services like One drive etc. will increase in user base. MS can then earn money from these services. No loss