Microsoft has announced its support plan for Windows 10, offering mainstream support for the software until 2020 and extended support until 2025.
This extended program essentially means that early adopters of Windows 10, such as those that upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to 10 within the first year of 10 being available, will have support until 2025. Those updating within a year will also get the Windows 10 update for free.
"Every Windows product has a life cycle. The life cycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported," said Microsoft in a statement. "Knowing key dates in this life cycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software."
There is a reason that early adopters are getting such a great deal for Windows 10 support, and that reason is that Microsoft is changing how it reports Windows revenue. Windows 10 was announced as 'Windows-as-a-service,' basically meaning that instead of users paying for updates at the time of their release, updates will simply come to users as they are released and businesses will pay a subscription fee for these updates. This will also help Microsoft be able to fix bugs and issues more quickly.
Past releases of Microsoft haven't always gone over so well, so this new system should be helpful, both for Microsoft and for the user.
Microsoft is also planning on selling Windows 10 on USB and has opened preorders for those interested in buying. Preorders are available on Amazon. The USB costs $119.99 for Windows 10 Home or $199.99 for Windows 10 Pro.
The move to offer Windows 10 on USB highlights the declining use of DVDs as the preferred method to install new software, with most users likely to use neither and update online. Currently the USB drives are only available on Amazon, and cannot be found on other online stores such as Best Buy or even the Microsoft store. It's also important to note the release date of Aug. 30 on Amazon, with the actual release date of Windows 10 announced by Microsoft to be July 29. We know that Windows 10 will be released to users in stages, but the Aug. 30 date seems a little random.
Windows 10 itself is largely expected to be the biggest and best Windows release to date, especially after the release of Windows 8 and 8.1, which left many users frustrated and confused because of the radically different interface.
