Will Windows 10 Pro cost more if I wait for the release of Windows 10? I can buy a Windows 8.1 machine and wait for a free Windows 10 upgrade, but would I be penalised for waiting to buy a laptop with Windows 10 already installed? Bryant
It’s hard to get cheaper than free. Of course, we don’t know what sort of laptops the manufacturers are going to offer with Windows 10, how much they will differ from current models, and how much they will cost. However, Microsoft seems unlikely to charge hardware manufacturers more for Windows 10 than it does forWindows 8.
One thing we do know is that Microsoft wants as many PCs as possible to run Windows 10: its stated aim is to have a billion users within a couple of years. Today, there are roughly 1.7bn PCs running Windows, but this is split mainly between Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Vista and XP. Even a version with 6% of the market will still have about 100 million users.
Life would be much simpler if everyone ran Windows 10, particularly for developers, IT support staff and Microsoft. It should also create a large market for Windows 10 universal apps that can run on PCs, Windows Mobile 10 smartphones and Xbox One games consoles.
Universal apps are installed from the Windows Store and run in secure sandboxes, removing almost all of the problems that ordinary users have with downloading, installing and securing traditional Windows programs.
Free upgrade
Microsoft’s “free upgrade offer*” says: “We will offer a free upgrade to Windows 10 for qualified new or existing Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year.” The asterisk links to a rider that says “some hardware/software requirements apply and feature availability may vary by device”. It may not be possible to update some Windows Phone smartphones, and it won’t be possible to update Windows RT devices.
The rider also says: “Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update required.” This implies that if you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8 then you will have to update to Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update – both are free – in order to get Windows 10 installed via the Windows Update service. This will deliver Windows 10 without you having to download and install the new operating system. (Technically, Microsoft could install Windows 10 on a wider range of systems, but more things could go wrong. Even a small error rate could affect tens of millions of users.)
Microsoft’s Windows 10 web page invites users to sign up with their email address to get “more information about Windows 10 and the upgrade offer in the coming months”. However, Windows 7 and 8 users who installed the optionalKB3035583 update already have the GWX (“Get Windows 10”) code to offer and download Windows 10.
Home or Pro?
If you buy a Windows 8.1 machine now, and keep it updated, then you should not have any problems installing your free Windows 10. However, you must make sure you have the correct version of Windows 8.1 for the Windows 10 you want.
That is to say, Microsoft Update works on a like-for-like basis. If you have a 32-bit version of Windows 8, it will upgrade it to a 32-bit version of Windows 10, not a 64-bit version. Similarly, Microsoft Update won’t convert Windows 8.1 Home to Windows 10 Pro. If you want to end up with Windows 10 Pro, then you either have to buy a machine with 8.1 Pro pre-installed, pay for an in-place upgrade from 8.1 Home to 8.1 Pro, or buy a copy of Windows 10 Pro.
Consumer PCs usually have Windows 8.1 Home installed, while business PCs usually have Windows 8.1 Pro. The latter includes many features consumers don’t need – Hyper-V virtualisation, BitLocker drive encryption, Active Directory support, the ability to set up a Remote Desktop server etc – and therefore don’t have to install or pay for.
Paid upgrades
Microsoft will undoubtedly offer some special deals on Windows 10 for those not eligible for a free upgrade. Last time, for example, it offered Windows 8 upgrades from XP SP3, Vista and Windows 7 for $40 in the USA. In the UK, you could download the Windows 8 upgrade for £24.99 or get it on DVD for £49.99. If you bought one of those, you now have a “qualifying license” for a free copy of Windows 10.
This year’s special deals have yet to be announced, but $40/£40 would be a good deal for those upgrading XP machines to the faster, more reliable, more versatile and more secure Windows 10.
Hardware changes
Windows 8 brought significant hardware changes with the UEFI start-up system, which dramatically reduced boot times, and 10-point touch-sensitive screens. Windows 7 laptops didn’t have either. However, it’s hard to see anything as dramatic with Windows 10 hardware.
The new features in Windows 10 include Cortana, the digital assistant familiar from Windows Phone 8.1, and Windows Hello, which provides for face-recognition, iris and fingerprint log-ins instead of passwords. Cortana will work even if you don’t have a microphone, though that’s obviously the easiest way to use “her”.
Microsoft says that “Windows Hello requires a specialised, illuminated infrared camera for facial recognition or iris detection or a fingerprint reader which supports the Windows Biometric Framework.” Apparently, Windows Hello will work with current fingerprint devices, but face recognition or iris detection needs an Intel RealSense camera, or an IR sensor that meets Microsoft’s specification.RealSense also provides gesture control (eg waves and winks) and 3D scanning.
So, not many current machines will support Windows Hello face recognition, butreportedly the Dell Inspiron 15, HP Envy 15 and Lenovo B50-30 All-In-One do.
Windows 10 is designed to provide “enterprise-grade security”, and if you want face/iris recognition, you might want to wait until more laptops support Windows Hello.
Windows 10 machines may also include a sensor that tells the operating system whether it is being used as a laptop or a tablet so that it can change the user interface to match. However, this feature – called Microsoft Continuum – looks more useful on Windows phones.
Many other hardware developments are coming along, such as USB 3.1 Type C ports (the new Apple MacBook has one), Direct X12 graphics and, eventually, Intel’s sixth-generation Core chips, codenamed Skylake.
But you can expect these more advanced machines to cost more, while PC manufacturers may be trimming prices to clear out the ones running Windows 8.1 …
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