We all know about Windows. We have been studying it since our childhood. The first PC we ever had was surely a Windows machine. And now, Microsoft has recently made Windows 10 free to use for everyone.
But did you know that people used to pay a very large sum of money for each Windows update? It was one of the reasons for the high cost of windows devices. Not long ago, you may have paid a handsome amount of cash to upgrade your PC.
Yes, a free version of Windows was not there a few years back, but, starting from Windows 10, it is all for free.
The question is, why is it here for free? Is it because Microsoft has earned enough? Or is this their new way of marketing the product?
Why is Microsoft Suddenly Giving Their Latest Version for Free?
The fact is that users nowadays do not rely on new updates as they have many flaws. Many Microsoft users did not upgrade their Windows from Windows 7 or XP to the latest Windows 8 or Vista when the latter two came out.
So, to encourage the users to go for new updates, Microsoft is providing the latest windows versions for free so people can upgrade without risk. Windows 10 is the last Windows upgrade version with the full package. There will be no other version except for the minor changes in the version itself.
How Does Microsoft Make Money?
The real question is that if the company is providing one of its products for free, then how does it make money?
The number of users using Windows is relatively higher than before, and with that many users, Windows provides other features for the users to purchase. This way, Windows is creating its own universe, separate from Linux and macOS.
The Microsoft Universe
Let’s give an example of the Microsoft drive or OneDrive. You can use OneDrive on your desktop, mobile phones, and other gadgets. Since you have used it for free in Windows, when you run out of space on OneDrive, you will purchase a subscription from Microsoft to keep your files on a recognised platform.
This way, providing simple versions of applications for free encourages the users to purchase other products such as games and software. Although Microsoft provides Windows for free, it frequently tries to persuade users to purchase its other products.
Bing
Apart from that, you can see that your search bar has its search engine, Bing, which helps gain market share for Microsoft. Therefore, Bing will provide the exact information about user searches by default. It makes Bing more appealing to advertisers as it will have more market share since it is inbuilt on Windows. In addition, they have also started serving advertisements inside the Windows operating system itself.
Don't like the sound of that? Here's how you can Protect Your Privacy From Search Engines.
Microsoft makes most of the earnings from the sales of licenses to PC manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell and others. This freemium version of Windows is here for a longer period of time. It is called freemium because it has other features inside it that need to be purchased.
Conclusion
Hence, with the advent of open source and software freedom, Microsoft is adapting to the global shift in the market by making Windows free. It allows Microsoft to maintain its global presence as the most popular OS in the market and encourages its users to upgrade to the latest versions of their applications as soon as possible.
