Windows 10 Coming This Summer, Still No Precise Date

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At WinHEC, Microsoft gave some new information on Windows 10, including the fact that Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system will be launching this summer to 190 countries, which is earlier than the previously expected fall release.

When Windows 10 arrives, many users will be able to upgrade to the new platform free of charge; anyone using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will be eligible for the free upgrade. To prepare for the launch, Microsoft has been working to enable the upgrade from within the Windows Updates main menu.

Some customers in China will have an easier time upgrading to Windows 10 than the rest of the world. Lenovo plans to use 2,500 service centers inside retail stores in China to upgrade products to the latest version of Windows.

Those who don't own a Lenovo system in China will be able to upgrade through Tencent's QQ instant messenger program. In addition to facilitating the upgrade through its servers, Tencent also plans to include Tencent Video and Tencent PC Manager applications with the upgrade.

One of China's leading smartphone distributors, Xiaomi, will work with users to test Windows 10 on its Xiaomi Mi 4 before pushing the update out to everyone later this year. Qihu 360, another popular software app in China, will also help users update to Windows 10.

Windows 10 brings a number of new advancements to the computerized world. The user interface has been changed to be more like Windows 7, and a number of other features to improve the experience of using the Windows platform have been made.

Other new features such as Windows Hello, which aims to improve security, and DirectX 12, which promises to improve gaming performance, are two of the most anticipated updates.

Microsoft is trying to help spread Windows 10 to new platforms, as well. In addition to the x86-based hardware used by Windows, Microsoft has worked with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Qualcomm, and others to bring Windows 10 to ARM-based devices.

Windows 10 support has been added for Qualcomm's DragonBoard 410C. As a project board using ARM-based processors, this will give users of the product the ability to develop software for both Windows 10 and Android.

Unfortunately, no exact date was given for Windows 10, but we should hear more details soon as we head into summer.

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Michael Justin Allen Sexton
Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • kawininjazx
    So how are the new keys being handed out? If you have an activated copy of windows they will just give you one, or do you have to prove you actually have a key and didn't use a loader to activate windows.
    Reply
  • ksharp25
    I wonder that too. Also will the "free" upgrade allow me to upgrade to a newer Edition build for free as well? Meaning I have Windows 8.1 Single Language because it came pre-loaded but I would want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and not Single Language
    Reply
  • CybKnox
    I wonder that too. Also will the "free" upgrade allow me to upgrade to a newer Edition build for free as well? Meaning I have Windows 8.1 Single Language because it came pre-loaded but I would want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and not Single Language

    It's simple, you'll upgrade for free to the edition that 8.1 had and then from the "System" window you can choose to pay additional fee to upgrade to Pro or whatever edition you want.
    Reply
  • Kewlx25
    Updated: ZDNet's Ed Bott got a response from a Microsoft spokesperson, confirming that the free upgrade path is indeed available for all pirates everywhere, and not just in China.

    http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/windows-10-will-be-a-free-upgrade-for-genuine-and-non-genuine-users/

    Even pirates are getting a free upgrade.
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    What's the cost/business model for non-upgrades?
    Reply
  • canadianvice
    So how are the new keys being handed out? If you have an activated copy of windows they will just give you one, or do you have to prove you actually have a key and didn't use a loader to activate windows.

    While I don't condone piracy, there's an article on Ars stating that for at least China, if not globally, ALL copies of Windows (loaded or not) that are 7/8/8.1 will be given a free, legitimate copy of 10, probably only the Chinese though, so MS can try and get them to be honest about their OS use.

    Again, not confirmed in the slightest, but Ars seems to think that's one possibility.
    Reply
  • quilciri
    Given Myerson's media campaign for Windows-as-a-service, I have to wonder why Microsoft isn't offering Windows 10 for free, period, to anyone with hardware that can support it.
    Reply
  • gggplaya
    While i understand why they want to upgrade windows 8 users for free, i don't see what business sense there is to offer free upgrades to windows 7 users. But hey, i guess their losing market share like crazy, so maybe they want to re-establish market dominance like the glory days of windows 95-windowsXP. Then start charging out the butt for windows 11, once they've gotten people locked in to the OS again.

    Also, i think there's going to be a resurgence of PC gaming given the mediocre performance of Xbone and PS4, where PC hardware is more powerful for just a little more money. That and the porting of console games to PC is much easier thanks to a similar hardware architecture. So DX12 will really get he ball rolling.
    Reply
  • PaulBags
    It's likely that old activation loaders won't work in windows 10, your upgrade is free but it's an upgrade to the trial version you already had.

    Still need to know versions and absolute pricing, I don't currently "own" a windows license & if 10 is all it's cracked up to be it might actually, finally, be worth paying for. If it's affordable. And if they're not going the route of yearly subscriptions, which is one rumor I've seen.
    Reply
  • IInuyasha74
    For those wondering how they will get the access key free, like mentioned above it will be an update to your existing Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 system. You might need to input your old key at some point during the update though.
    Reply