Microsoft is still offering free Windows 10 upgrades

[Scorpus]

Microsoft officially ended their free Windows 10 upgrade program on July 29th last week, approximately a year after the operating system was released. Most people, including us, assumed that after this date users who wanted to upgrade would have to fork out at least $120 for a Windows 10 license, however this isn't actually the case.

As it turns out, Microsoft is continuing to offer free Windows 10 upgrades to those who use assistive technologies, such as a screen narrator or magnifier. The best part? Microsoft isn't checking to see whether you are actually using these assistive tools, so basically anyone can still get a free upgrade.

The process for upgrading in this way is simple. Head to Microsoft's accessibility website, download the program that's listed on their upgrade page, and then install your free Windows 10 update. Like with the previous upgrade program, you'll need to be running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1; older versions of Windows are ineligible.

Currently there is no end date to the free Windows 10 upgrade program for assistive tool users, but Microsoft will make "a public announcement prior to ending the offer."

One of the main reasons behind this upgrade offer is the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which launches tomorrow and includes new accessibility features. Microsoft wants to ensure that Windows users who require assistive technologies get the best experience, and the ideal way to do this is to run the latest version of Windows 10.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65792-microsoft-offering-free-windows-10-upgrades.html

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Sounds like the right idea. Accessibility is often needed by folks who can afford it least.

 

[DaveBG]

Surprise surprise! They need more livestock for their "free" farm!

 

[Experimentongod]

Way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Good job Microsoft.

 

[JamesSWD]

This makes sense. Assistive software is notoriously quirky and temperamental, either due to poor programming & testing and/or poor integration with an operating system. There's a lot of assistive software & drivers out there that may not have been upgraded to work properly with Windows 10 yet, similar to what we saw with slow rollouts from software producers during Vista's introduction and again with Win8. So extending the free upgrade offer for people with disabilities who rely on assistive software is a decent move.

 

[Joe Blow]

Why would they want to restrict access and not allow others to be prevented from being spied on? They just posted that phony date to incentivize the rush. They'll keep that door open for some time.

 

[DAOWAce]

I'll keep this as a backup in case I decide to install 10 to run something I'm eager to play in DX12..