Standalone copies of Windows 10 will cost up to $199

[Scorpus]

Following the announcement of Windows 10's official launch date (it's July 29th, in case you were wondering), Microsoft has also revealed just how much Windows 10 will cost for those who are building new systems or who aren't eligible for the company's free upgrade offer.

Basically, Windows 10's pricing will stay the same as Windows 8.1's current pricing in the United States. That means Windows 10 Home will retail for $119, just like standard Windows 8.1; while Windows 10 Pro will retail for $199, just like Windows 8.1 Pro. The Windows 10 Pro Pack, allowing you to upgrade from Home to Pro, will cost $99.

The price of Windows 10 will be irrelevant for most people currently using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on their PC, as they will be eligible for Microsoft's limited time free upgrade offer. And in case you're wondering which version of Windows 10 you'll be upgraded to, Microsoft has revealed the upgrade pathways for Windows 7 and 8.1:

• Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Premium and Windows 8.1 users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Home
• Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Windows 8.1 Pro users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro
• Windows Phone 8.1 users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Mobile
• Windows Enterprise, Windows RT and Windows 8 users are not eligible for a free upgrade

Although Windows 8 users are not directly eligible for an upgrade to Windows 10, by upgrading to Windows 8.1 for free, they will be able to take advantage of Microsoft's offer. As for Enterprise users, Microsoft will provide upgrades through their standard licensing agreement.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/60860-standalone-copies-windows-10-cost-up-199.html

 

[Guest]

Buenos dias Microsoft. Bye bye.

 

[Guest]

I already received a notice for a free full upgrade to Windows 10 on my pirated copy of Windows 7. I agreed to be notified once the upgrade is available. I'll probably go through with the upgrade, if I don't like it after trying it, I can always format and reinstall Windows 7.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

So what will the difference be between Home & Pro?

 

[Guest]

So what will the difference be between Home & Pro?

The usual, Group Policy, BitLocker support, some advanced networking and remote support features and whatnot.
And, of course, the usual wave of suckers buying Windows Professional for their gaming PCs because the more expensive version "must be better".

 

[Skewed Input]

So what will the difference be between Home & Pro?

The Home version doesn't allow users to join a domain. Domains are used in the majority of small, medium and large businesses instead of your typical "Workgroup" that you would use at home.

This forces businesses with that said domain to buy a Pro version, otherwise that said Operating System can not join the pre-existing domain. I don't understand WHY they would charge such a high price while giving such a large number of users a free upgrade...

 

[wiyosaya]

So to the average consumer, 10 will be free. For me, I will be upgrading one of my 7 machines before I even consider upgrading any of my other machines. If the upgrade is not smooth or there is something that I find unacceptable about the upgrade, particularly if all my apps are not migrated to 10 without me having to reinstall everything, I will likely revert with an image backup.

M$ is trying to drive adoption with this free upgrade, however, I am still not sure that the business world will accept this upgrade, and IMHO, the business world's acceptance of 10 is something that I think will be required to make 10 a resounding success. Yes, the consumer market is a large market and is probably large enough so that if enough consumers upgrade to 10, 10 will be considered a success, however, having the business world also upgrade would be an event defining a resounding success for 10.

Where I work, we are on 7 Pro, so technically, each computer where I work will be eligible for a free upgrade. However, in the business world, the transition will require (in most cases as I see it) that each computer be upgraded by someone in the IT department - which means that there will still be a cost for the business world to transition to 10. Inside the business world, I am sure that it will be impossible to tell whether it will be a resounding success or not. In thinking about this, I think M$ is being rather nearsighted with respect to the business world and the time limit to free upgrades. Most IT departments will likely be adverse to a magic wand approach.

 

[madboyv1]

Too bad I am an enterprise user, so I can't get the free update on any of my desktops. My laptop however, I'll upgrade with the freebie for sure. Maybe I'll buy a couple copies of Win7Pro now (for less than the cost of Win10Pro) and get the free upgrade when I use them =p

@wiyosaya: The free upgrade is not only to drive the adoption Win10 over the aging Win7 (which is almost 6 years old), but as a PR recovery move. I'd imagine many people who did not like Win8 through initial observations when it came out stuck with Win7 and never gave Win8 (or 8.1) a chance. Microsoft is hoping the extra incentive will get those people willing to try the new version. This of course, is all speculation.

 

[NoLimits]

So to the average consumer, 10 will be free. For me, I will be upgrading one of my 7 machines before I even consider upgrading any of my other machines. If the upgrade is not smooth or there is something that I find unacceptable about the upgrade, particularly if all my apps are not migrated to 10 without me having to reinstall everything, I will likely revert with an image backup.

M$ is trying to drive adoption with this free upgrade, however, I am still not sure that the business world will accept this upgrade, and IMHO, the business world's acceptance of 10 is something that I think will be required to make 10 a resounding success. Yes, the consumer market is a large market and is probably large enough so that if enough consumers upgrade to 10, 10 will be considered a success, however, having the business world also upgrade would be an event defining a resounding success for 10.

Where I work, we are on 7 Pro, so technically, each computer where I work will be eligible for a free upgrade. However, in the business world, the transition will require (in most cases as I see it) that each computer be upgraded by someone in the IT department - which means that there will still be a cost for the business world to transition to 10. Inside the business world, I am sure that it will be impossible to tell whether it will be a resounding success or not. In thinking about this, I think M$ is being rather nearsighted with respect to the business world and the time limit to free upgrades. Most IT departments will likely be adverse to a magic wand approach.

It will absolutely be a success in the business world. The OS is faster, more secure, and very user friendly. I said the same thing you are saying about 8.0/8.1 and it was absolutely true. It wasn't good for business (too much change management). However, 10 is an absolute hit. I've been using it since January and love it. Can't wait for it to go live. I even almost put the Enterprise Preview on my work laptop because it is so good.

 

[wiyosaya]

So to the average consumer, 10 will be free. For me, I will be upgrading one of my 7 machines before I even consider upgrading any of my other machines. If the upgrade is not smooth or there is something that I find unacceptable about the upgrade, particularly if all my apps are not migrated to 10 without me having to reinstall everything, I will likely revert with an image backup.

M$ is trying to drive adoption with this free upgrade, however, I am still not sure that the business world will accept this upgrade, and IMHO, the business world's acceptance of 10 is something that I think will be required to make 10 a resounding success. Yes, the consumer market is a large market and is probably large enough so that if enough consumers upgrade to 10, 10 will be considered a success, however, having the business world also upgrade would be an event defining a resounding success for 10.

Where I work, we are on 7 Pro, so technically, each computer where I work will be eligible for a free upgrade. However, in the business world, the transition will require (in most cases as I see it) that each computer be upgraded by someone in the IT department - which means that there will still be a cost for the business world to transition to 10. Inside the business world, I am sure that it will be impossible to tell whether it will be a resounding success or not. In thinking about this, I think M$ is being rather nearsighted with respect to the business world and the time limit to free upgrades. Most IT departments will likely be adverse to a magic wand approach.

It will absolutely be a success in the business world. The OS is faster, more secure, and very user friendly. I said the same thing you are saying about 8.0/8.1 and it was absolutely true. It wasn't good for business (too much change management). However, 10 is an absolute hit. I've been using it since January and love it. Can't wait for it to go live. I even almost put the Enterprise Preview on my work laptop because it is so good.

In spite of all the good things about it, there is still going to be quite a bit of logistics involved in the transition at least as I see it. Many companies will not want to wave the magic wand and upgrade. Many companies are not that far from another expensive upgrade - XP to 7, and now those same companies must spend even more to upgrade from 7 or 8.1 to 10. It won't be free because of the work hours that are necessitated by the transition.

For the company in which I work with 500+ employees WW, there will be a lot of work to be done by the IT department. Successful in terms of useability and technical aspects is quite a bit different from successful in terms of adoption in the business world as I see it. In addition, I have not heard anything about preparation for the upgrade to 10. In other words, our IT department is not imbued with boundless excitement about the impending release of 10. Maybe that is only our company, but I doubt it. I would almost expect that most IT departments see this as a significant amount of work especially the IT departments in companies of 100 or more employees.

I am not trying to rain on your parade, however, in my opinion, many, if not most, companies are not like the average enthusiast. Companies conservatively approach a transition like this since it could involve hundreds if not thousands of computers.

We, as enthusiasts, are willing to jump on this transition primarily because the upgrade is free and the number of computers that we have is limited. For myself, I also have Image For Linux which means that if anything goes wrong, I can be back to 7 in a matter of a few minutes. Personally, I do not see that companies will consider it as much of a possible no-brainer as the enthusiast community will.

 

[Guest]

In spite of all the good things about it, there is still going to be quite a bit of logistics involved in the transition at least as I see it. Many companies will not want to wave the magic wand and upgrade. Many companies are not that far from another expensive upgrade - XP to 7, and now those same companies must spend even more to upgrade from 7 or 8.1 to 10. It won't be free because of the work hours that are necessitated by the transition.
(...)

All of what you said could also be said exactly the same way about the transition from XP to Windows 7, for example. Your argument is that "it won't succeed because updating is a lot of work" and doesn't revolve around the merits or faults of Windows 10.
Upgrading is a lot of work for every Windows release. That did not stop the adoption of Windows 95, nor Windows 98, nor Windows XP, nor Windows 7.

 

[Capaill]

Never mind all the drivers that will stop working in Windows 10.
Every Windows update breaks something (old programs stop working or behave differently, devices can no longer connect or connect more slowly). I assume it can take a company's IT department a long time to verify everything before they roll out Windows 10.
I still remember when my WD USB2 HDDs went to USB1 speed after I upgraded to Win7 because WD refused to release updated drivers!
It always makes me laugh (and cry inside) when a business person expects that a technical upgrade is just a matter of pushing a button.

 

[wiyosaya]

In spite of all the good things about it, there is still going to be quite a bit of logistics involved in the transition at least as I see it. Many companies will not want to wave the magic wand and upgrade. Many companies are not that far from another expensive upgrade - XP to 7, and now those same companies must spend even more to upgrade from 7 or 8.1 to 10. It won't be free because of the work hours that are necessitated by the transition.
(...)

All of what you said could also be said exactly the same way about the transition from XP to Windows 7, for example. Your argument is that "it won't succeed because updating is a lot of work" and doesn't revolve around the merits or faults of Windows 10.
Upgrading is a lot of work for every Windows release. That did not stop the adoption of Windows 95, nor Windows 98, nor Windows XP, nor Windows 7.

As I implied, the enthusiast community thinks quite a bit differently from the business world as I think your reply demonstrates.

I am willing to bet that if the business world were surveyed at this point as to whether IT departments were considering the transition to 10, my bet is that it would be much less than 10-percent. For most companies, I would also be willing to bet that the transition from N OS to Z OS came with the purchase of new hardware because the cost of the OS is always subsumed into the hardware purchase. With the upgrade to 10 from 7 or 8.1, the OS cost is not there. There will, however, be other costs involved.

I don't see it happening in the business world for at least six months because, as least in part, IT depts will want to ensure that the transition is not problematic and that it is also not suffering from any zero-day problems. If the transition on my workstation were to fail, I would not be able to work and loss of work is something that all companies will want to avoid.

So far, the responses that I have received have been from the standpoint of the enthusiast. I am not saying I want the OS to fail. In fact, I run 8.1 PRO on an HTPC at home, and in my opinion, 8.1 is no worse than 7; rather it only takes a bit to familiarize one's self with the location of various items. For me, that is from the standpoint of a skilled user. However, in addition to the IT depts acceptance of an OS, it will involve some training for users less skilled than the enthusiast.

No matter what way I look at it, it is not as trivial a transition for most companies as it will be for us enthusiasts. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Guest]

Can someone post up the snowy wallpaper? it looks cool.

 

[Guest]

As I implied, the enthusiast community thinks quite a bit differently from the business world as I think your reply demonstrates.
I am willing to bet that if the business world were surveyed at this point as to whether IT departments were considering the transition to 10, my bet is that it would be much less than 10-percent. For most companies, I would also be willing to bet that the transition from N OS to Z OS came with the purchase of new hardware because the cost of the OS is always subsumed into the hardware purchase. With the upgrade to 10 from 7 or 8.1, the OS cost is not there. There will, however, be other costs involved.

I get that, I'm not saying companies will move to Windows 10 immediately. But still, the exact thing you're saying applies to all versions of Windows. Companies didn't rush to upgrade to Windows 7 either, or to Windows XP (I remember vividly the shitstorm after launch about how bad XP was, how poor compatibility it had, and the jokes about toy visuals), or to Windows 98. The transition is slow and not done immediately for every version of Windows. The fact that the transition to Windows 10 will be slow and not immediate (like it always is) does not mean the OS is destined to fail. Of course, in that process some companies will be more avant garde and take advantage of the free upgrade, others will be more conservative and will not, but that's not a determining factor in its success.
I'm not saying this as an enthusiast. Personally, yes, I'll upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as Dell has the adequate drivers for my laptop in their website. I understand perfectly that the needs of companies are different, though. But again, there is nothing in Windows 10 that points to it not being a success in the enterprise market, at least in the long run, simply because it's no different than any of the previous releases that were successful.
On top of that still, many larger companies use volume licesing of the Enterprise version, so the free update isn't even a factor for them.

 

[Guest]

So if the free "upgrade" to Windows 10 doesn't have the ability to do a clean install on a hard drive from scratch, you'll need to pony up a chunk of change. Seems rather expensive to those of us that want the ability to install our OS from scratch.

 

[AnonymousSurfer]

So if the free "upgrade" to Windows 10 doesn't have the ability to do a clean install on a hard drive from scratch, you'll need to pony up a chunk of change. Seems rather expensive to those of us that want the ability to install our OS from scratch.

I would much rather be able to keep all my files and just update the OS. I understand why people want to clean install, but on this system I would much rather transfer everything automatically rather than spend 3 days downloading everything and installing it again. Hopefully all goes well with this process

 

[cliffordcooley]

Upgrading to a new OS is the perfect time to make a new recovery image. I would never want to make a new recovery image from an OS that was not clean installed.

 

[robb213]

So if the free "upgrade" to Windows 10 doesn't have the ability to do a clean install on a hard drive from scratch, you'll need to pony up a chunk of change. Seems rather expensive to those of us that want the ability to install our OS from scratch.

So far I've been under the assumption that if the eligible OS key is used within the year, it should work. Although, if a clean install can still be done with that key again after the year time period is where I'm confused about, assuming the former is right.

Or there could be a loophole like take the upgrade so the key is registered, then clean install using the key after that time wasted. I'll have to see.

 

[NoLimits]

As I implied, the enthusiast community thinks quite a bit differently from the business world as I think your reply demonstrates.

I am willing to bet that if the business world were surveyed at this point as to whether IT departments were considering the transition to 10, my bet is that it would be much less than 10-percent. For most companies, I would also be willing to bet that the transition from N OS to Z OS came with the purchase of new hardware because the cost of the OS is always subsumed into the hardware purchase. With the upgrade to 10 from 7 or 8.1, the OS cost is not there. There will, however, be other costs involved.

I don't see it happening in the business world for at least six months because, as least in part, IT depts will want to ensure that the transition is not problematic and that it is also not suffering from any zero-day problems. If the transition on my workstation were to fail, I would not be able to work and loss of work is something that all companies will want to avoid.

So far, the responses that I have received have been from the standpoint of the enthusiast. I am not saying I want the OS to fail. In fact, I run 8.1 PRO on an HTPC at home, and in my opinion, 8.1 is no worse than 7; rather it only takes a bit to familiarize one's self with the location of various items. For me, that is from the standpoint of a skilled user. However, in addition to the IT depts acceptance of an OS, it will involve some training for users less skilled than the enthusiast.

No matter what way I look at it, it is not as trivial a transition for most companies as it will be for us enthusiasts. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I work for a Fortunate 500 company with 400+ users at the HQ and 10,000 world-wide. I can speak from the business and the enthusiast point of view. While many workstations in our company will not transition for some time, many core clerical users will be transitioned to Windows 10 so that Onedrive for Business, O365, and other cloud features that greatly enhance productivity and collaboration can be fully utilized. As an agent of change in our organization I, along with a few other network administrators and analysts, will be recommending as many users transition to 10 as possible.

 

[deemon]

So what will the difference be between Home & Pro?

The Home version doesn't allow users to join a domain. Domains are used in the majority of small, medium and large businesses instead of your typical "Workgroup" that you would use at home.

This forces businesses with that said domain to buy a Pro version, otherwise that said Operating System can not join the pre-existing domain. I don't understand WHY they would charge such a high price while giving such a large number of users a free upgrade...

Also heard a rumor that Windows 10 Home users can not set windows updates to manual and will get them asap whether they want them or not... Whereas pro and enterprise users can set the updates to manual and schedule the reboot times.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Also heard a rumor that Windows 10 Home users can not set windows updates to manual and will get them asap whether they want them or not... Whereas pro and enterprise users can set the updates to manual and schedule the reboot times.

Thanks. (y)

 

[deemon]

Does anyone know if this 199$ version allows me to install in the future as many times as I want (given, that I uninstall or overinstall the previous installation)?

 

[sadman3]

Thats very expensive for the version of windows though. but looks pretty cool.