8 ms·

I don't think Microsoft makes much money off of shrinkwrap copies of Windows. Almost everyone I know just sticks with the version of Windows that came with the

I don't think Microsoft makes much money off of shrinkwrap copies of Windows. Almost everyone I know just sticks with the version of Windows that came with the computer, and when they switch to a newer version it's because they bought a new computer that comes with it preinstalled. The probable advantage to Microsoft is that they have a less disjointed platform to support. For example apps released for the app store don't run on Windows 7 and earlier, and apps that work on Windows 7 and earlier can't be put on the app store. That sort of thing has been an enormous success killer for some of Microsoft's newer business initiatives, and that in turn means it's a threat to the long-term success of the company. It might also save on development costs. 3-year release cycles mean you're at great risk of sinking tons and tons of resources into gold plating ideas that ultimately bomb on the market. This new approach means they can fail fast, which means they should be able to produce value more efficiently.

zanny 12y ago
They were still making $20 - $30 per license sold from major vendors like HP and Dell. They move millions of units per year. That is a lot of revenue to throw away.
- detaro 12y ago
  If they go to a subscription model, they'd probably not loose much. If not, they still could charge for OEM licenses bundled to hardware.
- sukilot 12y ago
  They aren't throwing away OEM revenue. Only OS upgrade revenue.
daemin 12y ago
That copy of windows does add at least $100 (or your regional equivalent) to the price of the computer, so it's not free but it's bundled with the other parts so hidden away. Out of sight out of mind.
rhengles 12y ago
> and apps that work on Windows 7 and earlier can't be put on the app store. They announced that win32 based apps will have the possibility to be on the store - in one of the videos from build they even used Photoshop as an example.
- castell 12y ago
  Apple did that too with OS X. And a year later, the forced you to add the application to their store. Opening a third party application that is not blessed from Apple/store shows a warning to the casual end user. It's up to Microsoft to go the same route, or not.

zanny 12y ago

They were still making $20 - $30 per license sold from major vendors like HP and Dell. They move millions of units per year. That is a lot of revenue to throw away.

detaro 12y ago
If they go to a subscription model, they'd probably not loose much. If not, they still could charge for OEM licenses bundled to hardware.
sukilot 12y ago
They aren't throwing away OEM revenue. Only OS upgrade revenue.

daemin 12y ago

That copy of windows does add at least $100 (or your regional equivalent) to the price of the computer, so it's not free but it's bundled with the other parts so hidden away. Out of sight out of mind.

rhengles 12y ago

> and apps that work on Windows 7 and earlier can't be put on the app store. They announced that win32 based apps will have the possibility to be on the store - in one of the videos from build they even used Photoshop as an example.

castell 12y ago
Apple did that too with OS X. And a year later, the forced you to add the application to their store. Opening a third party application that is not blessed from Apple/store shows a warning to the casual end user. It's up to Microsoft to go the same route, or not.