THOSE UPGRADING TO Windows 10 will get it for free, but Microsoft is planning on tackling piracy by offering those who downloaded an older version illegally the chance to upgrade as well.
Microsoft will make its upgrade available to anyone who has a device running Windows 7 and up in China, regardless of whether the version they’re using was acquired legally or not.
In an interview with Reuters, Microsoft’s Terry Myerson said the plan was to “re-engage” with the hundreds of millions of users who use Windows in the country. It’s believed that three-quarters of all PC software there is not properly licensed.
Microsoft has also signed deals with different companies like Lenovo, Tencent, Qihoo 360 and Xiaomi to help roll out the upgrade to devices.
In the case of Xiaomi, Mi 4 users will be able to test out Windows 10 on their Android device. Lenovo will also make phones running Windows 10, and it expects to release them in mid-2015.
No specific date was given for the launch of Windows 10, but it arrive in the summer in 190 countries and 111 different languages. The upgrade to Windows 10 is free to all users in the first year it launches.
Instead of charging for the upgrade, Microsoft is hoping that sales from products like OneDrive and Office would help make up for this as it gets all users on the same platform.
The upgrade will also include a new feature called Windows Hello which will use biometric authentication – your face, iris or fingerprint – to unlock your device. The cameras use infrared technology to help identify a face or iris and are able to recognise you in different lighting conditions.
Microsoft says it uses a “combination of special hardware and software to accurately verify it is you – not a picture of you or someone trying to impersonate you.”
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