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Brand loyalty ... Microsoft has let Windows 7 and 8 users know they can reserve a free copy of Windows 10 to download at launch. Source: Supplied
MICROSOFT is aiming to build lasting relationships with Windows 10, the operating system seen as critical to reviving the fortunes of the once-dominant tech giant.
When it’s launched on Wednesday, Microsoft for the first time is making a major new version of Windows available free as an upgrade to anyone using either of the prior two generations of the system.
The goal is to swiftly have Windows 10 powering a billion devices, creating a gigantic audience to induce developers to crank out must-have apps for the platform.
Microsoft hopes to break the cycle in which consumers shun Windows for mobile because it lacks the large catalogue of applications found on rival platforms, thus discouraging app makers from creating Windows versions.
Bells and whistles ... Microsoft is bringing back the Start menu, and redesigning it, in Windows 10. Source: Supplied
Hit apps could ramp up popularity of Windows-driven hardware made by Microsoft and its partners, and increase opportunities for the company to make money from online activities such as search, shopping and software as services in the internet cloud.
“This is all in the direction of building a relationship, being connected with you,†Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett said of Windows 10.
There are reports Microsoft has finalised its Windows 10 operating system.
“They make it free so developers make good stuff. And then create an ongoing relationship instead of just a transaction, which is how Microsoft has operated in the past.â€
Microsoft has built its empire on packaged software sold to computer users and makers.
Windows remains the leading operating system for personal computers but has failed to gain traction on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
Special events are planned in 13 cities around the world in tribute to the more than five million “insiders†who took part in a Windows 10 test period.
The operating system will come as a free upgrade to people who already use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and will be available in 190 countries.
Microsoft is not making Windows 10 free to computer makers, which is where it has historically gotten the bulk of its revenue from the operating system.
Microsoft has also made Windows available free to makers of small-screen gadgets such as smartphones or tablets to gain traction in the mobile market.
Windows 10 will come pre-installed on Microsoft-compatible computers and tablets from July 29 and will be available for purchase later in the year.
The move marks a major launch for Microsoft, after the lukewarm response to Windows 8, which was rolled out in 2013.