Microsoft hints at subscription model for Windows 10 – update

Microsoft has hinted that Windows 10 will get a subscription model. CEO Kevin Turner said during a presentation that the company wants to monetize its main product in a different way. “And that has something to do with services,” he claimed.

The move to a subscription model is not an uncommon step for Microsoft. At Office, Microsoft already has a subscription version with Office 365. When asked if Microsoft is going to lose money with Windows, Turner answers yes. “The bottom line is, we need to monetize Windows differently. And that involves services. There are additional opportunities for us to bring services to the product and do that in a creative way,” said the CEO. Turner promises that Microsoft will reveal more about Windows 10 pricing in the first half of 2015.

By moving to subscriptions, Microsoft wants to start monetizing using Windows rather than purchasing it. At the moment, manufacturers can already use Windows for free on devices with a screen size smaller than 9″. Turner does not mention the option to make Windows free for all devices, but says in a presentation that Toms Hardware discovered that the revenue model of Windows 10 is different. will be.

He did so by referring to the company’s upcoming 40th anniversary. “For the first 39 years of our existence, we built one of the best business models ever, especially around Windows,” said Turner. “Just to be clear, this was our past. If you look at our future, it’s going to be a Cloud OS.”

Update, March 18Microsoft has denied that it will adopt a subscription model with Windows 10.