Microsoft will upgrade Windows OS version every year

blargoe

Microsoft Said to Speed Windows Upgrades to Once a Year - Bloomberg

ptilsen

I think it's smart, and not because it emulates Apple. As people replace PCs less often, MS will earn less money from those sales. Switching off of annual (or near-annual) service packs and onto a model where they charge less more often is smart.

In the enterprise sector, this also means they can switch pretty much everyone to a subscription service, whereby they get steadier annual income regardless of whether businesses adopt a new OS.

It means more gradual changes to the interface, and as a result less consumer backlash from drastic changes (UAC in 2007, Start Screen in 2012).

Finally, I think it will more greatly facilitate MS competing with their own customers. If customers do not keep up and properly support new Windows versions as they did with Vista, they will get a bad reputation from consumers, who will in turn buy Microsoft hardware.

RomBUS

Just hope it isn't quick fixes and/or quick new feature releases. I really hope they stay innovative and slack put things off for the "next release"

dave330i

I don't see this working out for Microsoft. They support users like my parents who are perfectly happy with XP and have no desire to migrate. There are Enterprises still running XP. They support too many users who don't care about the latest & greatest.

Also how are they going to handle certifications?

ptilsen

XP is leaving support soon enough, and old PCs will die. Younger users will be more likely to consider upgrades if MS makes them compelling.

Microsoft has already switched to a expiration/renew model a la Cisco. Certifications will expire every three years, rather than be about certain products, at least at the MCSE level. I suspect Windows server will not see certification material changes or major platform changes with yearly OS releases, but we will see.