Windows 10 S Users Given More Time to Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free
In a recent announcement, Microsoft is extending the time for Windows 10 S users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
The streamlined operating system, Windows 10 S, was introduced by Microsoft on its Surface Laptop, which was just released earlier this year. In a statement, the company announced that the free upgrade to Windows 10 would be supported until 2018.
"For those that find they need an application that isn't yet available in the Store and must be installed from another source, we're extending the ability to switch from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro for free until March 31, 2018. We hope this provides increased flexibility for those people searching for the perfect back-to-school or holiday gift," said Microsoft.
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The announcement came alongside the confirmation that Microsoft was shipping more color variants to 20 countries and making the Platinum i7 Surface Laptop available in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
What Microsoft highlighted as one of Windows 10 S' strengths was its much faster boot time and performance speeds. Reports claimed that the Windows 10 S could perform a system boot within 15 seconds. However, it comes at a cost.
The said operating system was built to disallow the use or installation of third-party programs -- which means even the widely used Google Chrome web browser is off limits. Users who choose to stick with Windows 10 S can only use Bing as their search engine and Microsoft Edge as their internet browsing companion.
From Microsoft's perspective, the Surface Laptop was mainly marketed for the use of students that could live with the said native Microsoft programs.
On the other hand, Microsoft has also worked with various companies -- including Apple -- to bring popular programs as applications available on Windows Store. However, the Redmond, Washington, company appears to be recognizing that Windows 10 S will need much more than that.
Since the release of the Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S, Microsoft has decided to offer free upgrades for users who deem they are not ready to cope with the restrictions posed by the streamlined operating system.
