Windows 10 News: Free Upgrade Program for Windows 7, 8.1 'Assistive Technology' Users Ends This Year
Time is ticking for those who want to get a free upgrade to the Windows 10 operating system from Windows 7 or 8.1.
It is important to note that the general free upgrade to Windows 10 has long been halted by Microsoft. However, there is another way for some people to avail of it.
Microsoft's Windows 10 upgrade program for people using assistive technology is still active. However, reports recently found that Microsoft updated its support page for the promo and has added: "Please take advantage of this offer before it expires on December 31, 2017."
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Meanwhile, Tech Spot noted that Microsoft had a number of conflicting statements on who may be able to avail of the Windows 10 free upgrade for users of assistive technology.
In the general sense, assistive technology refers to innovations and devices designed for people with disabilities. This means that the only people who should still be able to avail of the free Windows 10 upgrade are supposedly those who are using or in need of assistive technology.
When one searches for Windows assistive technology, they will be brought to the Windows accessibility page where several cursor and keyboard shortcuts as well as functionalities are listed that are not restricted to persons with disabilities. This case has been used as a justification by some people to avail of the free Windows 10 upgrade through the assistive technology support page.
Back in 2016, a Windows 10 sub-Reddit moderator addressed the issue and told users: "Please do not use the 'Assistive Technologies' webpage tool to late upgrade to Windows 10 if you have missed the free upgrade offer. It is only for those with disabilities, and is being changed soon to prevent abuse of the system."
However, as of this writing, the support page for the Windows 10 upgrade for users of assistive technology had a slightly different stance on the issue. Microsoft said: "We are not restricting the upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies. If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the upgrade offer."
Meanwhile, it is not puzzling why Microsoft is being lenient to people using the assistive technology support page to get a Windows 10 upgrade even if they are not supposed to. In 2015, the company announced their goal of bringing their latest OS to at least one billion computers within three years, and this could have been one of the ways for them to do that.
