This morning Microsoft announced that Windows 10 has reached a new milestone, with 300 million active devices running the new operating system, up some 30 million from what Microsoft announced at Build only a month ago.
Along with the announcement, Microsoft is reminding everyone that now is the time to upgrade, if you haven’t already:
The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before. And time is running out. The free upgrade offer will end on July 29 and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. After July 29th, you’ll be able to continue to get Windows 10 on a new device, or purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119.
However over at ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley was able to ask Microsoft if the free offer might continue, something that many Microsoft watchers expect to happen as the company strives to get Windows 10 installed on a billion devices. Microsoft’s response was typical cryptic Microsoft-speak:
“The free upgrade offer has been a big success, leading to the fastest adoption of Windows ever, with Windows 10 on more than 300 million active Windows devices. The free upgrade promotion is currently slated to end on July 29 and we encourage all of our customers to take advantage of it while it is still active.”
While it sounds like the statement is supporting the blog post’s assertion that the free offer will end on July 29th, Foley notes the “iffy part” in the statement, that the offer is “currently slated” to end.
Long time Microsoft watchers know that Microsoft is very careful, and fairly sly, when it comes to clarifications and statements, and that “currently slated” bit is significant.
Will the free offer end on July 29th? Well, it’s “currently slated” to, and if you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10 yet, we strongly urge you to do just that. But if Microsoft extends the offer, hoping to get more users on the Windows 10 bandwagon in its push to promote Universal Windows Apps and jumpstart developer interest in the platform, don’t be too surprised.
Update: Microsoft has clarified their statement, reiterating that the free offer will end on July 29th, and labeling the earlier statements to Mary Jo Foley as “incorrect”
