Windows 11 is expected to be released in the coming months, with official announcements anticipated soon.
Windows 11 is expected to be released in the coming months, with official announcements anticipated soon.
Consider my perspective. Microsoft has mentioned rolling out "Windows as a service," but based on current adoption trends and their past approaches to promoting Windows 10, it seems they might be making another strategic shift soon. Indeed, the past ten years have seen releases every three years, suggesting the next OS could arrive shortly. What are your thoughts? Would you expect Microsoft to release an updated version of Windows to address telemetry issues, or would they prefer to enhance the existing one in a "as a service" model? Other ideas are welcome. Also, Microsoft definitely needs to adapt since their current path has limited market growth to around 25% and they can't compete with their older OS after eight years. What are your opinions?
The idea of Microsoft releasing an updated Windows without a subscription seems overly promising.
They mostly mentioned Windows 10 was their final operating system. It wouldn’t be unexpected that in a few years you’d need to pay each month just to run it, rather than purchasing separate licenses.
The 'telemetry' issue is mainly a concern for users who value privacy. Few people are even aware of the information they share with Microsoft, or many aren't interested. Their approach is clear: gradually phase out support for older systems until users are left with no choice but to adopt Windows 10. Some still cling to Windows 7 because it functions adequately, and many have stayed on XP for a long time too. This isn’t a slow rollout at all. The lack of updates for Kaby Lake and Ryzen means Windows 7 or 8 won’t be viable soon, pushing people toward Windows 10. It’s becoming standard on most new installations. There’s little chance of a Windows 11 launch anytime soon—just more mandatory updates, data collection, intrusive ads, and pushy notifications.
Microsoft has announced a change to their development approach, moving away from traditional version releases. Instead of launching new iterations, they will focus on ongoing updates and enhancements for Windows 10.
I understand their words, yet urgency can push a business to abandon its earlier stance. Regular payments for OS could anger users and prompt quick jailbreaks (unless already attempted). At that stage, courts might investigate whether Microsoft is acting like a Monopoly player. I don’t think it’s far enough in the forecast to claim this definitively, but you might be correct about the improbability. Still, if Windows as a service is introduced, it could evolve into a completely different OS within 5 to 20 years. I’m sure Microsoft isn’t directly affected right now, and most folks probably don’t care about telemetry data. But if things go wrong severely, people might independently upgrade to an older version or switch to Linux. If Linux becomes more user-friendly, that could explain the shift. I was anticipating this, but just because they mentioned it now doesn’t guarantee they’ll follow through long-term. Still, many variables can shift behavior and perceptions enough to influence decisions.
They invest effort in phasing out older Windows releases to push everyone toward version 10, rather than simply reverting to the same approach with 10 by adopting version 11. In the long view, it raises questions about Microsoft's future direction or whether it will still exist as a recognizable company in 10–25 years. From a support perspective, focusing on just one software version makes sense because it simplifies maintenance and updates.
Windows will stop offering separate new operating system versions. With Windows as a service, updates will keep the OS current. There’s no end to the service; once it stops, it remains Windows. Eventually, only Windows will exist, and Microsoft will remove the ‘10’ label.