It’s telling that most of my stories about Windows 10, a genuinely decent operating system, have been about how crappy Microsoft has made the upgrade experience. Microsoft seems to be getting the hint, though.
For more than a year, upgrading to Windows 10 hasn’t cost anything. Rather than let people organically upgrade, the company began forcing upgrades by scheduling them through manipulative and deceptive prompts.
To whit, one of the upgrade windows would schedule an upgrade if you hit the red “X” in the corner, aka the universal sign for “cancel.”
Just recently, a woman sued Microsoft over this and won $10,000.
Microsoft’s made a few changes since my last piece, including rolling out an app called Get Windows 10 that lets you instruct Windows to shut up and stop reminding you to upgrade your operating system.
Furthermore, the company told The Verge that it’s further tweaked the upgrade prompt due to “feedback that some of our valued customers found it confusing.” This new prompt, rolling out this week, will have “clear options to upgrade now, schedule a time, or decline the free offer.”
Finally.
Your last chance to upgrade for free is July 29, after which it’ll cost $119.