Update: Microsoft has reached out to explain that “this week’s Microsoft news about Windows 10 ESU pricing is for advertising organizations and EDU customers only. “
“It’s worth noting that the Windows IT Pro blog has been updated with the following: “The main points and pricing design described in this article apply only to advertising organizations. Details will be shared later for customers and home users on the website. client-side on the page. Educational establishments can find personalized information about the finish of Windows 10 on the Microsoft Education blog.
Our name has been replaced by this one and the original story can be discovered below.
I’m afraid Windows 10 craves this world. Although Microsoft has shown that the old operating formula will still receive free security updates until October 14, 2025, then it will have to be part of the ESU program, or “Extended Security Updates,” and that costs money. Depending on your use case, this may be much more than you expected.
In a recent blog post, Microsoft detailed its plans for extended support and added the revelation that if you need to purchase an activation key to enroll a Windows 10 device in the ESU, you need to shell out $61 per device for the first year. through the Registry). If that number seems high to you, then be prepared to maintain your collective limits, as Microsoft has also announced that “the value will double every consecutive year for up to three years. “
It’s worth noting that the value is also cumulative, meaning that if you make the decision to enroll in the program in the year in question, you’ll also need to pay for the first year.
There are a few exceptions to pay attention to. For one, Windows 10 devices used to access Windows 11 cloud PCs through Windows 365 will get security updates without taking any additional action under the existing Windows 365 license, as long as you’ve committed to getting more. of one year.
You’re also eligible for 25% ESU licensing if you use a cloud-based update control solution like Microsoft Intune or Windows Autopatch.
But the biggest concession is the resolution that allows Microsoft Education consumers to obtain ESU licenses for $1 for the first year, $2 for the second, and $4 for the third. While this would possibly cause a sigh of relief from IT admins working in schools where upgrading to Windows 11 can be tricky for a number of reasons and turns out to be a very unbalanced pricing model.
As we noted when we first discussed Microsoft’s plans in December, many will have opted to upgrade to Windows 11 due to TPM and CPU-compatible needs that technically exclude several machines still capable of making the transition.
If you own an unsupported machine, there are third-party methods to force install Windows 11 anyway, but it’s not a good idea to force users to look elsewhere for a solution or shell out a very large amount of money just to stay. It is safe using an operating formula that is still perfectly valid and backed by the utmost software.
But more than that, it’s the price imbalance here. You actually get the same level of security support, regardless of your skill level. Therefore, it is unfair to force normal users to pay an excessively high amount to get the upgrades and then increase it exponentially while others pay much less.
While Windows 11 is now a perfectly decent operating formula, after years of early updates that still don’t seem to have achieved particular adoption, those of you who were making plans to keep Windows 10 to the end have a deadline to meet. your decision and a potentially vital monetary choice you need to make. And they, my friends, seem to be the breakups.
Andy built his first gaming PC at the age of 12, when IDE cables existed and the best solution didn’t exist. After spending more than 15 years in the production industry overseeing a variety of live and recorded projects, he began writing his own PC hardware. blog for a year in the hope that other people will send you things. Sometimes they did.
Now, running as hardware for PC Gamer, Andy can be found muttering softly and drawing diagrams with his hands in the air. It’s better to let him do it.
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