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Microsoft Will Support Windows 10 Until 2025
A week before its official release, Microsoft said Windows 10 will have the traditional 10-year lifecycle when it comes to official updates and patches.
An update on the company's Windows lifecycle fact sheet Web site showed that official extended support for Windows 10 will end on Oct. 14, 2025 and mainstream support will conclude five years earlier on Oct. 13, 2020.
While the 10-year window is in line with Microsoft's previous OS releases, today's official announcement brings clarification to a question that Microsoft had been previously vague about. In January, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group Terry Myerson commented that the traditional 10 year support plan might be changing, saying that "Once a device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will be keeping it current for the supported lifetime of the device."
Today's update to the fact sheet and comment from the company appears to put that question to rest. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed with Computerworld that all versions of Windows 10 will be supported. "The traditional 10-year support lifecycle applies to all SKUs [stock-keeping units]," said Microsoft in an e-mailed statement.
Microsoft's lifecycle fact sheet also stated that a machine running Windows 10 will only be eligible for support if it is running the latest updates. The company designates updates as including "new features, fixes (security and/or non-security), or a combination of both." Further, support could be lost by devices that are incompatible with current or future Windows 10 updates and features.
For those who may not be eligible for the free Windows 10 upgrade program, the OS popped up on Amazon late last week ahead of its official July 29 release. The online retailer started taking preorders for both the Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro versions. Both versions will start shipping on Aug. 30 and arrive on USB flash devices. The Home version will cost $119.99, while the Pro version has a price tag of $199.99.