Microsoft SA talks numbers behind Windows 10 Anniversary Update

The South African arm of Microsoft recently held a Windows 10 Anniversary event to order to highlight the new update. While the software came packed with a range of changes and upgrade, the numbers behind it were far more interesting.

The Anniversary update

According to Anthony Doherty, the Windows and Surface Business Group Lead at Microsoft SA, the Windows Anniversary Update went through 28 pre-builds before its official launch. The Anniversary Update for Windows 10 Mobile had less of those, coming in at 20 pre-releases before its own launch.

During the testing phase, Microsoft received over 5000 feature requests from standard home and in-depth users. These requests ranged from general UI tweaks to more kernel changes.

Windows 10 is now used by over 350-million devices in 192 countries

Microsoft SA is looking into creating a local chapter of the Windows Insider group. It would function akin to a think tank, where users can come together and discuss the operating system.

The company boasts that there are over 350-million devices running Windows 10 in over 192 countries to date. When asked about how the number is calculated, Doherty said Microsoft counts anything that uses Windows 10 as a backbone, such as the Xbox One or embedded systems. The company aims to reach 1-billion devices by 2018.

Read more: 10 simple Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts worth remembering

This number may not increase dramatically anytime soon though. On 29 July, all upgrade icons on older Windows devices were disabled. This disallowed users from upgrading to the (and at the time, free) Windows 10 upgrade.

No more free upgrades

While some had hoped the company would extend the free upgrade period, it was not going to do so. According to Doherty, consumers had received plenty of warning about the end of the free upgrade offer, though it’s still available to those using assist technologies.

In order to upgrade now, customers need to purchase a retail upgrade package from either Microsoft or a store. The package does include both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10.

Doherty and Windows Commercial Product Marketing Manager Gizem Lislas warn that any device purchased now with Windows 8.1 pre-installed will not be eligible for the upgrade. Even though these devices should no longer be sold at retail, there is a minimal amount left on the market.

The Windows 10 licence is linked to your device, which is referred to as Digital Entitlement. If too many components are changed within the machine, such as the hard drive, CPU, and motherboard, it will count as a new licence and the user will need to purchase a new one. This is true for those who build PCs from scratch — basically, your licence doesn’t carry over from machine to machine.

What do you think about the Windows 10 Anniversary update? Let us know in the comments below.