Microsoft exec: Windows 9 will be free for Windows 8 users

By Konrad Krawczyk September 29, 2014

microsoft exec reportedly says windows 9 will free 8 users leak 21 — Image source: Winfuture.de Image used with permission by copyright holder

A Microsoft executive allegedly stated that Windows 9 will be free for people who currently use Windows 8.

“Easy, when the OS (Windows 9) was launched later, users who have been using Windows 8 just need to do the update via his device. It will be installed automatically,” Andreas Diantoro, the President of Microsoft Indonesia reportedly said. The quote is a translation generated by Google Chrome’s built in language-scrambling feature.

Related: Windows 9 rumors, news, leaks, images, more

So, not only will Windows 9 be free according to Diantoro, but you won’t need to order a boxed copy or a download from Microsoft’s site to obtain it. Based on the translation, it sounds like you’ll just need to fire up Windows Update once it goes live to start the installation process.

Though we heard a rumor that Windows 9 could be free back in early August, at that point, the whispers indicated that the next version of Windows could be free for people who are still using Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Back then, Windows 8 users weren’t mentioned as possible recipients of the rumored free upgrade.

On top of that, just a couple of weeks ago, a Microsoft job posting indicated that the company was on the hunt for someone who could help the company “fundamentally change the way Windows is shipping to put the ecosystem at the center of Windows.” The post made it sound very much like Microsoft was working hard to revamp Windows Update to give users the ability to upgrade to new versions of the OS straight from the utility.

Related: Reader poll: Will you upgrade to Windows 9?

In other words, what Diantoro recently stated lines up pretty accurately with two Windows 9 rumors we’ve recently heard.

Thankfully, the question of whether Diantoro’s quote is accurate or not won’t last too long. Microsoft is holding an event tomorrow in San Francisco, and they’re widely expect to give the world its first peek at Windows 9 then.

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Konrad Krawczyk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

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