News & Blog
Microsoft Backtrack Rumours Part of Windows 10 Upgrade Backlash
By Francis West on 2nd June 2016
You may have read recently about Microsoft’s much publicised change in tactics in trying to move forward the process for getting users of Windows 7 and 8.1 to take up the free upgrade to Windows 10 by switching to a ‘Recommended’ automatic download, and by taking a click on the ‘X’ of the notification box to mean acceptance of the download.
As part of the online backlash, reports that Microsoft may have backpedalled on these tactics have been found to be nothing more than rumour and perhaps wishful thinking.
False Reports
Microsoft’s choice to interpret a click on the ‘X’ of the a notification of a pre-scheduled upgrade to Windows 10 as approval rather than as a move to ignore the notice and close the notification window has got many technical commentators and users hot under the collar.
A rapid rise in reporting of the story apparently entered the realms of Chinese Whispers when reports appeared on websites such as forbes.com that Microsoft had bowed to public pressure and issued a new failsafe warning prior to the installation which appeared to show a tactical climbdown.
These reports have since been shown to be false as the reported additional dialog box had in fact been part of the Microsoft campaign since early May.
Anger
Microsoft’s tactics in getting tough on moving users more directly towards a Windows 10 upgrade have been met with angry responses. The angry responses have even included a petition on change.org (albeit with only 72 signatures to date) entitled “Bad Microsoft! Stop Pushing Windows 10 On Consumers Uninvited!” (highlighted by itworld.com): see https://www.change.org/p/bill-gates-satya-nadella-bad-microsoft-stop-pushing-windows-10-on-consumers-uninvited
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
A backlash against a large corporation’s move to be more forceful and to appear to go against widely understood web culture and practice is to be expected, and some would say justified.
Whatever your views however, the important message here is that if you haven’t done so already, you will need to very soon make a decision about upgrading to Windows 10. You will also clearly need to be very careful about how you respond to any notifications that you receive to prompt you to upgrade. Now may be the time therefore to seek professional advice and guidance on the subject.
It is also worth seeking information about the many benefits and positive aspects of Windows 10 rather than simply focusing on the marketing tactics used by Microsoft or the potential risks of upgrading.
Microsoft Backtrack Rumours Part of Windows 10 Upgrade Backlash
You may have read recently about Microsoft’s much publicised change in tactics in trying to move forward the process for getting users of Windows 7 and 8.1 to take up the free upgrade to Windows 10 by switching to a ‘Recommended’ automatic download, and by taking a click on the ‘X’ of the notification box to mean acceptance of the download.
As part of the online backlash, reports that Microsoft may have backpedalled on these tactics have been found to be nothing more than rumour and perhaps wishful thinking.
False Reports
Microsoft’s choice to interpret a click on the ‘X’ of the a notification of a pre-scheduled upgrade to Windows 10 as approval rather than as a move to ignore the notice and close the notification window has got many technical commentators and users hot under the collar.
A rapid rise in reporting of the story apparently entered the realms of Chinese Whispers when reports appeared on websites such as forbes.com that Microsoft had bowed to public pressure and issued a new failsafe warning prior to the installation which appeared to show a tactical climbdown.
These reports have since been shown to be false as the reported additional dialog box had in fact been part of the Microsoft campaign since early May.
Anger
Microsoft’s tactics in getting tough on moving users more directly towards a Windows 10 upgrade have been met with angry responses. The angry responses have even included a petition on change.org (albeit with only 72 signatures to date) entitled “Bad Microsoft! Stop Pushing Windows 10 On Consumers Uninvited!” (highlighted by itworld.com): see https://www.change.org/p/bill-gates-satya-nadella-bad-microsoft-stop-pushing-windows-10-on-consumers-uninvited
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
A backlash against a large corporation’s move to be more forceful and to appear to go against widely understood web culture and practice is to be expected, and some would say justified.
Whatever your views however, the important message here is that if you haven’t done so already, you will need to very soon make a decision about upgrading to Windows 10. You will also clearly need to be very careful about how you respond to any notifications that you receive to prompt you to upgrade. Now may be the time therefore to seek professional advice and guidance on the subject.
It is also worth seeking information about the many benefits and positive aspects of Windows 10 rather than simply focusing on the marketing tactics used by Microsoft or the potential risks of upgrading.
Comments