Windows 10 news recap: RTM released, campaign announcement and more

This last week was a super busy one for Windows 10 watchers. Microsoft kicked the week off by announcing a new marketing campaign which is set to begin next week called #UpgradeYourWorld. As part of the new Upgrade Your World initiative, Microsoft will be partnering with 10 global and 100 local non-profits to help spread Windows 10 across the world. Windows 10 is built to empower people to do great things. It has new innovations like Cortana, Microsoft Edge and the new and improved Xbox app.

This week also saw the company release the Windows 10 RTM to Insiders. Microsoft originally stated that they would not be rolling out the Windows 10 RTM to Insiders until July 29th, so it’s very interesting to see them backtrack on that statement. Regardless, Microsoft did not officially announce that build 10240 is the RTM, even though it is. You can also head over here to check out some of the screenshots from build 10240, but you wont notice anything visually different compared to previous builds.

In light of the Windows 10 RTM, Microsoft temporarily suspended the distribution of Windows 10 preview builds too. Windows Insiders on the latest builds have nothing to worry about as far as the stability or feature set of the builds. Instead, Gabe is alerting Insiders that due to the upcoming release of Windows 10, the Windows 10 Insider build well will be drying up for the time being.

Pre-orders for Windows 10 on USB sticks also began showing up on various online retailers too. For users who do not have a valid copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 or prefer to do a fresh install of Windows 10, Microsoft has them covered. The good news is that Microsoft has put flash drives with Windows 10 for pre-order on Amazon. The flash drives come available in Windows 10 Home for $119 as well as the Pro edition for $199 if you prefer.

Along with the release of the Windows 10 RTM also came some new licensing agreements. There doesn’t appear to be any surprises. As Terry Myerson has stated time and time again, the “Windows as a service” only refers to Microsoft’s new update method for Windows 10. Here are some things you should know. 

• The transfer rights are just the same on Windows 10 as was on Windows 7 and 8.1. So if your PC is running a retail version of Windows 10, you can still transfer your Windows 10 operating system to another PC provided Windows 10 has been uninstalled on your other PC. Of course, if you’re running an OEM version of Windows 10, then it’s locked on that device. 
• If you have an OEM edition of Windows 10 Pro, your downgrade rights remain largely the same. In the new agreement, you may only downgrade to a supported version of Windows under the 10-year lifespan. So your downgrade rights for Windows 7 end on 2020, and Windows 8.1 ends 2023. 
• Windows 10 delivers automatic updates without users being able to delay or reject updates on consumers’ and small business PCs. According to the terms “The software periodically checks for system and app updates, and downloads and installs them for you…. By accepting this agreement, you agree to receive these types of automatic updates without any additional notice.” Luckily for business customers, they have advanced options for Windows Update, and enterprise users can assign mission-critical devices to the Long Term Servicing Branch, including only security fixes, but no feature updates. 
• As per usual, Windows 10 does require activation. The new agreement states that upgrading a PC from a non-genuine copy of Windows does not make your final version genuine, and as such, you are not licensed to use the software. 
• And finally, some editions of Windows 10 come with Microsoft Office programs that are to be used only for personal and non-commercial purposes.

It has been a very busy week, and Windows 10 hasn’t even officially launched yet. What was your favorite story? Let us know below.