They know exactly what they’re doing and how people feel about it.
They haven’t made money on Windows in years. Nobody has been willing to pay for a new version of Windows since XP. What they do make money on is cloud services. So Windows is a loss leader.
Just like the cheap rotisserie chicken at Costco is there to make your walk past and look at everything else they’re selling, the modern role of Windows is to funnel people towards Microsoft cloud services, which is what makes them money. Step 1 of that process is to make sure you create a Microsoft account.
“Are we being an asshole corporation that’s about to lose what little customer respect we still have?”
“No, it’s the users who feel entitled to be able to use their computer without signing up who are wrong.”
They know exactly what they’re doing and how people feel about it.
They haven’t made money on Windows in years. Nobody has been willing to pay for a new version of Windows since XP. What they do make money on is cloud services. So Windows is a loss leader.
Just like the cheap rotisserie chicken at Costco is there to make your walk past and look at everything else they’re selling, the modern role of Windows is to funnel people towards Microsoft cloud services, which is what makes them money. Step 1 of that process is to make sure you create a Microsoft account.