Microsoft Giveth and Microsoft Taketh Away (Premium)

Microsoft's plan to push business customers to newer Windows 10 versions isn't working, so it has come up with a new plan. And it is pretty devious.

First, Microsoft has implicitly announced that my contention that "Windows as a Service" is not working: It is extending the support timeline for each Windows 10 version to enterprises and education only by an additional six months.

"Many customers have made significant progress in moving to Windows as a Service, but some have requested an extension to the standard 18 months of support for Windows 10 releases," a new post to the TechNet Blog reads. "To help these customers, we are announcing an additional six months of servicing for the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10, versions 1607, 1703, and 1709. This extension will be offered via normal channels."

This should be no surprise: Microsoft had previously extended the support timeline for Windows 10 version 1511 by six months as well, to April 2018. I noted at the time that we could expect that extension to be applied to subsequent versions too, since Windows as a Service is untenable, especially to business customers, which upgrade very slowly (if at all). The only question now is whether we can expect future support timeline corrections. I think we can.

Anyway, for those opposed to Windows as a Service---and despite Microsoft's comments about "many customers" and "significant progress," I think the reality is that most do oppose it---this is good news. It marks a more rational time frame, albeit it one that still doesn't go far enough.

But let's not view this as a gift. Tied to this improved support schedule, Microsoft is also taking away key enterprise functionality for those who do not upgrade to Windows 10. The idea, of course, is to nudge those customers directly to Windows 10.

We see this in two areas.

First, Office 365 Pro Plus, which has been tied to the Windows 10 Enterprise update cycle, will no longer be supported on Windows 7 or Windows 8.x. You will need to upgrade to a supported Windows 10 version to continue using this product.

Second, Office 2019, which is expected in late 2018, will likewise require Windows 10: You will not be able to use this product with Windows 7 or 8.x. There are some other weirdnesses to Office 2019---it will only be available via a Click-to-Run installer, despite being a so-called "perpetual" product release. But that's the big one.

So there you go. Microsoft hopes you'll choose Windows 10. Both because it has extended the support lifetime for businesses. And because you won't be able to use modern Office products otherwise. My guess: It's an offer that many enterprises will continue to refuse.