We know that there will be free upgrades to Windows 10 for folks running genuine of copies of Windows on their computer, at least for one year while the offer lasts. We also now know how it will cost if you don’t have an existing license. What we don’t know yet is if Microsoft will be letting users with pirated copies of Windows upgrade for free, some confusion still persists on that matter.

In a statement to Neowin concerning upgrades to non-Windows users, Microsoft said, “Windows 10 Home is an estimated retail price of $119. Windows 10 Pro is an estimated retail price of $199. And Windows 10 Pro Pack, which enables you to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, is an estimated retail price of $99. All these are available in stores or online.” And that message, as they say, is as clear as a bell.

Confusion abounds about Windows 10 upgrade costs

What remains slightly nebulous on the matter of costs is the non-genuine Windows 10 upgrade. In March we reported that users running counterfeit versions of Windows, which amounts to a hell of a lot in countries such as China and Thailand, will receive a free upgrade – at least in China anyway.

Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Windows, was quoted by Reuters as saying, “We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10.”

In May we reported Myerson as saying, “While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we’ve always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state.”

To add to the confusion, Myerson stated, “In addition, in partnership with some of our valued OEM partners, we are planning very attractive Windows 10 upgrade offers for their customers running one of their older devices in a Non-Genuine state.”

One thing is for sure, if it costs even less than 100 bucks, there will be millions of people seeking pirated versions. Microsoft will have to come up with something if it intends to vanquish the pirates.

Redmond has said that it hopes to have Windows 10 on one billion devices in just three years, across PCs, laptops, Windows Phones, Xbox consoles, Surface Hubs, and the spectacular HoloLens. As our own Mike Wheatley wrote, perhaps this is not an unassailable dream given the sheer volume of machines out there running some version of Windows, with all the rest of the devices picking up the rear.

Photo credit: Microsoft