Huge traffic expected for Win 10 upgrade
LOS ANGELES — Wednesday is going to be a rough day for the Internet.
With some 600 million people eligible for a free upgrade to the latest Windows operating system, Windows 10, “there will be an awful lot of Internet traffic,” says Richard Doherty, an analyst with the Envisioneering Group. “A lot of people are going to be very frustrated.”
Microsoft has tried to limit the numbers of people who can download the new Windows, which for the first time is free, for registered users of versions 7 and 8.
Folks had to register for the download (in the bottom right corner of Windows system tray) and await a reply with a link, a process that is expected to take from hours to days to weeks, depending upon who is asked.
Still, with so many folks in the Windows universe, there will be a rush from enthusiasts to get the latest and greatest from Microsoft. Highlights include the return of the Start button; a new, faster browser; Edge, which replaces Internet Explorer; and advanced voice search with Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Apple's Siri.
Doherty says about two-thirds of the qualifying Windows users will take the plunge.
“They’ll wait a few weeks,” he says. Many were unhappy with Windows 8 and won’t be in a rush to try the new upgrade, “But they’ll eventually give it a try.”
The easiest way to get Windows 10? Buy a new PC.
Companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba expect to have new Windows 10 PCs in stores Wednesday. Doherty points out that an entry-level HP laptop with a 15.6-inch screen starts at $350.
Microsoft predicts there will be 1 billion users of Windows 10 by 2018, a number analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies says isn’t hard to get to.
He says the company will sell a minimum of 275 million PCs with Windows 10 installed over the next three years.
“Add upgrades, and it’s easy to get to a billion,” Bajarin says.
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