Microsoft teams up with Xiaomi, offers free Windows 10 to pirates

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-03-19

Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president, announced that
Windows 10 can run on Xiaomi's Mi 4 smartphones. (Photo courtesy of MIUI)

Microsoft unveiled its latest operating system, Windows 10, revealing its collaboration with Chinese internet companies as well as another OS custom-made for Chinese budget smartphone brand Xiaomi during its Windows Hardware Engineering Community, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.

It has been seven years since the last such event was held in China. Microsoft revealed the new operating system that is set to be launched this summer and its flagship store in Hangzhou.

Windows 10, which can run on smartphone, tablets and desktop computers, will be launched in 190 countries and regions and support 111 languages. Its new feature, Windows Hello, is a biometric authentication system that allows users to unlock their computer with their face, iris or finger. The system also will come with the intelligent personal assistant Microsoft Cortana, which is called Xiao Na and Xiao Bing in China.

Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 for free for a year but Microsoft has yet to provide more details, such as whether the users need to pay after the time period expires.

The software giant is also extending the offer to users of pirated versions of Windows, which will benefit many computer users in China, where over three quarters of personal computers are believed to be running unauthorized copies of Windows. The move therefore represents an amnesty that would turn illegal users into clients.

The company also announced its collaboration with Tencent, Xiaomi, Lenovo and Xiaomi during the event. PC giant Lenovo has pledged to release Windows phones this year. Smartphone market leader Xiaomi has also been testing Microsoft's Windows ROM on some of its flagship Mi 4 Android smartphones. The software is said to be able to covert Android smartphones into Windows phones, according to TechCrunch.

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