One of the coolest aspects of the newly-launched Raspberry Pi 2? You’ll be able to run Windows 10 on it for free — though there are some catches.
Microsoft confirmed in a blog post that a version of Windows 10 designed for the Raspberry Pi 2 will be available for free following the launch of Windows 10 later this year. Microsoft will release the software via its Windows Developer Program for iOT (Internet Of Things), which already offers a preview version of Windows 8.1 for Intel’s Galileo board.
The announcement doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to deploy multiple Windows 10 Pi devices around the home or office. The conditions for the developer program currently specify that you can only run one copy of Windows licensed through the scheme on your premises at any one time. You’re also not supposed to reverse-engineer the code.
Offering free versions of Windows is part of Microsoft’s plan to maintain Windows’ presence in an increasingly competitive world dominated by mobile platforms, and woo developers to build applications for the platform. Last year, it announced that Windows would be available for free on IoT-devices, as well as on tablets and phones with screens smaller than 9 inches. Upgrading to Windows 10 will also be free for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 owners.
Windows 10 Coming to Raspberry Pi 2 [Building Apps For Windows]
Comments
8 responses to “Windows 10 Will Be Free For The Raspberry Pi 2”
This is really great news – and a better implementation of the Windows Everywhere strategy than Ballmer ever could have implemented. Can’t wait to get both the Pi 2 and Windows 10 on it.
This specific example may have only come about in the last year, hard to say, but a lot of the stuff that is happening at Microsoft now has been underway for much longer. Hololens for example and even the Surface Pro 3. They would have started, or at least run during, Steve Ballmer’s time. Satya Nadella seems like a great thing for the future of MS but I think people are hating on Steve Ballmer when really he had a hand in more than people realize/acknowledge.
typo:
previw = preview
Thanks, fixed.
Feature request: typo notification button under each article.
Edit: Bonus feature request: Feature request button.
This is a great idea, I will definitely give this a try myself when it is released. But it is worth mentioning, as the post doesn’t, that the version of Windows 10 for ARM won’t able to run standard x86/x64 Windows applications. I believe Microsoft are working towards a lot of cross compatible default apps, but third party programs (generally) will not work.
So when will be see the Hackintosh version?
Dunno if it’ll be easier to access the gpio pins or the ic2 bus under Windows at all.
This doesnt make a whole lot of sense. The Internet of Things is meant to be heaps of these little devices all over the place, all doing SCADA-like stuff and robotic automationy things (that’s the technical explanation). Yet we’re only allowed one with W10? Raspbian it is, then.
I was interested in giving this a whirl on my Raspberry Pi but then I read that I need to run the Windows 10 beta on a PC in order to do it. That is a deal breaker for me. It’s entirely too much hassle so I’ll stick with the Linux platforms which are genuinely free and open.