UPDATE 2: “Dell systems will start shipping on July 28 so customers can get their PCs first and on the same day as Microsoft’s launch (July 29),” Dell said in a statement. Dell will also provide free next-business-day shipping for orders placed on July 28. Additionally, Best Buy will have 12 solutions from Dell at retail with Windows 10 on launch day.
UPDATE 1: Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer will begin shipping PCs on July 29 with Windows 10 preinstalled, Microsoft told Bloomberg.
Yusuf Mehdi, Vice President of Windows and Device Marketing, was mistaken when he wrote in a blog post that PCs shipping on July 29 would not have the new operating system preinstalled.
Original story below…
Well, now we’re all confused. Dell Inc. CEO Michael Dell said on Twitter that he expects Windows 10 to ship on new Dell PCs on July 29, contradicting a statement made yesterday by Microsoft.
Microsoft, which is still testing the highly anticipated operating system, said consumers would have to work with their local retailers to upgrade to Windows 10 after purchasing their new devices, in a blog post.
This means that all new units, such as the Dell XPS 15, on which Microsoft demoed Windows 10 during Computex, would not come with Windows 10 preinstalled, but rather users would have to upgrade at retail locations.
Contradictions
However, a PCWorld staff writer, Twitter user, @MarkHachman, explicitly asked Michael Dell if his company still planned to ship units with the operating system preinstalled, to which Dell replied, “Yes. We are ready.”
Dell also provided a link to a Dell Inc. landing page that includes a countdown to when Windows PCs will begin shipping. The start date: July 29 at 4AM Central Time.
Interestingly enough, the XPS 15 is not included on the list of select PCs that will come with Windows 10 pre-installed. The XPS 13, however, is included, as are a range of Inspiron laptops and desktops.
Why this matters
If Microsoft has confirmed that manufacturers would be able to preinstall Windows 10 on new devices starting July 29, this would seem to indicate that a final, or “release to manufacturing,” build is complete.
Unfortunately, this runs counter to what Yusuf Mehdi, Vice President of Windows and Device Marketing, told Bloomberg yesterday.
“You will see computers running with Windows 10 installed very soon after the 29th and then in the fall a whole new class of machines for the holidays,” Mehdi said.
If it’s ready…
Whenever the operating system becomes available, it will first be distributed to the 5 million Windows Insiders who participated in the Insider Preview program as a test flight, similar to how preview builds are delivered. This has not yet occured.
Microsoft was not immediately available for comment. We will update this piece if we receive a response.
Read our Windows 10 preview
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