Microsoft Selling Windows 10 on USB Stick at Amazon

Microsoft (MSFT) confirmed earlier reports that it will make Windows 10 available on a USB stick for purchase at retail stores sometime after the operating system’s launch on July 29.

VentureBeat reported that pre-order pages appeared on Amazon.com showing Microsoft selling Windows 10 on a USB stick priced at $119.99 for the Home edition and $199.99 for Windows 10 Pro. The offer reads “Microsoft Windows 10 Home/USB Flash Drive.”

At this point, the same offer doesn’t appear to have shown up either at Microsoft’s store site, big box retailers such as Best Buy (BBY) or other online retail outlets, the report said. But likely at some point soon the Windows 10-equipped USB sticks will be available in wide retail and online distribution.

While the vendor didn’t directly confirm selling the Windows 10 USB sticks on Amazon, a Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat that “Windows 10 will be available on USB drives for purchase in retail channels shortly after launch. The suggested retail prices for Windows 10 in the U.S. are the same as Windows 8.1.”

So what’s “shortly after launch” mean? The shipment date on the Amazon preorder page, as VentureBeat reported, initially was listed as August 16, 2015, or 18 days after the Windows 10 launch date, but shortly thereafter was shifted back to August 30, 2015, where it stands now.

There’s no word about shipment dates or availability of the device from other retailers or Microsoft’s stores.

So, right now the bottom line is users who want Windows 10 on a USB stick sooner rather than later can preorder from Amazon and hope that they receive it sometime between August 16 and August 30.

Thurrott.com was the first to report that Microsoft would offer Windows 10 on a USB stick, tweating on June 18: “Looks like Microsoft will be selling Windows 10 on a USB stick at retail, btw.”

Separately, Microsoft will offer “mainstream support” for Windows 10 through October 13, 2020 and “extended support” for security fixes through October 14, 2025, according to a PC World report. In addition, Microsoft will support Windows 10 beyond an OEM’s end date for support of a device or system, the report said.