Title: Intentions to upgrade software: evidence from Microsoft Windows users

Authors: Thuy Dung Pham Thi; Nam Tien Duong

Addresses: Department of Science, Technology, and International Projects, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF), 141-145 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 15, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' Department of Science, Technology, and International Projects, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF), 141-145 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 15, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract: In the business market, planned obsolescence is a marketing strategy employed by manufacturers to encourage consumers to purchase new products through frequent design updates and discontinuation of product maintenance and updates, thereby generating more profits. Therefore, this study adopts a perspective of planned obsolescence and integrates it with the push-pull-mooring model to establish a model for operating system upgrades and explore users' intentions towards both genuine and pirated upgrade options. A questionnaire was administered to 296 Windows users, and the proposed model and hypotheses were validated using the PLS statistical software. The results indicate that planned obsolescence positively influences intentions for both genuine and pirated upgrades. Subjective norms and relative advantage positively influence users' intentions to upgrade to genuine versions, while switching costs increase intentions for pirated upgrades and negatively influence intentions for genuine upgrades.

Keywords: upgrade; windows; obsolescence; planned; intentions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPM.2026.152062

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, 2026 Vol.16 No.1, pp.45 - 69

Received: 18 Jul 2024
Accepted: 03 Dec 2024
Published online: 05 Mar 2026 *

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