In any case, this discussion is clearly just bickering over semantics. Apple has never asked me for money for an OS. Microsoft has asked me for money for an OS many times. Apple does not make money charging for unbundled OS sales. Microsoft makes money charging for unbundled OS sales. You can pontificate all you want about what it really means for something to be free, but from a practical perspective, no one treats MacOS as an independent product that you can go to the store and buy. MacOS doesn't "cost money" any more than the infotainment OS in my car "costs money"; i.e. not in a sense that most people would identify with.
It seems they claimed to officially (which is what I remembered) but did not in practice. https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/windows-7-to... https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/upgrade-to-windows-10-fre...
In any case, this discussion is clearly just bickering over semantics. Apple has never asked me for money for an OS. Microsoft has asked me for money for an OS many times. Apple does not make money charging for unbundled OS sales. Microsoft makes money charging for unbundled OS sales. You can pontificate all you want about what it really means for something to be free, but from a practical perspective, no one treats MacOS as an independent product that you can go to the store and buy. MacOS doesn't "cost money" any more than the infotainment OS in my car "costs money"; i.e. not in a sense that most people would identify with.