Say what you will concerning Windows 8; a minimum of the upgrade from Windows 7 is cheap. Or it is for now. once Gregorian calendar month thirty one are going to be a different story.
Ever since Windows 8's Gregorian calendar month twenty six, 2012 launch, Microsoft has been offering retail Windows 8 professional upgrade DVDs for $69.99. on-line upgrades have been even cheaper, at $39.99. And customers UN agency bought new PCs or laptops with Windows 7 preloaded got the simplest deal of all: If they registered with Microsoft, the web Windows 8 upgrade cost them just $14.99.
Microsoft continually aforesaid these rates were temporary, but ample pundits did not believe it. Why would Redmond raise its costs, they argued, given however lukewarm client reaction to the new OS has been?
Well, place such notions aside. during a journal post on Fri, Microsoft confirmed that when it aforesaid its discounted Windows 8 upgrade pricing was for a restricted time only, it extremely meant it.
As previously proclaimed, all of the on top of costs end on Gregorian calendar month thirty one. beginning in Feb, all editions of Windows 8 can sell for their full list costs, which means the cheapest Windows 8 upgrade can opt for $119.99.
Note, however, that unlike the discounted upgrades offered previously, that value just gets you Windows 8, not Windows 8 professional. If you wish the extra professional options – as well as BitLocker encryption, domain property, and Hyper-V virtualization, among others – you'll have to distribute a little additional for the professional upgrade edition, priced at $199.99.
If you already have Windows 8 and you wish to upgrade to Windows 8 professional, the professional Pack upgrade can cost you $69.99 through Gregorian calendar month thirty one. After that, the worth goes up to $99.99.
These list costs square measure similar to what Microsoft charged to upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows visual percept or earlier, but they are still high in today's computing market. The last upgrade for Apple's OS X – presently the sole different thought desktop OS – cost just $20, and you can upgrade most desktop linux systems for complimentary.
Still, many purchasers won't actually upgrade the least bit. Instead, they'll get their initial style of Windows 8 once they buy a brand new laptop or pc. Microsoft claims it's sold sixty million Windows 8 licenses thus far, with a good chunk of those getting to OEMs UN agency conceive to bundle the OS with their new kit.
In addition to ending its Windows upgrade discounts, Microsoft also will begin charging $9.99 for its Windows Media Center add-on pack on Gregorian calendar month thirty one. previously it had been a free upgrade for Windows 8 professional users.
Upgrade pricing for the uk, Europe, and different regions was not out there as the Reg visited press.
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