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Topic: Operating Systems

Windows 8 Pro upgrade for new PC buyers set at $14.99

Summary: Microsoft's usual plan is to offer a free upgrade to users of older versions of Windows to bump up to the next release version. This time around there will be a cost, according to sources.

Zack Whittaker

By for Between the Lines |

Those who shell out for a Windows 7 PC in the coming months will receive a discounted upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99, according to sources speaking to Paul Thurrott.

The deal could start as early as the first week in June at around the same time as the company gears up for its final preview of the next version of Windows.

The paid upgrade will apply to any new PC buyer with Windows 7 Home Basic or higher installed.

CNET's Mary Jo Foley first reported Microsoft's ongoing commitment to providing PC buyers with promotions during the run-off period to its older operating systems to help lock-in new and existing customers.

Microsoft normally offers free upgrade packages to older editions of Windows that correspond to newer versions: Windows Vista Home Premium users would be given a free ticket to Windows 7 Home Premium if a PC was bought in the months running up to Windows 7's release, for example.

But Microsoft has thrown a spanner in the works by offering only two versions of Windows 8.

The two consumer versions are aptly named Windows 8, and Windows 8 Pro. There are two more editions: Windows 8 for enterprise, though its final name has not yet been announced, and Windows RT, a tablet version designed for ARM-powered tablets.

As Thurrott notes, the Windows 8 Release Preview --- the final glimpse of the forthcoming operating system before its expected October launch --- is set for the first week of June. Available for download only, it will allow consumers and enterprises alike to prepare for the changes.
Microsoft's choice of naming Windows 8 Pro suggests a small- to medium-sized business angle. Unfortunately, it's not quite the case. Microsoft has already taken a lot of heat from customers after it said the entry-level Windows 8 version would not come equipped with Windows Media Center. It also rejects more high-end features such as encryption reserved for Windows 8 Pro users.

But who knows: with the back-to-school season starting soon, students and academics may still be given a free pass.

Microsoft was unavailable for comment or confirmation at the time of writing.

Image credit: CNET/Sources.

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Topics: Operating Systems, Hardware, Microsoft, Software, Windows

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15 comments
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  • What Kind of "Upgrade"

    What I would like to know is will this be an upgrade only option over the existing Windows 7 installation or will this include a clean install option? It will definitely be worth it if latter is the case because it's 8 Pro and it gives you a CHOICE - either stick with 7 or upgrade to 8. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
    statuskwo5
    Reply Vote

  • All the better for Windows 7

    Windows 8 is starting to smell like Vista all over again.
    terry flores
    Reply Vote

  • I still think...

    ... Microsoft should offer both Home and Pro users the Windows Media Center addon, I know it kinda ruins a selling point, but there are still people out there who still want Pro over Home regardless.

    Also, I also think Microsoft missed an opportunity here in reformatting WMC into an entertainment hub on Windows 8. If they didn't want to include DVD playback by default, that'd be fine, just offer consumers the ability to purchase the DVD codecs. But, WMC, could have been a great Internet based entertainment hub. Maybe have even integrated it with the XBox tile.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • RE: MEdia Center Add On

      I agree with that too. I understand that it was not a feature everyone needed or wanted but to limit the add on to Pro only seems silly. I think Metro is a perfect fit for HTPCs too but you shouldn't have to get Pro to get all that.
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

  • If the Pro upgrade allows upgrades to Basic and Home

    Then that is a good deal for $14.99.
    bobiroc
    Reply Vote

  • But when will the touchscreen hardware arrive?

    This is all well & good, but since W8 is designed for touchscreens, when are we going to see the touchscreen ultrabooks arrive? Whoever gets a jump on this, and releases some touchscreen hybrids this summer, will likely reap an early reward. A lot of us are chomping at the bit to buy a touchscreen ultrabook so we can install the Windows 8 Release Preview on it this summer. Whoever does that first will likely get my money. And I plan to buy two this year, so...
    metromalenyc
    Reply Vote

  • too cheap to be a stand alone o.s.

    one can only wonder if win8 is really an upgrade or an update to win7.
    databaseben
    Reply Vote

  • What's the point?

    I've been using Win 8 64 bit since March. I don't really miss the Start menu, and I have found it manages memory better that Win 7. But I have a ton of memory. And saying Win 8 manages memory better than 7 is like saying a Ferrari is faster than a Corvette. Does it matter?

    So if I upgrade to Win 8 I get 'apps'. And I have yet to see an app that isn't just sh*t. There's an app to keep me updated on Facebook. There's an app to tell me what the weather is. There are apps to take me to, for example, USA Today's web page. As far as I can see, apps are worth less than nothing. They are the electric equivalent of a piece of plastic in a box of childrens cereal.

    If I were buying a new tablet, I'd want Win 8 on it. But if I bought a new laptop, even with touch, I'd format the drive and install Win 7. I don't miss the Start button at all, but I see nothing new I need in Metro. On a laptop, it's not better. It's just different.
    pishaw
    Reply Vote

  • provide continuous release cycle

    MS should have continuous release cycle instead of big bang release of Windows OS. New features should be release as and when they are ready through Windows update. The new releases should be free for a set period of time (2 years?) or there should be continuous subscription model to pay on monthly basis. This will be better user experience and avoid big bang issues in corporate world.

    Also this will ensure that most users are within 1-2 releases; thus reducing support issues.

    It may seem bit frightening to corporate users but majority of that is associated with current big bang approach. Once they get used to continuous release cycle they will get used to it.
    p.vinnie@...
    Reply Vote

    • Such an approach would require a subscription model

      MS attempts to move only it's enterprise customers to such a model haven't been terribly successful. I can't see it looking at all for the home market.
      Richard Flude
      Reply Vote

  • Sounds like a good deal...

    to me. I don't think my MSDN version will allow me to upgrade with this type of license though.
    kstap
    Reply Vote

    • Good News

      So I can purchase a PC with Windows 7 Home and get an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for far less than the upgrade to Windows 7 Pro? Yes this is good news.
      thekman58
      Reply Vote

  • They expect people to pay to upgrade to Windows 8?

    If they had an option for a free downgrade to Windows 7, I would consider that a real service!
    patchrowcester
    Reply Vote

  • cheap

    $14.99 is nothing. Yaye :D
    mcrcoolcm
    Reply Vote

  • They should start it now

    I don't know what they're waiting for. The Lame duck session has already begun. No one wants to buy a new lapop now because thye know it will be obsolete by this time next year. They should start selling those touch screen covert laptops with this offer ASAP.
    mcrcoolcm
    Reply Vote
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