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Microsoft silent on Windows 8 upgrade pricing in UK

Although Microsoft promises that the $39.99 upgrade price will apply across the board, the company has so far declined to specify the exact translation of that price for UK customers
Written by David Meyer, Contributor

Microsoft has declined to reveal exactly how much it will charge customers in the UK to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro.

On Monday the company announced that it would be providing the downloadable upgrade to all Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users for just $39.99, which works out at £25.50 at today's exchange rate. The packaged DVD version will be available for $69.99, and those opting for the cheaper download can also get a backup DVD sent to them for $15.

By way of contrast, the cheapest upgrade from earlier versions to Windows 7 costs just over £80 as a boxed product on Amazon.co.uk and £99.99 as a downloadable product on Microsoft's own online store.

In the blog post announcing the move, Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc said the $39.99 price would apply "in 131 markets" until 31 January next year. However, it remains unclear whether UK users will have to pay in dollars or in sterling and, in the latter case, what the precise price will be. When it comes to pricing, it is very rare for dollar figures to translate exactly to UK currency.

ZDNet UK has asked Microsoft to clear this up, but was told that the company would not add anything further to what LeBlanc said in his blog post.

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