Downloadable from Windows.com after launch, you’ll also be able to add Windows Media Center for free from the “add features” option within Windows 8 Pro after you download the update.
Customers who are looking to purchase a new computer in the coming months can opt to take advantage of a slightly different upgrade offer which will allow them to get the same update for $14.99.
If you’d rather own a physical disc, a packaged DVD version of the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro will also be available for $69.99.
“We believe that your upgrade experience in Windows 8 will be a breeze by offering a faster experience, a single upgrade path, and compatibility from prior versions of Windows,” a Microsoft representative said in a blog post announcing the pricing.
This is an aggressive pricing model for Microsoft. Windows 7 upgrade pricing was $119 for the Home Premium version and $199 for Windows 7 Professional.
In fact, the last time we remember Microsoft offering a Windows version upgrade for under $50, it was during the launch of Windows Millenium Edition. (Fortunately, Windows 8 looks like it will be a much better release than Windows ME.)
Perhaps Microsoft is taking a page out of Apple’s playbook. Apple switched up its OS upgrade model in 2009 with the release of OS X Snow Leopard — charging just $29 for the new OS. It kept the $30 price tag for OS X Lion last year and at WWDC, Apple announced that OS X Mountain Lion would be just $19.99 and available to Snow Leopard or Lion users.
The $39.99 upgrade price for Windows 8 will last until January 31, 2013. A separate product – with pricing that has not yet been announced – will be available for customers who are building their own computers, or who want to put Windows on a computer that does not currently run the OS for the first time.
What do you think about Windows 8 Pro’s pricing? Will you be upgrading? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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