It’s February. So you must already know that the Windows 8 15-dollar upgrade is over. Now if you want to upgrade to Windows 8 Standard Edition, it costs you $119.99, and the Pro version costs $199.99. Microsoft has closed the loophole that allowed users to obtain Windows 8 for the low price of $14.99. Users are getting prompts for Windows 7 keys when they try to utilize this flaw in Windows 8, indicating that the loophole is no longer functional for obtaining Windows 8 at a reduced price.
The Windows 8 Pro Pack costs you $99.99, and the Windows 8 Media Center Pack will cost you $9.99. All the prices are MSRP (U.S.). But before you upgrade your PC or laptop to Windows 8, it’s better to run the Upgrade Assistant to ensure compatibility and to check for any potential issues that may arise during the upgrade process.
Update: I just came to know that if you buy a Windows 7-based PC after June 2nd, 2012, then you can avail the 15-dollar upgrade discount till Feb 28th, 2013. Hurray! You have one more month to take advantage of this incredibly low price. For more details you can read my earlier article above.
Some qualifying students can grab the discount offer of $69.99 for the Windows 8 Pro edition. If you are a Windows 7 or Vista user, one of the benefits is that you can run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and choose to install Windows 8 by creating media.
Using this option, you can store the Windows 8 installation on a USB stick or as an ISO file. Then you can burn that file to a DVD. In the near future you can use this DVD to install Windows 8 again. The special upgrade price of $40 is over, but if you bought the license earlier, it’s perfectly valid when you format or reinstall Windows 8 again.
If you are a Windows XP user, there is a drawback. You don’t get the option when you run the Upgrade Assistant to install Windows 8 using media. But there is a workaround and hack-like thing to circumvent this problem.
Conclusion:
As a bottom line, I’d like to quote this article from CNET. The market share for Windows 8 is not that high as compared with Windows 7 during the initial stages of their release. Windows 7 still occupies the largest share among dwindling PC sales as the largest OS. Then comes XP. Windows 8 is a distant fifth with 2.26% for the month of January.
So if you are planning an upgrade, it’s better to buy the right hardware first that suits Windows 8, like a tablet, and then move on to the OS. The future is set on the tablet and smartphone market, and as a PC user, it’s better to learn the hard things first and then upgrade.