For digital distribution, upgrades only of course, but it includes upgrades from Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.
Microsoft has just announced that it will sell Windows 8 Upgrades, for all versions of Windows XP and above for $39.99.
But also...
If digital downloads are not your cup of tea, Microsoft will make a retail version available too. To purchase the physical DVD, the upgrade cost will be $69.99.
Of course there is a gotcha. This offer is a time limited promotion that will expire January 31st 2013. No mention of UK pricing, but I'm hoping for similar prices as they did for the Windows 7 promotion which if I remember correctly was £49.99?
I'm actually quite getting used to Windows 8. I've been using the Release Preview quite a bit recently and it is pretty easy to get used to. Yes, it is a rude awakening compared to Windows 7, but the same was true of Windows 95 (vs. Windows 3.1) when that came out.
Admittedly I hardly ever see the Metro Start Screen, but I hardly ever use the start menu in Windows 7 either. Most of the time the programs I'm using I've pinned to my taskbar, so the only time I ever use the Start Menu / Start Screen is to search for applications that aren't pinned and this functionality works exactly the same in Windows 8 as it does in Windows 7, i.e. press Start key on keyboard, type name of program, optionally use cursor keys to select it, and press enter to open.
Oh and the "widgets" on the Metro Start Screen are pretty handy too for checking things like email and such like at a glance. Better than having them on the desktop obscured by the application I'm using. |
