Microsoft will launch a Windows Upgrade Offer soon, allowing anyone who buys a PC with Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 8 when it’s available for less than $15.

The move is at least partially designed to keep people buying computers. With Windows 8 due out in a few months, there’s a chance that some shoppers might otherwise hold off on buying a new PC until they can get one with Microsoft’s new operating system.

Windows 8

The Windows Upgrade Offer will be available in 131 markets around the globe and starts June 2nd, 2012. If you buy an eligible Windows 7 PC between then and January 31, 2013, you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99.

If you’ve already got a Windows 7 PC, you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 8 too — but it will probably cost you more than $15. Microsoft hasn’t yet revealed the pricing for full or upgrade versions of Windows 8.

via The Verge

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17 replies on “Buy a Windows 7 PC, upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.99”

  1. Does anyone know if Metro is still loaded and taking up resources when switched to the desktop UI? If I end up not liking the initial Metro interface can I just completely disable it?

    1. You certainly won’t be able to disable it in any sanctioned microsoft way, unless they radically change their tune.  Very likely there will be hacks, who knows how well they will work.

  2. That’s why I use Linux. It runs all the software I need from MentorGraphics, Synopsys, MathWorks, Xilinx, Actel and Cadence. I only use Windows in a virtual machine to run Microsoft Office (Libreoffice is bleh) and that too has become less user friendly with it’s ribbon interface.

    Yeah, sometimes there are regressions in some desktop environments but I’m able to configure them more or even just use a completely different one. Learning to use a Linux based OS is worth it. The people who don’t/can’t learn it probably won’t care about how Windows has been regressing with each version since XP. Heck, they probably like how there are less options to play with.

    1.  Windows is hardly regressing, better security, better stability, more features, etc.

      Also don’t fool yourself into thinking Linux isn’t making similar changes.

      The re-merging of the Linux and Android Kernels with 3.3, the continual attempts at making their own Touch Optimized UI, etc.

      Being different doesn’t mean regression anyway, it’s just different and depends what the changes are intended for as to whether they are better or worse.

      Mind many of the changes in Windows 8 came first for Linux distros.  Like Social integration, native ISO mounting, improved file copy dialogue, native USB 3.0 support, cloud integration, Windows 2 Go lets users run Windows from a USB like you already can with Linux, etc.

      Really, people just seem to have tunnel vision with Windows 8 and only focus on the few things they don’t seem to like and ignore the long history of Windows users customizing their Windows experience and act like everything is set in stone and has to be used exactly like MS gives it to them.

      Even the original start menu can be restored if people really want it back, regardless of whether MS provides that option or not.

      1. Restoring the start menu is currently a third-party hack.  MS is tearing out chunks of code that even allow that to happen, they don’t want people using a start menu.

        I use rainmeter and customize a lot already.  It can’t fix everything.  It certainly won’t fix the crippled IE10 metro, versus the fully functional IE10 desktop.  I mean, really, MS made a mess of this in so many ways.  How about killing off the TIP?  I suppose we have to dig up a hack for that too?

        1.  Whether MS tears out the code on not won’t change whether someone else can put it back in.

          Stardock and others have long been in the business in providing alternatives and as long as there are people who want the change then someone will go through the trouble of making it possible.

          While Metro complaints tend to be overblown, it’s capable of a lot of things and does things you couldn’t before with traditional classic desktop.

          Though it is also true it prevents some things as well but mind Windows 8 also allows for Metro Desktop and not just a complete divide between Metro and Classic Desktop.

          Only Windows RT forces a choice, and while legacy apps are still being used MS will have to continue to cater to the classic desktop.

          Besides, even if Win8 is only successful on tablets means it’ll still expand the usefulness of Windows as Windows has never been that useful on tablets before.

  3. I wonder if they’re going to do the student offer again. I got Windows 7 Professional for $30 bucks.

  4. I’ll be buying computers this summer just to avoid having to deal with W8.  I know of a company locally that is doing the same, they just placed an order for several thousand laptops in fact.  None of us are interested in the $15 “upgrade”.  Yes, we’ve tried W8, it’s crap.

    1.  Care to explain what’s crappy about Windows 8? Especially about the desktop part.

        1.  That blog is flawed because the author didn’t notice that the functionality is still there.  Like you can just right click on the corner where the start menu use to be and access everything like the Control Panel, etc as you would have from the Start Menu.

          You only have to go to the start screen to look for an app or to initiate the search feature like Windows 7 introduced.

          Along with other enhancements like the taskbar is enhanced for multiple screen usage.

          While MS is working on making it less jarring to switch between Metro and Desktop.  They just didn’t have a chance to do it with the Release Preview as even the removal of Aero hasn’t been done yet with this release and they mentioned it just a few weeks ago.

          The article is also based on the earlier Alpha previews.  So doesn’t make note of improvements like they’ve compensated for things like the hot corners discover-ability.

        2.  
          Thanks, there are thousands of similar websites too. 

          It’s pretty weak when all the pro-W8 crowd can come up with is “some people fear change”, when there are real, well documented concerns.

          I have a WP7.5 in my pocket.  It’s great.  I like metro.  We’re at about 95% W7 desktops and notebooks here, very few XP and one mac.  But we did a test of W8CP on desktops and notebooks to get feedback and it was a total disaster.   A dept head told me if we forced a rollout this fall he would quit.  10x worse than the noise around Vista.

        3. @cybergusa: the auther of the article is an in depth expert of how to handle windows. and everybody who aint no fool might veryfy the points adressed himself. secondly, if criticism on this new os is necessary in the interest of future users, it has to be mentioned now, before the soup is smelling on the table and not afterwards. therefore i consider it bad habit to push criticism down at all means and trying to praise a beloved land  full of mines and traps as the future paradise.

      2. I can see how all the metro things, lack of start menu etc could put off a desktop user.  Great for tablet/convertible though.  However factor in things like fast boot times, faster performance etc.  People are often afraid of change.  They shouldn’t be most of the time.  Businesses tend to be slow transferring to new versions of windows anyway so give them a year and they will be ready to upgrade. 

        1. businesses did not upgrade from xp for years and lot of them still do not, a reason microsoft was forced to give away free xp extra licences running in a free virtual engine in win 7. and btw there is a strong reason why 7 will be supported until 2020.

        2.  @adf638835e5eac59ae48fc22b7552fca:disqus
          The 2020 support doesn’t mean much.
          Vista: January 30, 2007 to April 11, 2017
          7: October 22, 2009 to January 14, 2020

          It’s the same as Vista (~10 years) which was a disaster. If anything, it means 7 is just as bad and XP is was the greatest with it’s ~12 year support.

        3.  @Eh:disqus , yes it’s only the standard 10 years but XP is a anomaly because of Vista’s failure and not because XP was all that great.

          If Vista had not been a flop then XP would have already been dropped!  Besides, they only extended support of XP to 2014 and that’ll be just 3 years longer than the normal 10.

          @adf638835e5eac59ae48fc22b7552fca:disqus – Business don’t all need to upgrade constantly unless the type of business they’re in requires them to and the bottom line for them is whatever works and whether upgrading is worth the costs. 

          So JB82 is correct that even with all things in their favor that it can take awhile before many decide to upgrade.

          Also whether they all upgrade or not is not really relevant to the value of the latest version of the OS they run as that will vary for all of them. 

          It’s only relevant if those that actually should need to don’t!

          While all Operating Systems only get support for a certain number of years because it’s not practical to support them all forever. 

          Everyone just has different standards by which they decide when that time comes.

          Those who, for example, don’t ever need tech support can use the same OS till the hardware they run breaks and can no longer be repaired but that’s not practical for everyone.

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