Last month Microsoft announced a
$14.99 Windows 8 upgrade offer for new Windows 7 PCs purchased
between June 2012 and January 2013 so customers don't miss out on
Windows 8 by a mere few months.
The Windows team has now announced on their blog the prices
consumers running Windows 7, Vista and XP will have to pay to
upgrade to the Pro edition of Windows 8.
Users will be able to purchase a downloadable version of the
Windows 8 Pro upgrade from Windows.com for just
$39.99. For those who prefer to shop at retail
stores, Microsoft will offer a packaged DVD version for only
$69.99. These low prices are part of a
limited-period promotion that will run from Windows 8's final
release a.k.a. General Availability (GA), which is expected to be
in October this year, through January 31st, 2013.
Users who purchase this upgrade will also be able to add
Windows Media Center to their Windows 8 Pro
installation for no extra cost. This is great because Media Center
will not otherwise be available for free. People who buy a retail
copy of Windows 8 Pro will have to get it as a separate, paid
add-on called the Media Center Pack.
Microsoft also shared a few details about the upgrade process.
When you purchase the downloadable upgrade, a Windows 8 Upgrade
Assistant will walk you through the complete process. The Upgrade
Assistant will generate a detailed compatibility report that tells
you whether all your installed devices and programs are compatible
with Windows 8 (much like what the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
did).

Now of course, the real advantage of performing an upgrade
install over a clean install is that you don't have to reinstall
your programs and are able to keep your files and settings on the
new OS. The Windows 8 Pro upgrade will support upgrading from
Windows 7, Vista and XP, but what you do get to bring along to
Windows 8 and what you don't will depend on which version of
Windows you are upgrading from. You can also decide to not keep
anything and start afresh.

The Upgrade Assistant will download Windows 8 to your computer
and will include a built-in download manager that lets you
pause/resume the download.
When download completes, you may choose to install Windows 8
right away, or install it later by creating your own bootable USB
flash drive or an ISO file which can be burned to a DVD. You can
also purchase a backup DVD for $15. If you choose to boot from
media, there will also be an option to format your hard drive from
within the setup.

Finally, this upgrade will be available in 131 countries and 37
languages.
So, given the attractive pricing, will you upgrade as soon as
Windows 8 is out? Or will you rather wait for a decent number of
quality apps to hit the Windows Store?
Image credit: Blogging Windows (modified)