Microsoft Announces Windows 8 Pro Upgrade Promo For $39.00 Online, $69.99 Retail
Microsoft has announced another new Windows 8 Pro upgrade promotion for a limited time only. Through this promotion, Windows 8 Pro online upgrade will cost only $39.99 in 131 markets. The retail boxed DVD upgrade will cost only $69.99. Users who purchases an online upgrade from Windows.com, will also be able to add a backup DVD of Windows 8 Pro for $15 plus shipping and handling. Earlier, Microsoft detailed Windows 8 Pro upgrade promo for users buying a new computer.
The latest Windows 8 Pro upgrade promotion will be available from its launch (whenever that will be) until January 1st, 2013. The promo will be valid for all users of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Users of any of these three Windows versions will be able to buy the cheap upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. Windows 8 will be available in three editions, out of which only two are mainstream Windows 8 SKUs.
Windows 8 Pro is the ultimate edition any user can upgrade to. Windows 8 Pro includes features such as BitLocker, Hyper-V, and the ability to join Windows domains. Furthermore, anyone upgrading with this promotion will be able to install the Windows Media Center for free through the “add features” option within Windows 8 Pro.
After you’ve purchased the Windows 8 Pro upgrade online (when the promo goes live), Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant starts downloading Windows 8 Pro. It has a built-in download manager that allows you to pause and continue your download at any time. After completing the download, you can either go ahead with the Windows 8 Pro upgrade (“Install now”) or install later. If you choose to create your own media, you will be able to create your own Windows 8 Pro bootable USB or create an .ISO file (which you can burn onto a DVD).
The upgrade process will vary depending upon the Windows operating system you have. An upgrade assistant will help users when upgrading from an earlier Windows version to Windows 8 Pro. Windows 7 users will be able to upgrade their operating system while keeping applications, settings, and data preserved. Windows Vista users will be able to keep their settings and data preserved but will not be able to keep applications. Windows XP users will only be able to keep their data preserved.
Users who are not upgrading from an earlier version of Windows and are building their own PC or installing Windows 8 in a virtual machine or a separate partition, will need to buy and install the Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro System Builder.
If we go back in time, we will find that the latest promo is a far cry from Microsoft’s earlier upgrade prices. Even the Windows 7 upgrades to Home Premium and Professional were available for $49 and $99, respectively. Microsoft generally offers upgrade deals when a new Windows version is released, but this time, the deals are cheaper and more widely available.
