Windows 8 Pro to Retail for $200 Following $70 Promotional Debut

The verdict is still out on Windows 8, and so are a few details that have yet to be officially announced. One of them relates to Microsoft's proposed pricing structure, and at this point, not a whole lot is official outside of a handful of promotions and upgrade details. If you purchase a qualifying Windows 7 PC by January 31, 2013, for example. you'll be eligible to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99. And if you already own a Windows PC (XP, Vista, or 7), you'll be able to upgrade to the same version for $39.99. What if neither option floats your boat?

Well, it's being reported that a Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro upgrade option at retail stores will run $69.99 up until the end of January. After that, the price jumps to $99.99.


As for a non-upgrade boxed copy of Windows 8 Pro, rumor has it that will sell for 69.99 up until the end of January, and then nearly triple in price to $199 after that. If that's the direction you think you're going to take, it's obviously in your best interest to make the leap before the promotional pricing expires, giving you a good three months after the OS launches to read reviews and see if Windows 8 is worth upgrading to. Alternately, you can still grab the Release Preview and give Microsoft's touch-friendly OS a whirl for yourself, free of charge.