Microsoft may charge $15 for Windows 8 upgrade

Those who buy a new Windows 7 PC may not get the Windows 8 update for free, says a recent report by Computer World. Reportedly, the company is all set to charge users $14.99 for an upgrade. There had been reports earlier revealing that Microsoft would charge a fee for an upgrade, but all this while there had been no word on the amount. It had been revelead, back then that the charges would be disclosed as Microsoft starts releasing the update. The preview is expected to ship in the first week of June. Eligible customers should buy a new Windows 7 powered PC between June this year, until January next year.

Upgrade comes at a price...

To ensure that PC sales don’t drop, Microsoft has been offering upgrade programs. The program allows customers to purchase the PC running on the current operating system and gives them a coupon for the upgraded version. For this year, CNET reports that Microsoft will make the Windows 8 Offer available to consumers buying a Windows 7 PC running Home Basic or higher, and allow them to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro on the availability of Windows 8.

The Windows 7 to Windows 8 upgrade is said to be no way like the upgrade programs for Windows XP to Vista and Vista to Windows 7. Microsoft will not upgrade users to the corresponding Windows 8 edition and instead provide everyone with Windows 8 Pro which will be widely available at retail. The previous upgrade plans were offered at no cost or for a small fee, depending upon computer makers. Some manufacturers gave the operating system upgrade free of charge to its most recent customers who bought a PC running on the previous version. Apple is yet another company that will be releasing its new operating system, but has not announced an upgrade program. Apple had also offered its customers a free copy of OS X 10.7 or Lion for all those who bought a Mac that runs on Snow Leopard.