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CONFIRMED: Microsoft Will Charge $15 For Windows 8 Upgrade

If you buy a Windows 7 PC after Saturday, you'll be eligible to get Windows 8 for $15.

Microsoft hasn't given us an official date when Windows 8 will arrive, but we know it is coming this fall, in plenty of time for the holiday shopping season.

$15 is not a lot of money, but it's still more than what Microsoft used to charge: nothing.

People who bought PCs a few months before Vista or Windows 7 came out got their upgrade for free.

lenovo ideapad windows 8 tablet laptop hybrid
Lenovo

In this case, the upgrade will get you Windows 8 Pro, which is the top version of Windows 8, with extra features for businesses and power users.

But the bigger question is ... do Windows users really want Windows 8 at all, particularly on a regular PC without a touchscreen?

There's been lots of predictions that Windows 8 will be another Microsoft Vista and will bomb when it first comes out, at least with Microsoft's biggest customers—enterprises.

By the way, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that there will be more than half a billion Windows 7 PCs that COULD be upgraded to Windows 8 if their owners wanted it. But the only ones who will be able to do it for $15 are the ones that buy after June 2.

Other consumers will have to pay full retail—and that price hasn't been set yet.

Microsoft Windows

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