Microsoft Details Its Windows 8 Upgrade Plans

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The All About Microsoft blog has posted a handful of details about the upgrading to Windows 8. Pretty handy info to have if you are planning to upgrade to Windows 8.

Users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro from Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate while maintaining their existing Windows settings, personal files and applications.
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But their plans to get people to switch are different.

Step #1: Convince everyone that Windows 8 is better through marketing.

Step #2: Say that the start button was an antique and was going to be removed in Vista.

Step #3: Give away copies like crazy. It'll be like a prize in cereal boxes.
 
Upgrades scare me. It's like moving into an apartment that was filled with people that had bed bugs and head lice.
 
I pass I got better things to do then deal with Windows 8 missing start menu.
 
I hope they start giving it away I got a couple free copies of Vista that way.
 
I'm not hating the Win 8 thing, its just there is NO reason I have seen so far to make me want to change from 7. I like 7, I REALLY like 7, more than I have ever liked a win version before. Taking away the start button is like telling me "we are going to change things, you are going to like it, there is nothing you can do about it." I have enough of that at work. Until you do something with win 8 that makes me want to change my desktops and laptop (that dont have touch screens or pens) I have no interest. So far they are still making Win 7, and I will buy that. Now if they decide to force us into buying 8 by discontinuing 7, then I will go ballistic! :mad:
 
Direfox said:
Taking away the start button is like telling me "we are going to change things, you are going to like it, there is nothing you can do about it."
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Well there was plenty that people could have done about it, they could have bought more PCs. But the iPad came out, the consumer market simply didn't have as much interest in desktops and laptops. And yes, Microsoft has sold 600 million copies of Windows 7, outselling the iPad in volume 10 to 1 but a lot PC OEMs are struggling, everything iPad and tablet dominates the consumer IT media, and Apple is making more money every quarter than God.
 
Luckily, Win7 installed base is wayyy too huge for them to just dump it in another 1-2 years. I'm cool with Win8 as long as it's not $150 a pop (cmon, apple's new OSes are what, $30? What is MicroSoft poor now?) and you can still use some semblence of a normal desktop interface somewhere.
 
Why would you "upgrade" to Windows 8? Metro is a piece of shit on a desktop pc.
 
xSystemFailurex said:
Luckily, Win7 installed base is wayyy too huge for them to just dump it in another 1-2 years. I'm cool with Win8 as long as it's not $150 a pop (cmon, apple's new OSes are what, $30? What is MicroSoft poor now?) and you can still use some semblence of a normal desktop interface somewhere.
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;)Interesting point: It seems Microsoft OS, these days, is more expensive than the hardware that most people could run it on, when you think about the new tablets etc.

:(To me, Windows 8 is worth no more than £10 to £20. Even less, as an upgrade.
 
xSystemFailurex said:
Luckily, Win7 installed base is wayyy too huge for them to just dump it in another 1-2 years. I'm cool with Win8 as long as it's not $150 a pop (cmon, apple's new OSes are what, $30? What is MicroSoft poor now?) and you can still use some semblence of a normal desktop interface somewhere.
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A number of years ago Microsoft made a prediction that hardware prices will plummet while software prices will rise. That prediction is sadly only true for Microsoft.

Microsoft is mainly a software company, and while they'll support Win7, they don't make money if people don't switch over to Win8. Especially when you factor in the money they'll make from the app store in Win8.

It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft suddenly starts giving away the OS for free, but not at least first trying to charge exuberant prices. I'm sure it'll be a huge surprise to them when the OS isn't flying off shelves. Even in the tablet market they won't do well, and that's because of Android and iOS having apps ready made for tablets.

There's a very good chance that Microsoft may just screw up enough for Linux to take Windows place as a desktop OS. That will depend on how Windows 8 plays out for the business crowd.
 
I don't think Microsoft had any expectations that people would adopt Windows 8 en mass as businesses are just getting into their Windows 7 deployments. Indeed Windows 7 gives Microsoft some breathing room to focus on the consumer with Windows 8. Windows 8 will get into the enterprise on tablets and Windows 8 makes a lot of sense there for enterprises with Windows infrastructure.

And I don't really think that Microsoft is worried about upgrades even on the consumer side. Upgrades have historically not been a big part of Windows revenue, Windows 7 may have been an exception but the large majority of Windows 8 copies are going to be on new hardware and that's VERY important to Microsoft. Windows 8 isn't just a new version of Windows, it's a new strategy for Windows that's expects that most people will be using it at least some of the time on touch device.
 
Ashbringer said:
A number of years ago Microsoft made a prediction that hardware prices will plummet while software prices will rise. That prediction is sadly only true for Microsoft.

Microsoft is mainly a software company, and while they'll support Win7, they don't make money if people don't switch over to Win8. Especially when you factor in the money they'll make from the app store in Win8.

It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft suddenly starts giving away the OS for free, but not at least first trying to charge exuberant prices. I'm sure it'll be a huge surprise to them when the OS isn't flying off shelves. Even in the tablet market they won't do well, and that's because of Android and iOS having apps ready made for tablets.

There's a very good chance that Microsoft may just screw up enough for Linux to take Windows place as a desktop OS. That will depend on how Windows 8 plays out for the business crowd.
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Yes, from what I have read, Microsoft believes that tablets will outsell PCs over the next year or so. Also, from what I have just read, that Google Nexus 7 was designed, and manufactured in just four months, and is to be sold at cost.:eek:
 
xSystemFailurex said:
Luckily, Win7 installed base is wayyy too huge for them to just dump it in another 1-2 years. I'm cool with Win8 as long as it's not $150 a pop (cmon, apple's new OSes are what, $30? What is MicroSoft poor now?) and you can still use some semblence of a normal desktop interface somewhere.
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You can't really compare MS OS to Apple OS prices, one makes their money off of software while the other is hardware ;). Plus with how long people use an OS for, I personally don't think they price it to high. If you use it for 5 years before upgrading (Probably about how long the average consumer uses it before they buy a new PC) then that $150 turns into a whopping $30 a year. More than most people spend on coffee, or new games.

I have no plans of upgrading either, even if Windows 8 was something great. Well I might have if they give it away for free like how I got Vista and Windows 7 then I might grab a copy to put on the kids PC, but not my own personal one that's for sure, lol.
 
03grandam said:
You can't really compare MS OS to Apple OS prices, one makes their money off of software while the other is hardware ;). Plus with how long people use an OS for, I personally don't think they price it to high. If you use it for 5 years before upgrading (Probably about how long the average consumer uses it before they buy a new PC) then that $150 turns into a whopping $30 a year. More than most people spend on coffee, or new games.

I have no plans of upgrading either, even if Windows 8 was something great. Well I might have if they give it away for free like how I got Vista and Windows 7 then I might grab a copy to put on the kids PC, but not my own personal one that's for sure, lol.
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I would have thought that it is more likely that most people would buy a new tablet every year or so, each with new OS licence. Google is in an interesting position, though, in that they do not need to earn from hardware or software, but they do need to retain the top position for their search engine and advertising revenue. Facebook & possibly Microsoft tablets are a threat to that. Apple is a threat to Microsoft’s software. Microsoft is a threat to Apple. Now Google is a threat to Apple & Microsoft etc, etc, etc. Potential competition forced Google to come with something good and cheap ASAP. It should be interesting to see what the others will do, in order to survive.
 
DW-UK said:
I would have thought that it is more likely that most people would buy a new tablet every year or so, each with new OS licence. Google is in an interesting position, though, in that they do not need to earn from hardware or software, but they do need to retain the top position for their search engine and advertising revenue. Facebook & possibly Microsoft tablets are a threat to that. Apple is a threat to Microsoft’s software. Microsoft is a threat to Apple. Now Google is a threat to Apple & Microsoft etc, etc, etc. Potential competition forced Google to come with something good and cheap ASAP. It should be interesting to see what the others will do, in order to survive.
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Apple and Microsoft have been patent trolling and suing others left and right - that's their concurrent survival.
 
nOrVow said:
Apple and Microsoft have been patent trolling and suing others left and right - that's their concurrent survival.
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They are just going to end up killing each other with that. The lawyers will be the ones left standing.:D
 
Cobalt35 said:
Why would you "upgrade" to Windows 8? Metro is a piece of shit on a desktop pc.
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no the start menu is a worthless piece of shit, nobody in their right mind would fucking use it.

If you are using it then you are a dumb ass.




I like the upgrade path they have here. They expanded from previous versions. There is no upgrade path from XP to windows 7. you can use XP as the base for an upgrade version but it wipes everything out, this time around it keep your personal files, you just need to reinstall programs, which is much better than nothing.
 
xSystemFailurex said:
Luckily, Win7 installed base is wayyy too huge for them to just dump it in another 1-2 years. I'm cool with Win8 as long as it's not $150 a pop (cmon, apple's new OSes are what, $30? What is MicroSoft poor now?) and you can still use some semblence of a normal desktop interface somewhere.
Click to expand...

There is a difference between charging you for service packs and for a new os.

Not every change from 10.x to 10.x+1 is actually a new OS. i'm not going go clain that 10.7 is close to being the same as 10.0 but going from some versions you get stuff like a new version of mail, new version of task manager. new version of opengl... not exactly ground breaking.

that is why they only charge $30 because they aren't making any major changes. 10.8 which comes out next month appears to be taking iOS programs and tacking them into OS X. that will only cost you $20. Which again big deal. they change a few programs. not a major change to the OS. About every 3rd or so release might be major.
 
I can't imagine anything I'm less interested in than Win8. I'm not even interested in a free copy.
 
Exavior said:
no the start menu is a worthless piece of shit, nobody in their right mind would fucking use it.

If you are using it then you are a dumb ass.

I like the upgrade path they have here. They expanded from previous versions. There is no upgrade path from XP to windows 7. you can use XP as the base for an upgrade version but it wipes everything out, this time around it keep your personal files, you just need to reinstall programs, which is much better than nothing.
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Personal insults now? By resorting to that you've already lost the dicussion/argument. Did I offend your new shiny piece of spoon-fed crap?
 
Cobalt35 said:
Personal insults now? By resorting to that you've already lost the dicussion/argument. Did I offend your new shiny piece of spoon-fed crap?
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Give a hug - he's a sad, lost panda. Or better yet, give him Windows 3.11
 
DW-UK said:
Yes, from what I have read, Microsoft believes that tablets will outsell PCs over the next year or so. Also, from what I have just read, that Google Nexus 7 was designed, and manufactured in just four months, and is to be sold at cost.:eek:
Click to expand...

Makes sense that tablets will outsell PCs. Given the current nature of a laptop being a portable device. For one thing, being portable means their volatile. Their much more easily prone to physical damage then any other device. Majority of PCs will pretty much fit most of everyone's needs, with some exceptions. Tablets are slow and limited, which means they have a lot of potential for massive upgrades. Most importantly, not everyone has a tablet, but everyone has at least a desktop or a laptop.

Still though, other then Apple tablets, the sales of Android tablets are very slow. I really doubt that Windows 8 tablets will be able to penetrate a market that Android couldn't. Especially considering how many apps Android has access to.
 
Okay, let's try this again without the annoying typo!

Tablets will probably sell okay as long as you can DOCK them and use them as desktop replacements. If that functionality isn't there or doesn't work really well, then they simply won't fill the same niche as a desktop or conventional laptop and end up being supplemental devices just like current tablets. They have to DOCK!

(Phew, better that time!)
 
•Users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 (the name of the entry-level consumer version of the operating system) from Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium while maintaining their existing Windows settings, personal files and applications.


That's unles you are running Media Center, in that case you are SOL
 
SkribbelKat said:
Upgrades scare me. It's like moving into an apartment that was filled with people that had bed bugs and head lice.
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Meh. I think direct upgrades have gotten a lot better since Vista came out. Unless your prior OS was a complete clusterfuck of bloat and software errors you'll turn out fine.

Now back in the Win9x days? Yeah, clean installation all the way. The worst was finding machines with 2000/XP that had bits and pieces from Win98/Me left over.
nervous542ho2.gif
 
Exavior said:
no the start menu is a worthless piece of shit, nobody in their right mind would fucking use it. If you are using it then you are a dumb ass.
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You probably use it multiple times per day. Ever press the Windows key? That's the Start Menu, buddy.
 
GushpinBob said:
Meh. I think direct upgrades have gotten a lot better since Vista came out. Unless your prior OS was a complete clusterfuck of bloat and software errors you'll turn out fine.

Now back in the Win9x days? Yeah, clean installation all the way. The worst was finding machines with 2000/XP that had bits and pieces from Win98/Me left over.
nervous542ho2.gif
Click to expand...

Yup, it was a lot worse in pre-Vista times. When it comes to my own stuff though, it's not too much trouble to just start over again with a clean install. I keep data duplicated on thumb drives and I don't have many programs to install. Patching is kinda painful and slow, but I'd much prefer an OS that hasn't been upgraded over one that has just for peace of mind.
 
There must be a typo. Everyone I know is more worried about the optional downgrade plans that will be offered by OEM's.
 
Seventyfive said:
There must be a typo. Everyone I know is more worried about the optional downgrade plans that will be offered by OEM's.
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No worries. The optional downgrade includes a free copy of Windows ME. Go ahead and downgrade, we dare ya :p.
 
03grandam said:
No worries. The optional downgrade includes a free copy of Windows ME. Go ahead and downgrade, we dare ya :p.
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If it comes with an optional copy of Windows ME, I guess I wouldn't need the copy of Windows 8. Both are operating systems that will only last 6 months and get swept under the rug.

BTW: enjoy flapping your arms for 8 hours a day while you sit at the computer. No self respecting fanboy would use something so arcane as a "mouse and keyboard". Those are for the stupid neophytes who don't see the value in migrating to a touch only interface. Life is better when you work slower. Just look at the Greeks.
 
johnnysd said:
Never happen. Gaming is still far far too important a consideration for most users, and they will never switch to Linux unless somehow the games all switch to Linux as well which will also never happen.
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So an OS that's practically 100% software and hardware compatible with it's predecessor that runs literally millions of programs is going to be replaced with an OS that is completely incompatible natively with those same programs because the UI is different? So the UI is more important than the million of programs that will just work as always?

Microsoft isn't the only one that's not in the real.
 
The laptop I bought earlier this month is eligible for a free Win 8 upgrade. Considering go ahead with that.

I'm still really put off by Microsoft completely abandoning the Aero look. At least include it as an option for PC users, please? Squared edges with plain colors is far from being as aesthetically pleasing as what Win 7 / Vista users have come to enjoy. Why ruin a good thing?

I don't intend on getting a Windows phone unless it miraculously convinces me to switch from Android, so I don't know how practical Win 8 would be as an upgrade for my desktop. Time will tell. I'll certainly listen to the feedback from reviewers, bloggers, and the like. Then I'll decide.
 
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