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If you are even remotely thinking about upgrading to Windows 8 at some point then you want to take steps to get the discounted upgrade pricing before 31 January 2013.

Why?

Well, because it is a great deal at $39.99 to upgrade any past version of Windows all the way back to Windows XP with SP3 to the latest version of the Windows OS.

Earlier this month I wrote about the various Windows 8 deals that expire on 31 January 2013 but those opportunities are becoming even more attractive since a post on the Windows Blog last Friday posted the pricing on Windows 8 OS related upgrades and add-ons that go into effect on 01 February 2013.

Windows 8 upgrade editions (see which edition is right for you here) will be priced as follows starting in February:

  • The Windows 8 Pro upgrade edition will be available online and at retail for $199.99 MSRP (U.S.).
  • The Windows 8 upgrade edition will be available online and at retail for $119.99 MSRP (U.S.).
  • The Windows 8 Pro Pack will cost $99.99 MSRP (U.S.).
  • The Windows 8 Media Center Pack will cost $9.99 MSRP (U.S.).

That blog post of course hit all the mainstream tech sites and the big issue that was questioned related to the prices and the impact they could have on adoption of Windows 8. That was mainly an argument because they seem to be so high.

Now for a history lesson. If we go back and take a look at the Windows 7 pricing structure, based on the MSRP, we will find that these projected prices for Windows 8 are not higher than normal.

Windows 7 OS Pricing

OSTypeMSRP
Windows 7
Home Premium
Full$199.99
Windows 7
Home Premium
Upgrade$119.99
Windows 7 ProfessionalFull$299.99
Windows 7 ProfessionalUpgrade$199.99
Windows 7
Ultimate
Full$319.99
Windows 7
Ultimate
Upgrade$219.99

So lets begin by wiping the Ultimate version off the chart because there is no equivalent for Windows 8.  That leaves us with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional.

Now let’s take a look at those two versions next to the pricing for their equivalent Windows 8 versions:

OSTypeMSRP
Windows 7 Home PremiumUpgrade$119.99
Windows 8Upgrade$119.99
Windows 7 ProfessionalUpgrade$199.99
Windows 8 ProfessionalUpgrade$199.99

See that? Same pricing for the Windows 8 upgrades as Windows 7 had.

Instead of everyone having this negative reaction about the prices I think we should be taking note of the fact that Microsoft has not increased the pricing for Windows 8.

Now these prices do not change the fact that the deal being offered right now is a great one and that you should take advantage of it because it would be a $160 mistake not to.  The nice thing about that upgrade discount is that you can download the upgrade, store it on a flash drive or DVD for installing it later – even after 31 January 2013.

So, any plans to go ahead and grab the upgrade at the special pricing before it expires?