Microsoft: Windows 8 from August, but unclear if $US39.99 killer offer open to NZers

Windows 8 will be available to big companies on licensing programmes from August, Microsoft said today.

PC makers will get the new OS the same month and it should be available on new PCs and tablets and as an upgrade from "by the end of October".

Microsoft made the announcement at its Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, Canada.

The company caused a stir last week when it said Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users would be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $US39.99 (the various Premium and Pro upgrade options for Windows 7 cost $NZ299 to $NZ499).

At retail, the same offer will cost $69.99.

Microsoft is clearly looking to take a leaf out of Apple's book by slashing the cost of the upgrade and pricing that pushes people toward buying it online.

The offer will apply to 131 countries, a company blog said, but it did not name them. 

New Zealand is presumably among them, but Microsoft NZ staff told NBR ONLINE they did not know any more than was published on the company blog.

It was not known if people worldwide would pay a US dollar price for the Windows 8 upgrade via download or if there would be region-specific pricing.

$19.99 offer for late Windows 7 buyers
A separate Microsoft offer provides steep Windows 8 discounts for those who buy a PC with Windows 7 between June 2012 and January 2013 (a bid to prevent sales stalling in the build-up to the new operating system's release).

According to the company's fine print, "The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions and other pricing considerations." 

For New Zealand, it is currently listed as $19.99.

An extreme makeover
The new operating system software is Microsoft's most radical upgrade since the text-based DOS was replaced by the graphic Windows. 

Windows 8 represents an extreme makeover, centered on “tiles” borrowed from the company's smartphone software, Windows Phone – which the company calls its "Metro" interface.

The new version of Windows can be used with ye olde mouse and keyboard, but touchscreen features are central and the new OS will work best on a touchscreen device.

Samsung and others will make Windows 8 tablets but Microsoft recently revealed it will also be making its own range of tablets under the Surface brand.

Windows Phone 8 is also expected around October.

Microsoft is expected to benefit from the PC/tablet and phone versions of Windows 8 being very closely related, allowing developers to easily port an app from one platform to the other.

An online Windows Store, which will compete with the Apple iTunes AppStore and Google Play (formerly Android Market) is currently in beta and also expected to go live around October.