There's a rumor going around that, with Windows 8, Microsoft is doing away with the full version of Windows sold at retail.
If this pans out -- and so far, I have heard it from only one source (as I noted on the Windows Weekly podcast with my co-host Paul Thurrot this week) -- I doubt there will be anyone lining up in protest.
In Microsoft parlance, a full product typically means a non-upgrade, fully licensed version of Windows sold in a box via brick-and-mortar and/or online retailers. With Windows, full product tends to be quite expensive -- and not very popular, as most users get their Windows either preloaded on new PCs, via volume-licensing deals, or as an upgrade to an existing version of Windows. Very few users want or need a complete, new copy of Windows for a machine on which Windows has not been previously installed.
With Windows 8, Microsoft is being aggressive with upgrade pricing. Anyone with a copy of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or the Windows 8 Release Preview (with some caveats for Windows 8) will be able to buy up to five copies of Windows 8 Professional for $39.99 apiece through January 31, 2013. (And maybe longer, if Microsoft extends this promotional price.)
Read more at:
Windows 8: The end of the full retail version? | Windows 8 - CNET Reviews