Just a heads up about Windows 8 pricing.

wetibbe

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Prelude:

From what I can gather there are 4 versions of windows 8:

* Regular - not for sale, only manufacturer pre-installed.

* Pro - For sale in computer supply stores, An upgrade from previous such as W7, Vista, XP.

* Pro - that will only enhance "regular" to Pro.

* RT - only for tablets, notebooks and such devices, manufacturer installed. A reduced version without some Pro features.

* W8 - Enterprise, Commercial, not for sale to the general public, only for corporations and government.

Pricing:

* W8 Pro upgrade. Windows has it on the Internet as a download for $39.99. The offer expires at the end of December 2012.

* W8 Pro upgrade from W7, Vista, XP, for sale in computer stores, Costco, Best Buy, Staples, CompUSA. Costco's price is $66.99. The others are $69.99.

* Windows Pro only for existing Win 8 regular already installed. Thus the regular manufacturer version is upgraded to Pro for $69.99. *( That would be actually a value of $69.99 plus &69.99 - $139.98 ).

The Windows Pro at Staples has on the price tag: "Retail price $199, $130 off. Offer expires February 2013.

So anyone who is contemplation purchasing a Windows Pro should be aware of/about the coming price increases. Looks as though in March 2013 it will cost everyone $199 so far as I can ascertain now.

Apparently installing Win 8 to upgrade Vista and XP will require re-installing all current software presently on the computer whereas a Win 7 will not.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
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    HP
I certainly won't argue your point - however:

* The information about the various versions comes from Microsofts book Windows 8 Step by Step by Ciprian Rusen. I have it here before me.

* The Windows 8 download for $39.99 ending Dec 2012 is on the Internet and can be Googled.

* The Windows Pro pricing for both versions $66.99 at Costco and $69.99 At Best Buy and Staples I saw myself. As well as the price tag about the offer ending February 2013. Further I personally spoke to the Staples sales person at length.

The part about Win Pro 8 removing software from Vista and XP came from: #1 The Windows 8, Step by Step book, from a Netgear Tech support person and further from a Moderator on a Win 8 forum.

So please let the readers have your proprietary information about which and what is misinformation. If no-one else is interested I certainly am.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
I wouldn't call it misinformation, but I would question the point, as it's all been posted before and is pretty much common knowledge now for anyone looking to buy Windows 8. The cheap pricing is always the case early on with every version, and the upgrade rules always vary, based on what you are upgrading from.

Were you asking a question about something...or some part of the upgrade process?
 

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here 2 misinformation I catch on the fly

" Regular - not for sale, only manufacturer pre-installed " this is call system builder and everyone can purchase it

"looks as though in March 2013 it will cost everyone $199 so far as I can ascertasin now"

here again the builder version is far than be $ 199

you have quite few misinformation too
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Windows comes in these flavors:

Windows 8 - Equivalent to Windows 7 Home Basic
- Add WMC and it's Home Premium

Windows 8 Pro - Equivalent to Windows 7 Business

Windows 8 Enterprise - Equivelent to Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate (ie, it has everything)

Windows 8 RT - For ARM based devices

Windows Phone 8 - Only for Phones

-------------------------------------------------

Now, it gets a bit more complicated when we talk about how you can buy them...

There are a number of SKU's for upgrades, including upgrades from previous versions as upgrades to Pro from Windows 8.

There is the Windows 8 System Builder, which comes in both 8 and 8 Pro versions as well as 32 bit and 64 bit (and both) versions.

Enterprise can only be purchased through a Volume license program.

RT and Phone can only be purchased with a device (unless you're a major OEM with an RT and/or Phone contract with MS).

What is different about 8 is that there is no longer a "retail" version, instead they have relaxed the requirements on the System Builder version to allow purchase without hardware, and if you purchase System Builder for your own use, then it is the license equivalent of the old Retail (ie, you can move it to another computer).

Yes, special pricing ends soon, and it goes back to retail pricing.
 

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    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
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    Antec SOLO II
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    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
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    Logitech MX
Windows 8 Enterprise - Equivelent to Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate (ie, it has everything)

even here a mistake, Enterprise don't have Media Center, or can't be upgrade with.

I didn't make a mistake. I didn't say it included Media Center. Media Center is an upgrade to 8 and 8 Pro only.

"it has everything" means it has everything in the previous SKU's. WMC is not a part of any of the other two SKU's (although I suppose the ability to upgrade to WMC might be considered a feature, so perhaps that's a point).
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
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    Intel i7 3770K
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    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
wetibbe▬▬▬ Those Barnes & Noble books you keep posting from are not Windows 8 bibles. Microsoft can change their broadcast policies 60GabillionZillion times on the internet and you will always be misinformed. Unless Barnes & Noble sends you daily updates for those books. Maybe Ciprian Rusen made a mistake, maybe his publishers made an error, maybe maybe maybe ...
Sounds like that book would make a great chair booster seat for a short kid.
Compared to the knowledge in groups like this, that book is illiterate.
Did you even Google the information you quoted from that book? I did & this is one link I followed for you Buy Windows - Microsoft Windows
Download the Windows 8 Pro upgrade before Jan 31, 2013 at a great price, and enjoy over $70 in app offers, too! * Download Pro for $39.99 ERP
Find out if your PC can run Windows 8—click Download Pro to install Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, which checks your PC for compatibility and gives you the option to purchase and install. When prompted, open, save, or run Upgrade Assistant. Depending on your Internet connection, Upgrade Assistant might take several minutes to install.


Or get the upgrade on DVD from the Microsoft Store.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
Thank you respondents. Good information. I bought a new computer with W8 installed. I'm setting up, or have already, a LAN Home Group network. I bought W8 Pro from Costco a couple of days ago to upgrade a computer from W7. It's already done/on line. . And I'm researching the third computer for upgrade from Vista. So I've bought essentially two W8's and looking at #3 in addition to other friend and family now interested so we're looking a 5-6 computers in family and some more with friends. There's a lot of difference between $39.99 and $199 x several !!! And the clock is ticking.

I'm only relating what was told to me. Some of the competing salesmen are prone to criticize the competition. Best Buy told me there were two versions - regular and Pro. Regular was $139 and they didn't carry it. Pro was $69.99 which they did stock. Staples carries ONLY W8 Pro upgrade from previous Windows. Costco carried BOTH W8 Pro upgrade from previous and enhanced from "regular" which requires a pre-existing W8 on the computer up to W8 Pro.


As to Mysteres revelations about where and how to buy that obviously needs to be understood and considered.


#1. Some of those W8's are only obtainable by purchasing devices, tablets, notebooks, phones and possibly other pre-installed by manufacturers.


#2. There seems to be a question, at least in my mind, if desk tops come with pre-installed regular or Pro ! Or if different manufacturers pre-install some of each ? Same for lap tops. I'm exclusively desk top. My family is all lap top.

My starting post addressed in store, after market, W8 that can be bought and brought home in the box. *( Or downloaded from the Internet ).

I think a couple of posters corroborated my input as essentially accurate for the most part.

It seem that a price increase is apparently coming soon.

___________________________________________________________

* The Windows 8 phone is a new one on me. First I heard about it. It is NOT in Cyprien's book Windows 8 Step by Step.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
Cyprien's book Windows 8 Step by Step is a false Windows 8 prophet.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
pcRAT:

You're a hoot ! You definitely earned my respect for your obvious knowledge. Your input about the symbols was absolutely spot on and VERY educational. So I'm definitely listening to your comments. I actually edited my Xmas mailing list and used your input. I'm really very appreciative. *( Haven't heard back from the original poster but I'm sure he can succeed. Maybe he threw in the towel too early).

Cyprien's book is only one of a dozen. It is an official Microsoft publication ! There is another more expensive $35. I will check it out tomorrow. But Cyprien's book helped me out tremendously. I would have been floundering and wallowing without it.

Now to address the Microsoft free "capability" checker that evaluate your computer's adequacy to run Windows 8, I ran it on my HP Slimline, Desk Top, PC, about 5 years old with Windows Vista. Independently I had already ascertained my computers vital statistics and determined that the hard drive space was adequate, the speed Hz was OK and very thing was good to go except the RAM. I have 893 MB whereas Windows 8 wants 1 GB for 32 bit and 2 GB for 64 bit.

Disaster struck. I was rejected as under capacity. No go. It installed on my computer. Next time I booted up I couldn't get on the Internet or on my local network. It had essentially knocked out the network connection as well as the Internet connection. I spent several hours phoning my ISP, HP and Netgear. And I got lots and lots of MYP not my problem this and that supplier. Basically I resolved it myself using Windows 8 diagnostics. The crux of the matter was a nomenclature misstatement asking for a disc to install drivers. But it referred seemingly to the router. Finally I ascertained that the disc was for then USB plug in Netgear mini adapter. I installed the disc and reactivated the adapter. Got the blue LED back and through manipulations got back on line, Internet and network.


What the Microsoft evaluator did was disable my network, disable my Internet connection and even go in to the "innards" and reset my settings to -"work off line". After hours I have finally undid all of the mayhem and I am back on track.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
I've been called a hoot before. Except my wife & kids use the term 'bird-brain'.
I'm not that knowledgeable really. I've only been on 8 for about 2 weeks. Mostly learning the terminology, the basics and a few customizations. I'm kind of a neat freak (don't like icons all over a nice picture on my desktop) so I use a file cabinet on left edge of screen.
I bought Windows 98 for Dummies at a yard sale once. After 15 minutes it made a great bonfire starter. Since then it's been computer groups.
Anyway, glad you got your pc going.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
It seem that a price increase is apparently coming soon.
Again, I'm going back to my previous comments, but you are posting information that is common knowledge. Anytime a new OS is released, it is cheap right away to speed up adoption rates. This is not a new phenomena. We're all used to it. That leads me to your next comment...
The Windows 8 phone is a new one on me. First I heard about it. It is NOT in Cyprien's book Windows 8 Step by Step.
If you really want to learn about computers, Windows, etc, stop turning to books. Our industry changes far to fast for print media to keep up with. My suggestion would be to stop posting threads that treat common knowledge as breaking news, and take some time to read around...here and some tech news sites, like Neowin, etc. Licensing and versions aren't the easiest concepts to get at first, but once you do, then all new versions will be much easier to decipher. When you get stuck...ask questions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H
    Memory
    16 GB Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 470 GTX
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M4 256 GB, WD WD20EFRX 2 TB
    PSU
    OCZ 700W
    Case
    Corsair 300R
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
It seem that a price increase is apparently coming soon.
Again, I'm going back to my previous comments, but you are posting information that is common knowledge. Anytime a new OS is released, it is cheap right away to speed up adoption rates. This is not a new phenomena. We're all used to it. That leads me to your next comment...
The Windows 8 phone is a new one on me. First I heard about it. It is NOT in Cyprien's book Windows 8 Step by Step.
If you really want to learn about computers, Windows, etc, stop turning to books. Our industry changes far to fast for print media to keep up with. My suggestion would be to stop posting threads that treat common knowledge as breaking news, and take some time to read around...here and some tech news sites, like Neowin, etc. Licensing and versions aren't the easiest concepts to get at first, but once you do, then all new versions will be much easier to decipher. When you get stuck...ask questions.
________________________________________________________________________________

I appreciate your advice, however, turning to books is commonly pervasive among those of us who actually understand and who are freely motivated.

It is an implausible absurdity to think that a person could abandon books and supplant them with posts on this or any other forum. The book I have on Windows 8 is 741 pages and 21 chapters plus addendums. If I took your advice I would be on the internet 20 hours daily or months and swamp this forum with questions.

I use a combination of books, forums and the extensive "help" facilities.

My post was basically rhetorical. Did I have questions - absolutely yes;
_________________________________________________________

Errata, updates, questions:

From some feedback apparently some people disagree with some of the above. Others do agree. There is a lot of information floating around.

Errata: Now the end date for downloading the $39.95 offer from Microsoft ends January 31, 2013 instead of December 2012, according to their website.

Updates: It seems that there is also a Windows 8 for phones which I missed.

Questions:

My new computer came with Windows 8 pre-installed. I checked the computer properties and it says simply - "Windows 8" and not Windows 8 pro.

Q; So do I have W8 regular ? The "upgrade" from W8 to W8 Pro costs $66.99. What do I get for the $66.99 ?

I upgraded another computer this week from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro with a disc I purchased at Costco for $66.99.

Q; Both versions on both computers look the same to me. And act the same. What am I missing ?

The $39.95 download from Microsoft has some suggested "latitude". It won't be a disc.

Q; I'm told that the download can be made using .ISO and stored on either a CD or a flash drive. An HD disc, 4.7 GB or a 3 GB flash drive will apparently hold the data. So which is better ?

Microsoft's conditions of acceptance contain wording to the effect that there is one sale for one computer. A second download will cost another $39.95 up to maximum 5 computers. A 6th will be refused.

Q: If the download is made on one computer can the CD or flash drive be used on a different computer legally ? Can the CD or flash drive be used technologically, or legally, on a second, third or more computers ?
__________________________________________________ ___

This is getting complicated:

Now there is a Microsoft OEM systems builders license.

Apparently the Windows 8 license isn't too clear to me. There was a Windows 7 license costing $180 discounted to $130. Limit of 5.

Any clarifications ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
Comparison of RT, 8, and 8 Pro:

Which Windows is right for you? - Microsoft Windows

Windows Media Center is available for a limited time for free for Pro. (Restores DVD playback capability.)

I prefer installing Windows from a USB flash drive. I haven't compared it on 8, but on 7 it took much less time. (I think that it was roughly half the time of a DVD.)

I don't know what the safest medium is for long-term archiving of the download. It may not matter; Microsoft probably will allow you to re-download it in the future. (That was true of Win7 purchased as a download from the Microsoft Store. The download included SP1 after that came out.) Backup copies are a good idea; my original Vista upgrade disk delaminated after a few years. It's unusable.

As far as I know, you can use the installation medium on as many machines as you've purchased licenses for. The FAQ for the $14.95 upgrade (for a PC sold with Win7 between June and January) explicitly states that upgrade may be installed on a different PC than the one that qualified for the upgrade. (Again, one license per PC.)

The Upgrade Assistant muddies things further. It gives you the Win8 upgrade at the same bit level (32 or 64) as the machine that you run the Assistant from; there's no choice, even though an older 32 bit version of Windows can be used to qualify the 64 bit upgrade license (for a clean install only, no upgrade-in-place from X86 to X64). Both bit levels are included in the $70 retail upgrade package.
 

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  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
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    homebuilt
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    I7-3930k
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    Asus P9X79 Pro
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    6Mb cable
lol, I purchase 5 to 10 computers books a months, I like books
Yes, lol...let's lol at the obvious points being missed. I buy many books per year...but what happens to them over time? Why is that?

Books are fine for specific applications that are finalized and released. Books are awful tools for something fluid, dynamic, and ever-changing. Think about the process to compose and book and put it in print. Think of how long that takes...and when you apply it to the timeline of Windows 8, it makes absolutely no sense to use it as a reference for something that wasn't even finalized and has changed since that point.

When a topic is still in the hypothetical stages, you can't claim it to be the bible on the subject. If we all did that, every author in the world would be a fortune-teller. They make excellent references after the fact...not before.

Besides, to steal the words of the OP...anyone who "understands" (thanks for the assumptive dig at me), knows that the best way to learn an OS, is to roll up your sleeves and get dirty with it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H
    Memory
    16 GB Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 470 GTX
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M4 256 GB, WD WD20EFRX 2 TB
    PSU
    OCZ 700W
    Case
    Corsair 300R
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Deacon:

Oops, sorry. :D Still friends ?

____________________________________________________

Bobkn:

I saw the prices in Staples, a large office supply store near me. The price tag said Windows Pro $69.99, then $130 off - offer ends XXXX 2013. I thought it said February. I asked the salesman and he told me it would jump to $199.

Here too is a link to the article confirming the price jump. It says January 31, 2013.

Windows 8 Pro To Cost $199 When $69.99 Promotional Period Ends | Redmond Pie

I have seen all sorts of offers on the Internet - even one for FREE Windows 8. Of course there are all sorts of conditions and strings attached.

Just remember that the "on line" purchases can include sales tax and shipping and handling. I have gotten socked with some pretty large shipping and handling.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
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