Microsoft has announced pricing for Windows 8.1, the next iteration of its desktop operating system, which is scheduled to hit the market on October 18.
While users running Windows 8 on their devices would get the update free via a download from the Windows Store, people looking to upgrade devices running older versions of Windows to Windows 8.1 will be able to buy Windows 8.1, either as a download from the website, Windows.com or at a physical store as a retail packaged DVD product.
Microsoft has announced that Windows 8.1 will be available at an estimated retail price of $119.99, while Windows 8.1 Pro will be available for $199.99, similar to the pricing of Windows 8.
The company has not announced any special upgrade pricing like it did at the time of Windows 8's launch.
Microsoft informs that it will be offering "full version software" at retail and online for download that would not require users to run a previous version of Windows in order to install the OS unlike Windows 8. The Windows 8 software that is currently available at retail and online is only an "upgrade version." The move will allow users who build their own PCs from scratch, or run Windows 8.1 in Virtual Machine (VM) environments, or on a second hard drive partition, to install the OS easily.
It's worth mentioning that users running Windows 7 on their PCs will be able to upgrade to Windows 8.1 but they would only be able to retain their files and will need to reinstall desktop apps including Microsoft Office.
Upgrading form Windows XP and Windows Vista is not supported and users will need to do a clean install of the Windows 8.1 OS on systems running these legacy operating systems.
Users who buy a device that comes with Windows 8.1 would be able to upgrade to the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack for $99.99 in the US, while Windows 8.1 Pro users will be able to buy Windows Media Center for $9.99.
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