Consumers who buy a new PC between now and Jan. 31 can pay US$14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8, the next version of Microsoft's PC operating, Microsoft announced Wednesday.
Steve Guggenheimer , head of Microsoft's OEM division, disclosed the price in his keynote address at the Computex trade show Wednesday, but he didn't provide a release date for Windows 8, as some had expected.
Analysts and PC makers have said they expect Windows 8 to ship before the end of the year. The fact that the upgrade offer ends Jan 31 suggests Microsoft expects it to be out by that date at least, possibly earlier.