Just in case you’ve been “off the grid” for the past few months of have made every attempt to avoid new tech news, Microsoft is releasing the newest version of Windows (Windows 8) on October 26. This revamp is the biggest thing to come from Microsoft since, well, since the previous version of Windows was created. It seems like it will be fairly difficult to run an older version of Windows once Windows 8 has been released, which means that you’ll have to upgrade if you currently use Windows – although Linux is a great alternative worth considering!

Upgrading to the newest version of Windows should be easy – after all, Microsoft’s main goal is to make money by selling as many versions of Windows 8 as possible, right? Well, it turns out that the price you may pay to upgrade might differ from the price that your neighbor pays. Microsoft will be determining upgrade pricing based on time – here are some additional details.

How Much Upgrading to Windows 8 Will Cost You

So, how much will it actually cost to upgrade to Windows 8? Did you purchase your current version of Windows prior to June 2, 2012? If the answer to this question is: “yes,” your cost for upgrading to Windows 8 will be $14.99. If you are currently running Vista, Windows 7, or Windows XP, the price to upgrade will be $39.99 on the download front and a whopping $69.99 if you want to go the CD route. This is the pricing information that Microsoft has published currently, but it doesn’t take into consideration the possibility of a Pro edition.

I’m guessing that Microsoft will not want to boost the price of a Pro edition too much, and the prices above might be the same across the board. One also has to wonder whether or not Microsoft will lower the pricing on PCs that can currently be purchased in-store – seemingly, a free upgrade to Windows 8 with the purchase of a new PC running Windows would make a great deal of sense.

What To Do If You Are Building From The Base Up

Are you one of those adventurous types who wants to build a PC from scratch? If so, you can still upgrade to Windows 8, but you will have to opt for the System Builder edition. How much will the System Builder edition cost? Well, that information hasn’t been released yet. But, since Windows 8 is coming out soon (approximately three months from now), Microsoft will have no choice but to release all payment information sooner rather than later.

Not upgrading to the new Windows 8, by the way, may mean being left way behind in the dust. Microsoft recently stated in a press release that the company is going to be making a “technology shift” to WinRT instead of WinNT. To give you some idea of the gravity of this shift, the last time Microsoft made such a major move was back in 1993. So, you might see your current version of Windows being phased out completely. As far as holding off for better pricing, I wouldn’t hold your breath. It makes more sense to upgrade to Windows 8 in October than waiting for a later date – you have a few months to save up for that upgrade, and it’s a purchase worth the extra dollars.