Microsoft opens registration for Windows 8 upgrade

Customers who purchased a Windows 7 PC after June 2 can now register for the upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.99.

August 20, 2012 5:25 PM PDT Follow @darakerr

Windows 8 leads with tiles, apps, sync -- and a learning curve, too

Making good on its promise, Microsoft has officially opened registration for new Windows 7 users to upgrade to Windows 8.

In a tweet today, Windows wrote, "The @Windows upgrade offer is now available in 140 countries. Register now! http://windowsupgradeoffer.com."

The software giant pledged in May that anyone who bought a Windows 7 PC after June 2 would be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99. The registration is to be open until January 31, 2013. If people miss the registration period, they'll have to pay full price for the software.

Windows 8 is drastically different than earlier iterations of Windows. It's Microsoft's answer to the question of how to integrate mobile and desktop computing and includes features like touch screen ability, fewer icons, and the capability to unify all devices.

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