As in past upgrades, Microsoft will offer a special upgrade to users who purchase a new PC with the current version of Windows just a few months before the next version of Windows is slated to be released.

With an unofficial release date for Windows 8 set for October of 2012, PC makers and Microsoft want to prevent any delay in sales orders due to users waiting for the release date to arrive. Instead, Microsoft generally offers users a free upgrade to the new operating system during a several month window prior to launch date.

With Windows 8, the rumor is that Microsoft will instead charge a $14.99 fee to receive the upgrade and that upgrade will only apply to Windows 8 Pro. Microsoft plans to offer just two versions of Windows 8 to consumers: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.