3 Reasons to Buy Windows 8

3 Reasons Microsoft's Windows 8 Pro at $39.99 Changes Everything
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool
Posted 12:01PM 07/03/12

Microsoft (MSFT) isn't going to take any chances: The world's largest software company will be offering most of its customers -- PC owners running XP, Vista, or Windows 7 -- the chance to pay just $39.99 to upgrade Windows 8 Pro when it becomes available later this year.

The move is bold. We still don't know exactly when the new platform will go on sale, but the upgrade pricing is a fraction of what Mr. Softy has charged in the past.

Microsoft seems to be taking a page out of the Apple (AAPL) playbook with cheap operating system upgrades. The company will also include a free download of the upcoming Windows Media Center for those upgrading digitally.

This is a big deal. Let's explore a few reasons that it matters.

1. PC makers will be able to keep selling computers over the next few months.

Desktop and laptop sales have stalled lately, and industry watchers expect that to get even worse this new quarter.

There are several factors holding back PC sales, but one is that buyers have been holding back in anticipation of Windows 8. Why buy a Windows 7 system when the fresher OS is just around the corner?

Well, the $39.99 upgrade -- and the seamless upgrade path for Windows 7 users in particular -- makes that less of a barrier. PC sales will continue to be slow for various other reasons, but at least now there isn't a legitimate reason to wait for Windows 8 to roll out as a factory-installed option in new PCs.

2. Low Price Means High Conversion.

The price tag may hit Microsoft's margins, but the company could very well make that up in volume. There are going to be a lot of people upgrading, and that's going to help the software giant draw developers to its Windows Store.


This is really important. Windows 8 was designed with "good enough" touchscreen computing devices in mind, and strong initial success may improve Microsoft's chances of finally mattering in tablets and smartphones.

3. Microsoft Can Use the Good News.

With sluggish computer sales, this week's $6.2 billion charge at its online business unit, and problems with mobile partner Nokia (NOK), Microsoft needs a hit to win back investors.

Yes, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is now the top dog when it comes to video game consoles, but operating system software has always been the company's bread-and-butter business.

The well-received rollout of Windows 7 proved that the company could overcome the critically maligned Windows Vista. Now it needs Windows 8 to be even bigger

Download only as with the big cats?

Seems they are now a hardware company so cut the price on what millions will have to buy. Love these business models. Go Steve Jobs Ballmer

What ever works for me. Now my Vista PC and 7 Laptop will be the same 8.

Hardware requirements http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/recommended-system-requirements-for-windows-8/

Hmm- I have 32 bit on my PC but plenty of RAM. The article says I can do it tho.

Really need a dual core processor to make it work correctly.

Microsoft says: 1 GHz or faster

Microsoft still uses clock speed to tell you what kind of processor to use with Windows, but we already know that clock speed is essentially irrelevant for comparing processors of different architectures. There are hoary old Pentium IIIs from around the turn of the millennium that run at 1GHz, but you’ll bring yourself nothing but sadness if you try using them to run a modern operating system.

For a satisfactory experience, you'll want to be using at least a dual-core processor, preferably one of Intel's Core 2 Duos, AMD's Athlon X2s, or anything newer—these processors both became common in mainstream PCs in 2006 and 2007.

And 4-8 GB of RAM

RAM

Microsoft says: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)

Microsoft's Windows 7 RAM requirements are too low, and they continue to be too low in Windows 8. You should be using at least double the recommended amount to ensure headroom for additional programs and background services; Windows will run in the officially recommended amount of RAM, but open more than a few programs and your computer will quickly be hobbled. Memory is dirt cheap these days—treat yourself.


And graphics


Graphics

Microsoft says: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

To get a decent Windows 8 experience, I would recommend using an AMD Radeon HD 3200 (2008) or better, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 (2008) or better, or any version of Intel’s HD Graphics processor (2010), which has been included with Intel’s last three processor generations.

JEK said:

Really need a dual core processor to make it work correctly.

Microsoft says: 1 GHz or faster

Microsoft still uses clock speed to tell you what kind of processor to use with Windows, but we already know that clock speed is essentially irrelevant for comparing processors of different architectures. There are hoary old Pentium IIIs from around the turn of the millennium that run at 1GHz, but you’ll bring yourself nothing but sadness if you try using them to run a modern operating system.

For a satisfactory experience, you'll want to be using at least a dual-core processor, preferably one of Intel's Core 2 Duos, AMD's Athlon X2s, or anything newer—these processors both became common in mainstream PCs in 2006 and 2007.

And 4-8 GB of RAM

RAM

Microsoft says: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)

Microsoft's Windows 7 RAM requirements are too low, and they continue to be too low in Windows 8. You should be using at least double the recommended amount to ensure headroom for additional programs and background services; Windows will run in the officially recommended amount of RAM, but open more than a few programs and your computer will quickly be hobbled. Memory is dirt cheap these days—treat yourself.


And graphics


Graphics

Microsoft says: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

To get a decent Windows 8 experience, I would recommend using an AMD Radeon HD 3200 (2008) or better, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 (2008) or better, or any version of Intel’s HD Graphics processor (2010), which has been included with Intel’s last three processor generations.

Click to expand...

And that is only one of the few reasons why we love you JEK!

1 reason NOT to upgrade - The user interface changes completely. It's designed for touchscreen, not keyboard and mouse, although you can still use it with a keyboard and mouse. Try it before you buy it.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/03/andrew_does_windows8/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/251282/windows_8s_metro_ui_7_things_you_may_just_hate.html

Now, where did they get that crazy idea?

Xerox PARC was the original GUI, but I don't recall if they ever did touchscreen.

They had touch screens, but all that happened was fingerprints.

JEK said:

They had touch screens, but all that happened was fingerprints.

Click to expand...

So some things haven't changed... but more happens now. There's the unlock code fingerprints (great security!), the Angry Birds fingerprints, etc. etc.

What the hell are you guys talking about???

Emma,

We're talking Geek. A bit of an insult to MSFT from me, an Apple-slap right back from JEK, a dig that Apple "borrowed other people's ideas too" from me, and a general agreement that they all suck/have good ideas/steal from time to time.

JEK,

Did I get that about right, or did I miss a nuance?

No, Apple invented it all.
iJEK

But Linux is free!


Hopefully MSFT will also copy Apple's licensing system and drop all the genuine checks.

At the end it's really the same as in the music industry -- high prices and copy protection, neither work.

This thread got me thinking about the first GUI that I saw and the ball tab cursor used to track aircraft on a radar screen. The system was designed in the late 50s, deployed onboard in the early 60s and I saw and used it in the late 60s in the Gulf of Tonkin.

A couple of pages and then a link to the book.




When Computers Went To Sea: The Digitization of the US Navy.

I wonder how we'd control the computers today without the canadians..

The book, which is missing many pages, starts with the invention of radar in 1940. Interesting stuff, IMHO.