14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re still on Windows XP, but you are looking into ways to make the move to Windows 7 sometime in the next 20 days, chances are that you’re now searching the web to purchase a license for this new OS version.
A simple search on eBay, for example, returns hundreds of results for new Windows 7 licenses, so you can purchase a genuine copy of the operating system in just a few minutes.
Prices are ranging in between $50 (€35) and $150 (€110) for a Windows 7 license, but if you’re planning to purchase a copy of the operating system that has previously been installed on a refurbished computer, you can get one for as low as $20 (€14).
While it’s pretty clear that consumers prefer Windows 7 pretty much because it looks more familiar than Windows 8, this isn’t at all good news for Microsoft, as the software giant hoped to see a mass migration to Windows 8.1 in the coming months.
Windows 8.1 is Microsoft’s latest bet in the OS market and the company hopes to see increased sales of the operating system following Windows XP’s demise, which means that more consumers should migrate to this platform after no more security patches and updates are released for XP.
What’s more, Microsoft is also working to tweak the modern platform to be supported on low-spec PCs as well, with sources familiar with the matter indicating that 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage space should be enough to be able to deploy the upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1 build.
At the same time, the software giant is trying to convince more PC makers to launch affordable Windows 8.1 devices by offering price cuts for Windows licenses, which basically contributes to a reduced cost for every single tablet or PC that hits the market in the coming months.
Microsoft is well aware of the fact that moving from Windows XP to Windows 8.1 also involves hardware upgrades, so it does know that such a transition is not at all affordable, so this is very likely the main reason why it strives so hard to bring cheaper devices to the market.
Windows 8.1 Update 1 is expected to debut next month with several improvements for PC users, including power options placed on the Start screen and a search box that allows them to look for information with just a few clicks.