Microsoft is reportedly planning a different approach for Windows 9 in terms of pricing

Jun 21, 2014 05:30 GMT  ·  By

Windows 9 is still a work in progress at Microsoft and although the Redmond-based tech giant remains completely tight-lipped on the subject, details coming via unofficial channels revealed quite a lot of interesting tidbits about the next full Windows version.

This time, Russian leaker WZOR is claiming that Windows 9 could be offered completely free of charge to a number of Windows 8.1 Update 2 adopters, in an attempt that's clearly supposed to move more users to this particular operating system version.

The news was first posted on a Russian forum and discovered by myce.com, who also writes, citing WZOR's statements, that Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be offered with two different pricing options which would then serve as the foundation of the new Windows 9 pricing approach.

First of all, WZOR says, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be completely free for those who are already running Windows 8.1 Update, just like it was the case with the previous updates launched for the core Windows 8 operating system.

Second of all, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will also be installed on new PCs and, what's more, is going to be offered as a full update for Windows 8 users with a small fee. This means that those running Windows 8 will be allowed to install Windows 8.1 Update 2 directly if they agree to purchase a new license. It appears that Windows 8.1 Update 2 would come with new license keys, which could be then used to provide free access to Windows 9.

This means that the next full Windows release, scheduled to see daylight in April 2015 with the Windows 9 designation, will be completely free for those who purchase a new PC running Windows 8.1 Update 2 and to those who switch directly from Windows 8 to this new update and thus get a brand new license key.

At the same time, Microsoft is also considering offering a major discount to existing Windows 8.1 Update 2 users who decide to upgrade to Windows 9, again in an effort to boost the adoption of the new OS.

Windows 8.1 Update 2 is again expected to be offered through the Windows Store, just like it happened with Windows 8.1. This time however, the 3GB pack that we told you about a couple of days ago is very likely to be a full installation of the new OS version, and not an update pack as it was rumored before.

This would obviously make sense given the fact that updates usually come as lighter packages and use some of the existing system files to save space.

As far as the release date is concerned, Windows 8.1 Update 2 is expected to be launched in either August or September. Microsoft has reportedly completed development of this OS version, but it's trying to keep everything secret until it's ready to release it to users.