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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.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
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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.