Forty Bucks ⇥ windowsteamblog.com

We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8. Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets.

Microsoft seems to be taking a few pages from Apple’s book lately. First, they took tablet matters into their own hands with their own hardware. Now they have decided to sell the upgrade to the new operating system for cheap.

But while Apple can offset this cost by selling their own computers, Microsoft also has to please their partners. What does this mean for them? What if Microsoft were to make their own laptop?