Windows 8, the next version of Microsoft’s popular computer operating system, may not be available solo, according to Microsoft insiders Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott.
Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott claim that they have information that the Redmond firm will not sell full retail copies of Windows 8 operating system. In other words, users will not have the option to purchase a full retail copy of the next generation of the operating system.
Users who will not upgrade from an older version of Windows will instead have to buy an OEM version of the software, which is normally set aside for hardware manufacturers and sellers who ship the software with their computers. The insiders add that this OEM edition may be called as a “System Builder” version of Windows. It will make sense for people who construct their own computers or want to run the new operating system on Mac hardware.
Foley and Thurrott’s prediction remarks that full retail copies of the new operating system will not be available was first spotted by the Verge on TwiT TV’s Windows Weekly show.
The good news about the reported “System Builder” edition of Windows is that it will cost less than full retail copies. While the Redmond firm has never really cracked down on customers who purchase these versions, doing so is arguably not completely legitimate.
The general availability of Windows 8 operating system is widely expected in late October.
