TheStreet

Tech Trends

It's a quandary. A company has new stuff in the pipeline for the fall but you want people to continue buying the current stuff now.

It's a problem which affects both hardware (like Apple's iPhone) and software (like Microsoft's Windows OS) companies. And, it's especially worrisome during“Back to School” time – when people are usually in the market for new computer hardware.

So, Microsoft has a plan. They say if you buy a Windows 7 laptop now they'll sell you a heavily discounted Windows 8 upgrade for $15 later this year.

If you've bought - or will buy – a Windows 7 PC between June 2 of this year and January 31^st of next year you're eligible for the discounted upgrade.

This is a good deal for manufacturers and retailer but buyers might miss out of some of the new features included in the Windows 8 OS. Like W8's touch screen capabilities.

We've been hearing that a few of the new computer designs will be, simply described, “laptops with touchscreen displays”. You could also think of them as tablets with permanently attached keyboards.

We'll be learning a lot more about Windows 8 – hardware and software - by release day, October 26^th.