Windows 8 PCs On Sale, With A Catch

8 Key Differences Between Windows 8 And Windows RT

TV and online retailer Home Shopping Network appears to be the first major outlet to start taking orders for PCs and laptops that carry Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system, which does not officially go on sale until Oct. 26.

There's a catch, however: Shoppers who order one of the machines won't get it until after the launch. InformationWeek's effort to order a Windows 8 system from HSN yielded a ship date of Oct. 30--four days after the OS and related hardware will be available to the general public.

HSN's pre-sale, however, does give consumers some idea of what to expect when Windows 8 does officially launch, considering that the network's PC offerings typically tend to be underpowered and overpriced compared to what's available directly from PC makers or from specialty retailers like Newegg.

[ Microsoft makes last-minute enhancements to search, email, and other apps before it releases Windows 8. Windows 8 Apps Get Pre-Launch Tweaks. ]

HSN is currently selling five Windows 8 systems: three from Gateway and two from Acer. A 23-inch Gateway all-in-one touchscreen computer is selling for a whopping $1,200, even though it features only Intel's Core i5 chip, not the higher-end Core i7. Another Gateway system running Core i3 is priced at $700. It can also be had for four "flex payments" of about $175 each.

HSN is also pitching a Windows 8 laptop from Acer for $999. It features a 15.6-inch touchscreen, Core i5 processor, and 8 GB of RAM.

Shoppers not wanting to wait until the end of the month to purchase a new computer can buy a Windows 7 PC or laptop now, and upgrade later to Windows 8 Pro for just $15 through a special offer from Microsoft. The offer is good for computers purchased from any authorized Microsoft or PC reseller.

Users with some technical savvy can download a trial version of Windows 8 from Microsoft's website. It's available now, but expires after the software formally ships, at which time users will need to upgrade to the commercial version.

Microsoft plans to introduce Windows 8 at a high-profile launch event in New York City. Three days later, on Oct. 29, it will unveil Windows Phone 8, the next version of its mobile operating system.

Both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 use Microsoft's new Live Tiles interface, which was designed with touchscreen devices in mind. It will also work with a keyboard and mouse on PCs and laptops.

Upgrading isn't the easy decision that Win 7 was. We take a close look at Server 2012, changes to mobility and security, and more in the new Here Comes Windows 8 issue of InformationWeek. Also in this issue: Why you should have the difficult conversations about the value of OS and PC upgrades before discussing Windows 8. (Free registration required.)