via Gizmodo UK


In what appears to be a bit of a last-ditch attempt to push people onto Windows Vista, it looks like Microsoft will be offering a free upgrade program for those who buy its current OS after July 1st.

If you haven't upgraded to Vista yet, chances are you aren't going to and we can see quite a few people holding off for the rest of the year in the hope that Windows 7 hits its targets.

Much like the system that was put in place to upgrade XP users who bought late in the day, the story goes that if you purchase Vista between the 1st of July 2009 and the 31st of January 2010, Microsoft should provide you with a like-for-life upgrade. So if you've got the Premium version, you'll get Windows 7 Premium, etc. etc.

The new OS could even reach us before the end of this year and while neither this nor the upgrade package has been officially confirmed yet, if true it may well be enough to encourage that last straggling pack of fence-sitters to dive in.