How much will Windows 10 really cost? (TechRepublic)

Is Microsoft really going to charge $100 to $200 to users who want the Pro edition or who don't qualify for the free upgrade? Greg Shultz takes a look at some alternative pricing ideas. 

In last week's article, "The Get Windows 10 program has hatched!," I showed you how you can use the Get Windows 10 program to reserve your free copy of Windows 10 upgrade from your Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 system. As you may know, the free upgrade will move you to the same edition of Windows that you're currently running. As Microsoft puts it on the Windows 10 Q&A page:

"When you upgrade, you'll stay on like-to-like editions of Windows. For example, Windows 7 Home Premium will upgrade to Windows 10 Home."

However, what if you get Windows 10 Home and then decide that you would like Windows 10 Pro? How much will it cost to upgrade? What if you are running Windows Vista or XP? Or, what if you are planning on building your own system and want to install Windows 10 from scratch? How much will you have to pay for Windows 10? Let's take a closer look.

The free upgrade chart

Along with the like-to-like editions description, Microsoft presented an upgrade chart 

(Figure A).

Figure A

Microsoft released this upgrade chart to clarify the like-to-like editions of Windows description.

As you can see, this is how Microsoft will be doling out the free editions of Windows 10. For those getting the Pro edition of Windows 10, this will be perfect. And for most folks getting the Home edition of Windows 10, this will be a fine deal. However, what if you're really a Pro type of user who just happened to end up with a Home edition of Windows 7/8? Will you be satisfied with the Home edition of Windows 10?

For example, my main system is running Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center. However, my laptop is running the standard Windows 8.1, because that's what was preinstalled when I purchased it last year from Dell. I've always wished that it had the Pro edition, as there are certain features that I've grown accustomed to on the Pro edition that I sorely miss, such as being able to configure my laptop as a Remote Desktop host.

I know that I won't be satisfied with the Home edition of Windows 10 on my laptop.