If you were planning on updating to Windows 8 (which I strongly recommend) you should do it before February 1 because the price is going to rise, dramatically, on that day.
And you can buy now and install later, if you want. You can install it up through 2015.
You may have already stated this, so forgive me if so. But strongly recommend Windows 8? Wtf?
I have always been obsessive adopting the newest Windows. I never even wait for release, upgrading during beta. I've used every version of windows extensively since inception. The only version I not only did not install the day it was released, but never at all, was ME. Of course that was because of 2000, and the NT OS clearly being more stable at the time.
8 might be great if I had a touchscreen monitor. As it is now, I dislike even turning my PC on over my Android tablet because of how unfriendly it is with a mouse and keyboard setup. Any interest at all in upgrading, do it before the price skyrockets. But as a longtime Windows fanboy, I wouldn't go so far as to recommend it.
