Retail Box Art Renders Of Windows 10 Home And Pro Versions Leaked

We’re eagerly counting down the days until the retail launch of Windows 10 (the operating system launches on July 29, by the way). First announced in late January, Windows 10 aims to right the wrongs of Windows 8.x while ushering in a new era of computing devices that work in harmony across smartphone, notebook, convertible, tablet, desktop, and console platforms.

Since the official launch is so close that we can almost taste it, it should come as no surprise that a fresh leak has given us a look at what the retail boxes for Windows 10 will look like. The images, which were uncovered by Winfuture.de, prominently display Windows 10’s new “Hero” desktop background which will be installed by default when you first boot up the operating system (you can learn more about the making of the desktop in a previous Hot Hardware article).

You can also see that Microsoft is distinguishing between the two most common versions of Windows 10 by giving Home a blue-themed color scheme, while Pro takes on a purple look.

Microsoft announced in early June that Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Professional will be priced at $119 and $199 respectively at the time of launch. However, customers with a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8 license will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. But be forewarned that not everyone will be able to download Windows 10 on July 29; Microsoft will release the operating system in waves, with Windows Insiders getting first dibs.

That free offer window will extend from July 29, 2015 until July 29, 2016. After that point, laggards that haven’t taken the time to download the upgrade will be forced to fork over full price to upgrade to Windows 10.