A few days ago, the British page of Microsoft published a rather unusual and unannounced discount for Windows 8, bringing the price down from the regular £190 (€220 / $285) to only £44.99 (€52 / $67.5).

While this was clearly good news for those who are yet to purchase a Windows 8 license, it appears that the discount was actually rolled out by accident, according to a company spokesperson.

Microsoft told PC Pro that an error “in their system” was the reason why Windows 8 suddenly got cheaper, but the company confirmed that it plans to honor all orders.

"Due to an error in our system, Windows 8 Pro was available on the Microsoft Online Store in the UK at a price that was advertised lower than our regular Microsoft Store price," a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

"This pricing error has been corrected and we are honouring all legitimate purchases that occurred while we worked to resolve the issue. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience our customers may have experienced."

Of course, the discount is no longer available, so in case you wish to buy the Windows 8 Pro upgrade, you now have to pay the full price of £190.