Windows 8? Microsoft restricts Australians to upgrade only

daria42 writes: This morning Microsoft held a major launch event for its new Windows 8 operating system in Sydney. There is marketing material everywhere, articles in every major publication; Australians are swamped with info about Windows 8. The only caveat? They can't buy it. Microsoft confirmed this morning that it's not yet selling full copies of Windows 8 in Australia, only upgrade versions. Does this seem a little strange to anyone else?

Upgrade versions can't be clean installed

[twocs]

As far as I know, with Windows 7 you could install upgrade versions without upgrading anything, as long as you didn't activate it originally. But it looks like the hack for Windows 7, where you install without activating and then later activate doesn't work (http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/320816,boxed-copies-of-windows-8-pro-do-not-work-for-clean-installs.aspx)