When Lonestar comes out sometime next year - as announced - it will be a free download. A relatively small download too (about, say 10 MB for the core part, not including any updated recognizers that could be released by then). It is user installable. It installs quickly, similar to any other Windows XP update. You can even uninstall it, should you choose to do so. Existing tablet hardware will be able to run it without major problems. Case in point - I am running it on my underpowered Crusoe-cursed first-generation Compaq TC1000, and I can't notice any performance hit.
So don't let this update delay a tablet purchase you may be considering. Whether you buy a new Tablet PC today, or next year, it will be able to run Lonestar in both cases. You won't have to wipe out your system and reinstall everything. You won't lose settings or data. It's just like a Windows update that adds features.
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