Microsoft announces Windows 7 pricing

[jaw04005]

Microsoft today announced upgrade and retail pricing for Windows 7. Upgrade pricing is available for customers that own retail licenses of either Windows XP or Windows Vista.

A limited number of pre-orders will be available from participating retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.

Pre-order pricing is good from June 26 to July 11 in the United States only. Similar pre-order pricing will be available in France, Germany and the U.K. from July 15 through August 14. In Japan, pre-order pricing will be available from June 26 through July 5.

Pre-order Upgrade Pricing
Home Premium (Upgrade) - $49
Professional (Upgrade) - $99

Retail Upgrade Pricing
Home Premium (Upgrade) - $119.99
Professional (Upgrade) - $199.99
Ultimate (Upgrade) - $219.99

Retail Full Version Pricing
Home Premium (Full) - $199.99, €120
Professional (Full) - $299.99, €286
Ultimate (Full) - $319.99, €300

In Europe, Microsoft is only going to offer one version of each subset. The version will be a full version, but it will be sold at the upgrade price. It's unclear at the moment whether this version will be special "E" version that doesn't include Internet Explorer.

http://www.macworld.com/article/141377/2009/06/vistacost.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10272259-56.html

 

[John89]

 

[nefan65]

Way too many options. This whole consumer vs. business model is ridiculous. So isn't their pricing. There should be one price for new, one for upgrades, and allow the consumer [business or otherwise] to determine what they need installed. Or have an option to only install essentials vs. the entire OS.

As a corporate IT person, I'm cringing. With over 300 desktops to upgrade from XP to whatever, I'm panicking. I think it's time to start looking at alternatives; OS X, Linux, OO for Office, etc. for the business vs. M$...

 

[Tallest Skil]

"We have a home version... that costs $29.
And we have a professional version... that costs $29."
Et cetera.

 

[jaw04005]

Microsoft is going to allow a limited number of pre-orders for $49 (Home Premium) and $99 (Professional) from participating retailers. Engadget and some of the other sites will have codes you can use to pre-order at cheaper price.

 

[nefan65]

"We have a home version... that costs $29.
And we have a professional version... that costs $29."
Et cetera.

Exactly! One price...Even the family pack is a deal...

 

[mkrishnan]

"We have a home version... that costs $29.
And we have a professional version... that costs $29."
Et cetera.

It's a publicity war I'm sure Apple will exploit heavily, pushing aside the observation that Windows users have far fewer paid OS upgrades (since 2001, there's been XP, Vista, and now 7, if people upgraded every time, vs. since 2001, Cheetah/Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, and now Snow Leopard), but that's an argument that's been done thousands of times now.

Still, I really wish that Microsoft would simplify their lineup to match Apple. Just sell Windows 7 and Windows 7 Server (or whatever the next Server release is) and be done with it. Make all the other bolt-ons optional parts of the Win 7 install.

OTOH, my iMac G5 is not likely to run Snow Leopard that well, and my Eee 701 and EeeBox could probably run Win7, but at this point, it hardly seems to have merit. So probably I'm using neither Win7 nor Snow Leopard till I buy my next computer.

 

[MacDawg]

On top of the pricing, there are the activation issues

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[Tallest Skil]

Make all the other bolt-ons optional parts of the Win 7 install.

Knowing them, they'd have it simply scan your system and only the computers with the "best" hardware could install the higher functions...

OTOH, my iMac G5 is not likely to run Snow Leopard...

...at all.

 

[mkrishnan]

...at all.

Well, I think I've turned on my iMac once in the past three months, so it probably won't make me cry.

 

[RGunner]

Snow Leopard on G5

OTOH, my iMac G5 is not likely to run Snow Leopard that well, and my Eee 701 and EeeBox could probably run Win7, but at this point, it hardly seems to have merit. So probably I'm using neither Win7 nor Snow Leopard till I buy my next computer.

I hate to break this to you, your G5 wont be using Snow Leopard anytime soon.

 

[Eidorian]

"We have a home version... that costs $29.
And we have a professional version... that costs $29."
Et cetera.

You forgot to mention it's an upgrade for Leopard users.

There are plenty of other factors to take into account as well on pricing.

 

[mkrishnan]

I hate to break this to you, your G5 wont be using Snow Leopard anytime soon.

I'm aware of this, thanks.

 

[xUKHCx]

Hopefully the early adopter upgrade price for the UK isn't that much if so I'll definitely spring for a copy.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

I hate to break this to you, your G5 wont be using Snow Leopard anytime soon.

Because its out in September
Yes, I know it's also Intel only.

 

[Darth.Titan]

Considering this is Microsoft, I can almost accept these prices for people upgrading from XP.

Vista users however should be getting a much more significant discount in my opinion. Windows 7 is not much more than a service pack for Vista. Rather, it's what Vista should have been in the first place.

Yes you can say the same thing about Apple with Snow Leopard vs. Leopard, but then again Apple's only charging $29 for Leopard users...

 

[Anuba]

Ha! Insanity. Now, I love Windows 7, but even the #1 Microsoft shill Paul Thurrott admits that MS can still blow it all if the pricing is wrong. And sure enough, it turned out to be. I lost 75% of my Win7 excitement just looking at these prices.

Win7 should come with an apology discount for everyone who put up with Vista, and it should cost no more than $49 to upgrade. Having said that, I don't think it's fair to compare with Apple charging $29 for their 'apology update', Snow Leopard (that's right, they should apologize for Leopard... it's their Vista in many ways, particularly on the bug front). Apple can basically give away the software for free since we've already paid through the nose for it when we bought our Macs -- their monstrous margins on the hardware are just bizarre. Microsoft only sells the software, they have no 'subsidy buffer' to fall back on.

Still, I really wish that Microsoft would simplify their lineup to match Apple. Just sell Windows 7 and Windows 7 Server (or whatever the next Server release is) and be done with it. Make all the other bolt-ons optional parts of the Win 7 install.

While everyone would appreciate a simplified product line, you have to take into account the huge amount of bloat that comes with the Professional and Ultimate versions in order to accomodate the gazillion requirements of the business community. It's easy for Apple to have a single edition because there's so much that OS X simply doesn't do. It doesn't come with 50,000 drivers, legacy compatibility ad infinitum, etc. If you have a netbook or small laptop you wouldn't want all the bloat that comes with the Ultimate edition. Virtual XP? BitLocker? AppLocker? Windows Server Domain? BranchCache Distributed Cache? That's a lot of deadweight for soccer moms' hard drives. I support Windows' new modular approach to a degree. But there are still too many editions. The Home+Professional concept they had with XP was much better. Basic (for netbooks), Home (with all the multimedia bells and whistles but none of the business crap) and Pro (the works) would be ideal.

 

[neiltc13]

On top of the pricing, there are the activation issues

Woof, Woof - Dawg

How can you possibly say there are activation issues when the software isn't available for months?

 

[MacDawg]

How can you possibly say there are activation issues when the software isn't available for months?

Because I anticipate activation issues based on past experience with every other MS product. IF there are none, it will be a first for me and a pleasant surprise... that of course assumes that I will actually upgrade, which in fact I may not.

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[mkrishnan]

While everyone would appreciate a simplified product line, you have to take into account the huge amount of bloat....

I don't really think this is an issue. What I'd suggest is that they could simply put all the stuff on a DVD (or two if necessary) and then take the existing three Win7 package levels and transform them into installation options. There's no reason a combined, single version of Win7 for notebooks and desktops could not easily have a menu option to install itself in the more compact form that, for instance, the Home Premium (or Home Basic if they decided to do this again at the last moment) does. There isn't a lot of complexity in just having the installation scripts install the same files from the larger pool of files that they would have anyways.

 

[GoCubsGo]

More than 50% increase if you don't pre order?
F that!

 

[MacDawg]

More than 50% increase if you don't pre order?
F that!

They likely want a large pre-order for PR purposes

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[Eidorian]

I don't really think this is an issue. What I'd suggest is that they could simply put all the stuff on a DVD (or two if necessary) and then take the existing three Win7 package levels and transform them into installation options. There's no reason a combined, single version of Win7 for notebooks and desktops could not easily have a menu option to install itself in the more compact form that, for instance, the Home Premium (or Home Basic if they decided to do this again at the last moment) does. There isn't a lot of complexity in just having the installation scripts install the same files from the larger pool of files that they would have anyways.

Technically that's how it is done. The disc media does have all the versions on it. You're given a list of versions and prompted to make sure that is the license you have. Not that you need a key to test drive for 30 days.

They likely want a large pre-order for PR purposes

I think it's a good incentive.

 

[mkrishnan]

They likely want a large pre-order for PR purposes

And disaster management... even though everyone seems to generally like Windows 7, they need a critical mass of users that have positive experiences as early (post-release) adopters to avoid the miasma that surrounded the Vista launch.

Or god preserve us all, they'll be forced to follow-up on Mojave with a Sahara demonstration tour where they masquerade Windows 7SP1 as a new operating system.

 

[Anuba]

I don't really think this is an issue. What I'd suggest is that they could simply put all the stuff on a DVD (or two if necessary) and then take the existing three Win7 package levels and transform them into installation options. There's no reason a combined, single version of Win7 for notebooks and desktops could not easily have a menu option to install itself in the more compact form that, for instance, the Home Premium (or Home Basic if they decided to do this again at the last moment) does. There isn't a lot of complexity in just having the installation scripts install the same files from the larger pool of files that they would have anyways.

Sure, the bloat could be on a separate DVD or available as optional downloads, but then they'd have to price this unified edition somewhere between Home and Ultimate which would make it a lot less attractive for consumers. They're just doing the traditional B2B thing, charging business much more than consumers for roughly the same product/service. Apple don't have a lot of business users aside from a handful of creative professionals, so it wouldn't make sense for them to have an overpriced and bloated business version of OS X.