Topic: Windows 7 pricing announced

[Clive]

Microsoft has announced pricing information for the Windows 7 operating system which is due to launch on 22 October.

However, as Microsoft has committed to launching a European version of Windows 7 without the Internet Explorer browser to avoid further anti-trust problems with the EC, there won't be any upgrade versions available.

Full versions of the operating system will be £149.99 for Home Premium, £219.99 for Professional, and £229.99 for Ultimate.

To make up for the lack of an upgrade version for European markets, Microsoft will be offering vouchers for those already running a Windows OS that will entitle you to get the same versions for £79.99, £189.99 and £199.99 respectively, though this offer expires on 31 December.

Pre-orders
Additionally, and in response to feedback from its community of testers who put the beta and release candidate versions through their paces, there will be a pre-order version available too.

Between 15 July and 14 August you will be able to get the Home Premium product for £49.99 and the Professional version for £99.99 though you won't actually receive them until Windows 7 officially launches.

However, as well as a time limit, there will also be a limit on the number of pre-orders Microsoft will take, though the company did not say specifically what this limit would be.

The consumer pricing, though, is largely irrelevant as more than 90 per cent of people normally only upgrade their operating system when buying a new PC, which have the OS pre-installed.

And in an effort to stop PC sales slumping in the months before launch, from 26 June anyone buying a new Windows Vista PC will be able to join the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Programme which entitles them to a free version of Windows 7 when it launches.

Though Microsoft is not levying any charges to customers on the programme, the company did warn that the vendor that sells you the new PC may apply charges for shipping costs and so on.

The company also insisted that it was on track to meet its proposed launch date, having suffered a number of delays in launching its current OS, Windows Vista.

[Simon]

Still not tempted. 

[chorleydave]

Me neither.

[GillE]

I bet they've already got Windows 8 lined up for when customers turn their back on Windows 7.  Give it a couple of years and M$ customers will be yearning nostalgically for the good ol' days of Vista.

[sam]

..... ubuntu....

[Simon]

[topquark]

I second that Sam 

... or any Linux based distro as far as that goes (main machine is Debian).

[Reno]

[sam]

nout wrong with Debian - I'm using it right now (I tend to prefer Ubuntu for home though, bit easier to make windows games work in it)

[Reno]

[David]

That woke me up Reno 

Lovely eyes I thought 

[sam]

much better :-D

[Clive]

She's wearing a beautiful ring. 

[GillE]

I didn't know Sandra was moonlighting.

[Simon]

Now we know where Serenity has got to!