Comments on: Windows 7 Pricing Announced, Pre-Order Discounts Available

By: Pinky

Pinky — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:46:40 +0000

Unless Windows 7 isn’t the saviour that all the Microsoft fans hope it turns into.

If it’s just Vista with a new front end, then the results are going to be pretty bad for Redmond. I use both Macs and Windows and find them equally capable but have experienced a lot of issues with our one Vista machine. Issues that continue to this day and they are pretty serious. I have yet (knock on wood) had to reinstall Leopard and yet some clients (including us) have had to reinstall Vista numerous times. I doubt that Win 7 will be the white knight coming to save the heathen but time will tell… The absurdly high pricing will potentially drive some from Microsoft. Maybe that’s a good thing. Those that bail will probably be unhappy with Apple’s products too. Who knows. Vista became a major fail for Redmond in a rather short list of failures.

By: Pinky

Pinky — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:38:33 +0000

None. Leopard (if memory serves) came out after Vista. It also came out with its own share of issues and had some of the more effected calling Leopard ‘Apple’s Vista’.

Apple DOES charge for ’second decimal place upgrades’ meaning that from 10.4 to 10.5 it was not a free update but from 10.5.1 to 10.5.2 it WAS a free update. Apple is still on 10.5.x and Microsoft is still trying to either sucker people in to Vista or a furious bait and switch with the potential of Windows 7 to save their bacon.

I think it is telling that Microsoft doesn’t acknowledge what every one already knows: Vista is radioactive and most businesses have stayed away from it.

The people that Microsoft are really abusing in this are the retail customers that were stuck having to use Vista because Microsoft shoved it down their throats. Abusing your customers isn’t a good idea but Microsoft can get away with it.

Having fire sale upgrade prices to Windows 7 would be acknowledging that Vista was a bomb (in the business realm) and a ripoff ( in the residential realm) and Redmond’s hubris can’t have that happen… Just like having a ‘Family Pack’ upgrade would be seen as throwing a bone to Apple and their wildly popular ‘Family Pack’ bundles.

By: Certain

Certain — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:22:21 +0000

My problem isn’t so much the price as it is the licenses. Many homes nowadays have multiple PC’s. I have 3 myself. I would love to see an option where I could spend the 320 for my Ultimate OS and then like 30 bucks a piece for the 2 other licenses for my other PC’s. I know I could get the upgrade, but I don’t want those. I don’t want to be tethered to an old OS. When ever I get a new one, I like the install to be “from the ground up” so to speak. I was hoping for multiple licenses this time around. Not to have to spend $960 bucks for OS’s for my 3 PC’s.

By: Windows Live

Windows Live — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:19:33 +0000

MobileMe;
I just purchased a laptop for $649. With GREAT specs. Now, would I rather have a gaming laptop running Windows 7 (649+219=868) or a similar laptop running Snow Leopard (a normal white MacBook) (1218+39=1257)? Oh, and for that MacBook, I need Windows. So, 319.99 for Windows 7. Equals way too much. Sorry. But I guess I’m a PC.

By: MobileMe

MobileMe — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:30:32 +0000

Micro$oft pushed price in the hunter ads thinking they were smart. Now they just look stupid.

Apple is now cheaper than Micro$oft by a huge margin. Cannot wait for another Buy a Mac ad, highlighting Micro$soft’s hypocricy…

By: Derek S

Derek S — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:45:05 +0000

Will we be able to pre-order Windows 7 Ultimate? And can you upgrade from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 professional?

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:13:28 +0000

i agree that the retail pricing is too high. and i’m disappointed that there doesn’t seem to be a discount for Ultimate pre-orders.

but i’ll just buy OEM disks. retail is such a ripoff.

By: Tom Reestman

Tom Reestman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:15:21 +0000

I think Microsoft blew the retail pricing. It’s odd, too, because even though most Win7 licenses will come via PC purchases, the retail price is responsible for the public’s perception on if it costs too much. Perhaps that’s why they did lower it slightly for Home Premium, but I don’t think it was enough.

On the other hand, I give Microsoft kudos for the pre-order pricing. A $49 Home Premium upgrade is a no-brainer, as it’s clear Win7 is easily worth that much over Vista. It’s only for 16 days, which sucks, but I wonder if that’s a ploy so they can extend it another month or so for some good PR.

Further, more kudos for giving all (well, most) new PC buyers starting tomorrow a free upgrade. I expected this maybe two months before the rollout, but not four. It was smart, though, because it includes the critical back to school season. It basically addresses any reservations one may have in buying a PC now with Win7 coming in the fall.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:00:47 +0000

Where is the discounted pre-order windows 7 ultimate upgrade for current vista ultimate users?
This is crap, microsoft’s inequitable pricing practices are going to drive me to apple.

Why would microsoft drive it’s customers away?

By: spinedoc

spinedoc — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:42:02 +0000

I’m thrilled with the prices, and I’m also thrilled with Windows 7. I purchased six (6) Vista ultimate licenses (Ouch) at retail, so to upgrade them all to professional tomorrow for $600 bucks is pretty amazing. I know it’s not the retail price that most will see. I do wish they had a family pack or something though.

Apples to apples Snow leopard is an upgrade, and Apple charges for every update. I don’t know what the count is, but I’d be curious how many paid upgrades from Apple have come out since Vista was released and what the price breakdown would be, of course comparing upgrade to upgrade, as most seem quite happy to compare the full vista version with the Apple upgrade pricing even though this makes no sense to me.

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:51:23 +0000

In my view, the retail prices are $100 too high for each edition. (I don’t really see OEM prices as relevant to the discussion at all, since the only people I’ve ever met who’ve bought the OEM versions were those who built their own machines… an ever-decreasing group of people.)

That said, it is somewhat interesting that this is the first version of Windows where they haven’t raised the price compared to the prior version. This suggests that the Vista price hike (compared to XP) was a little too much for the retail market.

By: AndyP

AndyP — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:36:23 +0000

Wait, I think I know why the price is so jacked up. They must be included the upcoming fines (supposedly in the billions of dollars) from the EU that they will soon be hit with. See, they are going to recoup their loses one way or another. It is purely a business decision.

By: AndyP

AndyP — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:29:29 +0000

I think Win7 will be the best OS that MS has ever released but its retail price is too high, especially for a netbook user who wants the Pro edition. I don’t expect it to fly off of shelves at Best Buy, but as always they will receive most sales from the pre-install deals they make with vendors and not from trying to sell directly to the public.

By: AndyP

AndyP — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:16:31 +0000

I agree. Vista was so bad and has done so much damage to MS that as a kind gesture they should offer a steep discount to all those who suffered through that nightmare on redmond street.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:29:32 +0000

No worries and we can agree to disagree, of course. Perhaps I did a poor job of writing my ultimate point here: consumer perceptions of price and value are very important, more so in a down economy. As we both said, most folks pay the far lower, included cost of a license when buying a new system. But that doesn’t stem the consumer perception that Windows is a relatively expensive OS.

As I’ve said many times before and will continue to say again: Windows 7 is a great OS. Arguably better than XP and Vista. I don’t think I’ve ever “bashed” the OS. I simply feel for folks that bought XP machines, skipped Vista and will now have to pay $120 or more to upgrade. Then again, it’s their wallet, so they’ll vote with it, just as you and I will.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:17:35 +0000

Sorry Kevin, I didn’t intend for that to come across as a personal attack so please don’t take it that way. I don’t hate you and I certainly don’t think you are small-minded That reference was directed at the point you were making, not you personally.

Perhaps I did read too much into your comments but saying that “There’s a perception out there that Windows 7 is really a fix for Vista. A service pack, if you will.” certainly seems like that’s what you’re suggesting – why say it if you didn’t mean to draw attention to the idea?

I do think that your post was unnecessarily negative and I do think it’s a shame that you’ve decided to take this position. You’re generally very fair and even handed which is what makes your opinion valuable, but not this time.

Anyway, let’s agree to disagree and forgive me if I’ve offended you.