Neowin.net - Windows Vista Ultimate Could Cost $450

Windows Vista Ultimate Could Cost $450

Posted by voidunknown on 30 May 2006 - 22:06 · 45 comments & 22830 views

We have absolutely no way of confirming the information ourselves, but according to iTWire, we can expect to really pay out the nose for the most ultimate version of Windows ever conceived, Windows Vista Ultimate. Like, say, something to the tune of $450 US. Yeah, we know that's a lot, but we're assuming that's for the single-license full install retail MSRP; and when you consider the fact that the single-license full install retail MSRP of XP Pro is still $300 US, it's not too drastically unrealistic.

Don't get us wrong, we're not exactly endorsing snapping up operating systems that cost more than the machines they run on but, you know, it is Ultimate freaking Vista, dude. Oh, and apparently Office 2007 Ultimate will set you back $679 US, too. Don't get dizzy now, just get your company to pick 'em up for you and you'll be well on your way to the Ultimate Microsoft suite which might have otherwise been used to put a nice down payment on a private jet.

News source: Engadget

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#1 Posted by Master Shake on 30 May 2006 - 22:09: Yeah... um... NO.

(1 reply) #2 Posted by voidunknown on 30 May 2006 - 22:10: I thought Microsoft was trying to get rid of piracy, not encourage it!

Hopefully the OEM will be much cheaper...

(3 replies) #3 Posted by Aaronz0rz on 30 May 2006 - 22:13: why would it even be 300 for xp pro
linux comes with almost everything for like way less
this is just monopoly

(4 replies) #4 Posted by bangbang023 on 30 May 2006 - 22:17: I won't be getting the ultimate edition then. No way I'm spending $450 for software. Plus, some of the more basic versions should be more than suitable for 95% of the users here anyway, including myself.

#5 Posted by jmc777 on 30 May 2006 - 22:20: OMG

#6 Posted by ziper on 30 May 2006 - 22:23: I'll probably pick it up anyway

(1 reply) #7 Posted by minnow_trap on 30 May 2006 - 22:32: Yeah I'm sure alot of companys are going to go out and pay almost 700.00 per license for Office. Open Office works just as good, and it's TOTALLY FREE. Don't understand their methods. Guess they have to make up from 03' to 07' profit standings, who knows.

(1 reply) #8 Posted by Aq3e on 30 May 2006 - 22:32: No way can I afford that!

#9 Posted by warwagon on 30 May 2006 - 22:50: for that amount of money you should be able to install it on every computer in your house.

#10 Posted by willvg on 30 May 2006 - 23:04: soon oses are gonna cost as much as the computer

#11 Posted by RX78GP02A on 30 May 2006 - 23:30: i cannot imagine that it is gonna be that expensive... imo, it should be around the current price for xp pro...

vista home basic = xp home
vista home premimum = xp media center (which is around CAD$40 in canada and USD$20 in us...)
vista ultimate = xp pro is the closest match... with media center

(1 reply) #12 Posted by stgeorge on 30 May 2006 - 23:52: Nice try RX78GO2A, but XP Media Center is a superset of XP SP2 (it adds Tablet PC & Media Center on a second disc). The first disc is identical to XP SP2, but the installation of Media Center disables domain joining.

I posted this the $499 price on this site a few months ago and no one believed it, well, get used to it, that's what it will cost for Ultimate and that's just for a single PC. Change the motherboard and it's $499 all over again. Sucks to be owned by Microsoft, doesn't it?

(1 reply) #13 Posted by Croquant on 31 May 2006 - 00:02: I know what I'm pirateing.

#14 Posted by TheGriffin on 31 May 2006 - 00:08: Well, we posted this story recently on FluxionTech.

http://www.fluxiontech.com/index.php?optio...Itemid=99999999

Originally MSBlog had a post, but it was passworded hours after initial post. It may or may not be a "solid" source for information.

(1 reply) #15 Posted by aristotle-dude on 31 May 2006 - 00:23: MSFT should just sell one version of their client OS and include all the features for 129 USD. Apple only provides three versions of OS X: OS X Client at $129 USD, Mac OS X Server (10-Client) $499.00 and Mac OS X Server (Unlimited-Client) $999.00.

You can also get a Family pack (5 license) for $199.00 USD.

If MSFT is going to copy Apple on stuff, they should look to copying them on OS pricing as it would net them "more" money with the reduction in piracy.

(1 reply) #16 Posted by webeagle12 on 31 May 2006 - 00:31: for that price, hello p2p and bittorrent

#17 Posted by Simon Thulbourn on 31 May 2006 - 00:39: £239 for windows... Im glad I have 50% discount on MS products.

#18 Posted by mayamaniac on 31 May 2006 - 00:55: I'll only agree to pay that price if it comes with Duke Nukem Forever.

(1 reply) #19 Posted by matt_hobbs05 on 31 May 2006 - 01:32: Sure Vista sounds a bit pricy, but the cost of Office 2007 Ultimate doesn't suprise me. Office XP Professional cost AUS$1,300 back in the day, and only consisted of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and Access

#20 Posted by ncc50446 on 31 May 2006 - 02:40: that is just crazy! Sure, Windows is an ok OS, but it isn't worth no 450 bucks, or 700 bucks for office! If you lower the price slightly, you get more people buying it, than downloading it, when more people buy it, you make more money, so lower the price, more poeple buy, and accounts for the money you would of made at a higher price, so you at least break even, and don't have to worry about changing the windows update webpage every few months to stop the people who download it, since they can afford the real thing.

#21 Posted by Bwizzel-B on 31 May 2006 - 04:14: I see alot of people using XP and even 2000 for a loooooong time.

Vista should be great for sales of XP OEM versions

#22 Posted by Erikas on 31 May 2006 - 07:23: In Lithuania almost everyone uses pirated software (at home that is). For businesses, there are regular inspections to make sure that all software on the office computers is legal, i.e. licensed. All of our office uses windows 98 because we can't afford to buy XP with the exchange rate that it is. I guess we will upgrade to XP in the year 2010 and to VISTA in 2025. 450 USD would mean about 1282 Litas (local currency), two months salary. I will keep on dreaming.

#23 Posted by plastikaa on 31 May 2006 - 08:43: I wonder if the trick of installing a pirated version then getting offered to buy a discounted version will work.

#24 Posted by j0j081 on 31 May 2006 - 09:20: You guys who talk about pirating a new OS months before it comes out are too cool.

#25 Posted by Echilon on 31 May 2006 - 09:54: How can they possibly hope to reduce piracy by charging such a ridiculous price?

#26 Posted by the quixotic on 31 May 2006 - 12:58: $US450 and what does it have to show for it? Wow, rewrite of audio/video/network subsystems. Any new features/programs that the end user might actually notice/use more than once?
...
Funny thing is though, if they sold it for $US129, at least 5x more people would buy it, and M$ would still come out on top. Not only are they screwing us they are screwing themselves too.

#27 Posted by James123 on 14 Jun 2006 - 15:29: Sure, it might seem expensive at first, because it's all in one go. I’ve personally use OS X and Windows, and have done for the last 5+ years so I'm in no way biased towards Microsoft but...

To everyone crying about how “cheap” OS X is compared to Windows, you should stop to think for a while, Microsoft haven’t release a OS for 5 years, and Apple release an upgrade roughly every year...

2001-10-25 - Windows XP Pro - $379

2001-09-29 - Mac OS X 10.1 - $129
2002-08-24 - Mac OS X 10.2 - $129
2003-10-23 - Mac OS X 10.3 - $129
2005-04-29 - Mac OS X 10.4 - $129
------------------------------------- $516

And Mac OS X 10.5 will most likely be released before that, at another $129
(total $645).

So, it might seem expensive, but I don't think it's much worse then other paid for operating system. Besides, if you can't afford it nobodys forcing you to upgrade. (yet )

#28 Posted by matthew24 on 15 Jun 2006 - 00:31: 'I wish there was competition to Windows so that the price would be kept down - currently Microsoft could charge $1000 and there isn't anything anyone can do, short of not buy it.'

Yep, M$ does know how to exploit ignorance.

#29 Posted by Mohammed_MAM on 15 Jun 2006 - 07:58: Oh No , It's Too Expensive .

#30 Posted by The_Decryptor on 16 Jun 2006 - 10:53: "No way I'm spending $450 for software."

When XP Pro was released over here, the full version (not upgrade) was around $640.

Edit: Does the reply function no longer work at all?

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