Windows 7 Pricing Announced

By Jeff_MSWindows
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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Grand Master

Quillz

Posted
Posted
just buy an ultimate OEM copy, it will be much cheaper but without the fancy box. no way im paying what they want for retail and no one knows yet if we can do a clean install from an upgrade disk.

Well, if I can come across an Ultimate OEM copy, then I'll probably spring for that.

But honestly, Professional edition seems fine for me. I'd probably even settle for Home Premium if it's cheap.

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted
I believe the standard argument is that the taxes are higher over here. Also, UK prices seem to reflect the cost of developing all the other European localised versions although it's not clear why that's the case.

You could argue that various features like Media Center require a lot of development for local markets but that's pretty hard to justify when you consider how long it takes to get them to develop something that's compatible with TV over here :angry:

The taxes aren't enough to account for a 40% price difference though ($49.99 vs ?49.99) but really this issue is a double edged sword. People in the EU upgrading get ripped off, but people in the EU buying a new copy get a fantastic deal if what I heard is true about ?49.99 being the price of a retail edition, with no upgrade option offered.

Also, can someone more in the know than me confirm if the E editions of Windows 7 being released in the EU will still have IE8 offered via Windows Update, it is kind of annoying to me that European citizens don't get the choice of whether they want IE in their install or not.

Apprentice

DWillens

Posted
Posted

Yeah, here's where I see the problem and confusion. MS is offering "upgrade" pricing but hasn't as-yet explained the requirements for one to be able to "upgrade." I am running XP on an OEM license. I have no XP disc whatsoever. I have nothing but an HP restore disc which is just an image of the original system. So what happens on Oct 22 when I pop in that Win7 "upgrade" disc that I bought six months ago for 50 bucks? Is it going to read my OEM license from the registry somewhere before it erases my entire HDD and reformats to do a clean install? Is it going to ask for my XP disc (which I don't have)? Is it going to ask for an XP license which I should be able to find on an OEM label somewhere on the machine, as someone else suggested? Those are all questions that I would like to have answered before I plunk down money for an "upgrade" disc. If I just have to type in a product code during the install for the prior XP license, that's fine.

Damon

Grand Master

Dane

Posted
Posted
Here are the pre-order upgrade prices:

* US: Windows 7 Home Premium ($49.99) and Windows 7 Professional ($99.99)

* Canada: Windows 7 Home Premium ($64.99) and Windows 7 Professional ($124.99)

* Japan: Windows 7 Home Premium (?7,407) and Windows 7 Professional (?14,073)

* UK: Windows 7 Home Premium (?49.99) and Windows 7 Professional (?99.99)

* France and Germany: Windows 7 Home Premium (?49.99) and Windows 7 Professional (?109.99)

Check out the "Pre-Order Windows 7 Cheaply" section of the Ars Technica article for exact windows of when these prices are available in your country.

One the first page you say that it is the full install, not upgrade. It saying "Pre Order Upgrade prices" throw me off.

Grand Master

Ci7

Posted
Posted
The taxes aren't enough to account for a 40% price difference though ($49.99 vs ?49.99) but really this issue is a double edged sword. People in the EU upgrading get ripped off, but people in the EU buying a new copy get a fantastic deal if what I heard is true about ?49.99 being the price of a retail edition, with no upgrade option offered.

Also, can someone more in the know than me confirm if the E editions of Windows 7 being released in the EU will still have IE8 offered via Windows Update, it is kind of annoying to me that European citizens don't get the choice of whether they want IE in their install or not.

i guess you can blame your council for taking away that 'choice'

Grand Master

jakem1

Posted
Posted

I've never done this so forgive me if I'm wrong but I believe the process to do a clean install with an upgrade disk goes something like this:

- install Windows Vista/7 from the upgrade disk (format destination drive at this point)

- Windows will be installed but you won't be able to activate it because it's just an upgrade version.

- pop the installation disk back in your drive and upgrade the installation that you just performed.

- You can now activate Windows Vista/7

I'm assuming that 7 will work the same as Vista based on Paul Thurrott's advice. This should allow you to do a clean install and you won't need an XP/Vista disk.

Grand Master

jakem1

Posted
Posted
The taxes aren't enough to account for a 40% price difference though ($49.99 vs ?49.99) but really this issue is a double edged sword. People in the EU upgrading get ripped off, but people in the EU buying a new copy get a fantastic deal if what I heard is true about ?49.99 being the price of a retail edition, with no upgrade option offered.

One other cost that Microsoft have quoted in the past is the cost of running their UK office out of REading and the taxes that attracts. The taxes include all sorts of things like corporations tax, CGT, VAT and so on. I agree that it seems unfair that prices are so high over here but those are the reasons they give.

Personally I think they keep prices high in the UK because the pound has been worth so much up until lately. It makes sense to take us much as you can in a country with a strong currency.

Grand Master

Subject Delta

Posted
Posted
One other cost that Microsoft have quoted in the past is the cost of running their UK office out of REading and the taxes that attracts. The taxes include all sorts of things like corporations tax, CGT, VAT and so on. I agree that it seems unfair that prices are so high over here but those are the reasons they give.

Personally I think they keep prices high in the UK because the pound has been worth so much up until lately. It makes sense to take us much as you can in a country with a strong currency.

I disagree with that, if anything it should be priced lower to keep pricing in line. At current rates, $49.99 = ?30.53, vs the actual price of ?49.99 is a 39% price hike for UK users. Quiet unacceptable IMO

Veteran

Lord Ba'al

Posted
Posted
So as per usual US users get all the gravy and UK / European users get ripped off? have to say I am pretty disappointed by that

Yes, that's how it normally is :crazy:

However, this time it's different: The EU gets the full version for the price listed, while the others get only the upgrade version :p

Veteran

Preppy Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

^-- or just turn off IE in your every-other-version-of-Windows version using Turn Windows Features On or Off. If hiding access (Vista & IE) wasn't enough for you, IE-as-an-optional-component should meet your desire if you don't have an 'E' version. And if you need it back to test some HTML/page you're working on, or if Firechromefari breaks, it's easy to add back in.

So wins all around there here for IE haters. :)

(IE user myself, but to each their own.)

Community Regular

code.kliu.org

Posted
Posted
No, you can not upgrade from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional. Please see the Windows 7 Upgrade Test Matrix document for more information: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

I should clarify: I always do clean installs, so whether or not I could do an in-place upgrade is not my concern. I was wondering, from a licensing perspective, if MSFT allows going from Ult->Pro with the "upgrade" disc.

Enthusiast

Satchmo Bevins

Posted
Posted
......If I just have to type in a product code during the install for the prior XP license, that's fine.

Damon

I am in the same boat as you and I have asked the same question of Jeff. He said (in a prior post) he was waiting to hear back about the details of an upgrade, but I don't see anything yet. It would be nice to know for sure soon, like before July 11.

Here's hoping typing in the product code will work, because I if I have to get a full-priced version, I might as well just suck it up and get a new system with it preloaded. Which will only be bad for an already tight budget.

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