# Updated: Microsoft Windows 7 Disappointment



## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

I like Windows 7... alot. It is a superb OS even in the beta and release candidate.

I am unsurprised by the announcement of the Windows 7 pricing, but I had hoped that they would take a different approach.

Windows 7 has the potential to be the biggest hit Microsoft has had in a number of years, but in these tough economic times this pricing could put a very large damper on this.

For those of us with skills, we can maneuver in all kinds of ways to reduce the cost, but most people won't have the option.

Microsoft has made a mistake which I hope they will find some way to correct.

Larry


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

I haven't read too much on W7 yet... But to me... It seems that they've done things a bit differently between versions this time... Before (with Vista), the "Home Basic" version seemed to lack some pretty key things like Media Center and Aero desktop... At least that doesn't seem to be the case this time... and it looks as if the typical home user would be satisfied with the least expensive edition.

But I do agree that they should have been a bit more compassionate with their pricing... especially to those who hold Vista licenses... :sure:


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## Alebob911 (Mar 22, 2007)

what was the MSRP that was released? I have not seen it. I agree 100% with you about the quality of the WIN 7 RC. I have been using it as well as my 12 year old daughter and she loves it.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

Ultimate is $219, I believe.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

I'm interested in the logistics of how to actually execute getting the upgrades from Vista or XP between now and the July deadline....not many details (yet).

There are a number of stores which will be stocked with WIN7, but just how the upgrade takes place (what documentation, disks, etc)...remains to be seen.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

You can pre-order thru Amazon or Best Buy



hdtvfan0001 said:


> I'm interested in the logistics of how to actually execute getting the upgrades from Vista or XP between now and the July deadline....not many details (yet).
> 
> There are a number of stores which will be stocked with WIN7, but just how the upgrade takes place (what documentation, disks, etc)...remains to be seen.


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## njblackberry (Dec 29, 2007)

Finally, Software Assurance pays off for me...
I really like Windows 7...


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I wonder when the final Windows 7 will be made available on MSDN ... will it be on the official release date in October? Or earlier or later?


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

dave29 said:


> Ultimate is $219, I believe.


I believe that is only the upgrade price...not the stand alone price. Stand-alone price is 319...

Better than Vista prices...but I was hoping for it to be cheaper too....


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Prices as reported by BetaNews:


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

:nono:


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Or save a bunch of cash and get the OEM version for a lot less. I paid exactly $199, plus shipping (but no tax) for the full OEM version of Vista Ultimate when it came out from Tiger. A regular boxed copy would have cost what $400-$500 bucks at the time.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Most dont upgrade the OS on their current machines anyways...I would say a good 80-90% of the people I see get a new computer to upgrade the OS and think that is how it has to be done. In most cases I think this is a worthy path to take as well considering many times the most complaints come from running a new OS on older hardware and the upgrade process itself usually leads to an OS that is not as stable while clean installs are above the average users knowledge/comfort zone.

Most techies who do take the upgrade path have a good understanding and can handle the process, but they are the minority IMO. Plus most of these types just buy OEM license from newegg or another online source.

I wish it was a bit cheaper, but it is not as bad as some have been in the past...lets put it that way 



Greg Alsobrook said:


> It seems that they've done things a bit differently between versions this time... Before (with Vista), the "Home Basic" version seemed to lack some pretty key things like Media Center and Aero desktop... At least that doesn't seem to be the case this time... and it looks as if the typical home user would be satisfied with the least expensive edition.


Home Basic was never really meant for mass public to buy and use. It was built as an OS that would be a good cheap option for budget machines that could not handle aero anyways. It allowed OEMs to bring budget PCs down even more in price.

Home Basic still did everything the others did though for most. Aero is far from a necessary item and Media Center MANY users do not need or use.

As an OEM at the time I can say Home Basic allowed Vista to be on a LOT more machines than if it had not been created.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I agree, if they want a real hit, make it a $49 upgrade from version to version and free if you purchased a computer after 1/1/09.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

Will 7 run on older machines that still have 98, 2K or Me? If so, I would think M$ would undercut the price enough to get some of those upgraded. If not, I still think the price should be set to promote buying new machines. I know a lot of people who refused to buy new PCs over the last couple of years to avoid Vista.


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

Did I also hear/read that Windows 7 is subscription based now???


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Did I also hear/read that Windows 7 is subscription based now???


What would that mean?


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

HDJulie said:


> What would that mean?


There's been some speculation that M$ would start requiring annual renewal of licenses for some programs (you pay every year or it quits working) like some anti-virus companies do.

I haven't heard that in regards to Win7.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Milkman said:


> Did I also hear/read that Windows 7 is subscription based now???


I'm thinking that the new pricing suggests that subscriptions are being prepared for. They'll price the software so high that you'll be left with no other option than to lease it. Support for the installable products will become more and more limited and many will be forced into some sort of support subscription.

Until then, I'd guess that subscriptions will be the order of the day only for SaaS.


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## CorkyMuldoon (Oct 6, 2006)

Now though 7/11, you can order Windows 7 Home Premium for $49.99 and Windows 7 Home Professional for $99.99.

Both are for upgrade packages from XP or Vista.


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## Hansen (Jan 1, 2006)

CorkyMuldoon said:


> Now though 7/11, you can order Windows 7 Home Premium for $49.99 and Windows 7 Home Professional for $99.99.
> 
> Both are for upgrade packages from XP or Vista.


I ordered a copy of Home Premium 7 for the $49.99 from New Egg for use on an old laptop now running W7 RC1. No tax and no shipping. They deliver the upgrade disk to you according to the newegg website. That's a pretty darn good price and I don't mind buying it for that amount given it's for an older laptop. As for my two other more modern machines that are currently running Vista, I'd like to go with W7 Ultimate but at the prices they are quoting, I'm just not sure it's worth it. How much is really gained with Ultimate versus Home Premium? Is the premium price for Ultimate worth it? (Boy, that sounds like a question I asked about Vista...and turned out Ultimate was not worth the much higher cost...will it be different this time around?) Maybe Professional is a good substitution given it's $99 now?


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

Is there an on-line tool to examine your machine for compatibility?


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> I agree, if they want a real hit, make it a $49 upgrade from version to version and free if you purchased a computer after 1/1/09.


Oh, like this?

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/06/08macosx.html

... and that's for the Mac OS X Basic Home Premium Ultimate User Edition - all included for the same $29!


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

SayWhat? said:


> Is there an on-line tool to examine your machine for compatibility?


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

> Overview
> Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor scans your PC's system, programs and devices to check if it's able to run Windows 7. After a few minutes, the report will let you know if your PC meets the system requirements, if there are any known compatibility issues with your programs and devices, and will also provide guidance on your upgrade options to Windows 7.
> 
> Top of page
> ...


So much for that idea. I can't even run the tool on this '98 machine and I don't know if I have .NET 2.0 on my other machines.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Hansen said:


> How much is really gained with Ultimate versus Home Premium? Is the premium price for Ultimate worth it? (Boy, that sounds like a question I asked about Vista...and turned out Ultimate was not worth the much higher cost...will it be different this time around?) Maybe Professional is a good substitution given it's $99 now?


Here is a little bit from an article at arstechnica with features of the various incarnations. Keep in mind that now, each version contains all of the features of hte lower versions, so you do not give up anythign like with Vista Pro.



> •Windows 7 Home Premium (worldwide): Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming, including Play To, multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition
> •Windows 7 Professional (worldwide): ability to join a managed network with Domain Join, data protection with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System, and print to the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing
> •Windows 7 Ultimate (worldwide): BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives, DirectAccess for seamless connectivity to corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2, BranchCache support when on networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2, and lock unauthorized software from running with AppLocker


From what I can see, unless, you need the corporate network features or the Auto Backup, there is nothing gained to go higher than Home Premium. Personally, I would have liked it if the backup was included in Home Premium, but I will just keep using Acronis True Image personally. Heck, it would be cheaper to buy Home Premium and Acronis TI from the start if the backup is all you need.

Here is the whole article.http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/02/official-windows-7-skus-revealed-six-editions.ars



SayWhat? said:


> So much for that idea. I can't even run the tool on this '98 machine and I don't know if I have .NET 2.0 on my other machines.


Lots of people have installed 7 on some pretty low end hardware with really good results (obviously, not running Aero). You might try to find a copy of the Release Candidate just to try and see how it will work on your system.


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

Since there were so many complaints about Vista, I thought that the upgrade from Vista would cost less than from XP or other OS's.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

The only people complaining about Vista were people who never used it...



jerry downing said:


> Since there were so many complaints about Vista, I thought that the upgrade from Vista would cost less than from XP or other OS's.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

LarryFlowers said:


> The only people complaining about Vista were people who never used it...


Agreed, Vista is a great OS.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I liked Vista a lot, but I loved it after I disabled UAC, added Remote Desktop Connection to my two Premium machines (HTPC and Laptop) and installed the Vista TV Pack on my HTPC.


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## Scorch (Aug 4, 2006)

I don't understand the complaints about the pricing.......I just pre-ordered 7 home premium upgrade for 49 bucks through Best Buy. Business edition upgrade is 99 bucks....

Then again this is only good for 2 weeks!


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## Scorch (Aug 4, 2006)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9382697&st=windows+7&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1218095770599


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## Groundhog45 (Nov 10, 2005)

Instead of getting Ultimate, many power users could probably get almost everything they need in the Win 7 Pro version. It has the backup and the advanced networking and advanced file system. I think the only major thing missing is the BitLocker and some of the security enhancements. The price for Pro during the pre-release sale is $99.


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## Groundhog45 (Nov 10, 2005)

Here's  a good link to a article describing the differences in each edition of Win 7.


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## DataCabbitKSW (Jun 29, 2009)

To my knowledge, there have been no real plans for subscription pricing. The only thing even close to that I could think of would be their Software Assurance package for businesses, and you can get just about anything with that.
Microsoft now allows use of Windows 7 upgrade from XP now, but it is not an in-place upgrade (one on top of the other). Instead it is a full clean reinstall, but you are allowed to buy/use the upgrade package to do so. In-place upgrades are only an option if you are running Windows Vista.
Microsoft Windows Team release on pricing: 
Microsoft Store page with pricing and current upgrade deals: 
Kurtis Whittington - Microsoft Windows Client Team


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

I have known for a couple of days that there was a rumor about a Windows 7 Family Pack. Nothing was being confirmed by anybody that matters.

This, if it happens, would be great for families, making one license work for 3 PC's.

Someone discovered a clause in the Windows 7 license agreement... who has ever read the license agreement? ... that seems to indicate the rumor may well be true.

As follows:

2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.
a. One Copy per Computer. Except as allowed in Section 2 (b) below, you may install one copy of the software on one computer. That computer is the "licensed computer."

b. Family Pack. If you are a "Qualified Family Pack User", you may install one copy of the software marked as "Family Pack" on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there. Those computers are the "licensed computers" and are subject to these license terms. If you do not know whether you are a Qualified Family Pack User, visit go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 or contact the Microsoft affiliate serving your country.

Of course as the software has not been released as of yet, the license agreement isn't really "legal" so I guess it is subject to change... but we can hope that it comes true.

Microsoft isn't commenting.

You can read further on this at http://www.computerworld.com/action...cleId=9135114&source=CTWNLE_nlt_pm_2009-07-02

I want to further emphasize that Microsoft has confirmed nothing as of this date, but I believe at the very least we are going to see the "Family Pack". For those of you who pre-ordered multiple copies of Home Premium, you may well want to factor this information in with an eye to cancelling your pre-orders.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

LarryFlowers said:


> Microsoft isn't commenting.


And the link go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 doesn't go anywhere ... yet. Hoping for the best ... would be nice to be able to upgrade 3 at once and save some bucks.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Drew2k said:


> And the link go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 doesn't go anywhere ... yet. Hoping for the best ... would be nice to be able to upgrade 3 at once and save some bucks.


"Some bucks" seems an understatement. You could buy a computer with the savings on two licenses.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

That link will NOT be viable for some time yet...

Larry



harsh said:


> "Some bucks" seems an understatement. You could buy a computer with the savings on two licenses.


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## Renard (Jun 21, 2007)

I'm really thinking to go for free solution such as Ubuntu or Kubuntu OS.
Windows is too expensive now, and if you have to pay like a year subscription to get your programs running (especially with the tough economy), what's the point of keeping Windows. Paying more and more to have programs that you can run for free :nono:


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Renard said:


> Windows is too expensive now, and if you have to pay like a year subscription to get your programs running (especially with the tough economy), what's the point of keeping Windows.


This depends on what you use your computer for.

If you require software that isn't available for Linux, installing Linux doesn't do you much good.

If you can't afford the software that doesn't run under Linux, then I suppose Windows is just another title in a long line of software that you can't afford.


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## Hansen (Jan 1, 2006)

It is good to see that MS might give this option to buyers of multiple licenses for family or home use. MS does need to be careful about piecemealing all this pricing as folks are going to feel burned if something better comes along and they're stuck with what they got. With that risk in mind, I suspect MS recognizes that and the best pricing we're going to see for Win 7 is what we see now for the upgrade pricing ($49 and 99) and that future pricing such as the family pack won't be quite as good or may be close. Lastly, I wonder if this Family pack approach will be limited to the Home Premium edition and not be available for the Professional or Ultimate versions as Family pack suggests or implies home use rather than business use?


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## tfederov (Nov 18, 2005)

A family pack would be very tempting but I don't think I can upgrade my Viiv PC without killing Viiv. Anyone aware of somebody upgrading to Win 7 RC with Viiv still working?


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

tfederov said:


> A family pack would be very tempting but I don't think I can upgrade my Viiv PC without killing Viiv. Anyone aware of somebody upgrading to Win 7 RC with Viiv still working?


I suppose you could upgrade to Win7 and try running Vista/Viiv in a Virtual Machine within Win7 ... you'd have the best of both worlds.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Geez....if you can get WIN 7 for $49 a pop...I just don't see what the big deal is...get a couple copies.

I bought 3 MS Office 2007 licensed copies on Black Friday for $50 each.

All those prices sound like a steal for what you're getting at that price.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Geez....if you can get WIN 7 for $49 a pop...I just don't see what the big deal is...get a couple copies.


If you can get it for $49 and run it legally on 3 PCs, why pay $147 for 3 copies? Most people would rather save the extra $98...


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Drew2k said:


> If you can get it for $49 and run it legally on 3 PCs, why pay $147 for 3 copies? Most people would rather save the extra $98...


My point was that $49 for one PC licensed copy of a sophisticated OS is more than cheap. I'm all for saving a buck, but there comes a time where it gets foolish to expect some bargain-basement prices for something of value. To expect something beyond that seems unrealistic.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> My point was that $49 for one PC licensed copy of a sophisticated OS is more than cheap. I'm all for saving a buck, but there comes a time where it gets foolish to expect some bargain-basement prices for something of value. To expect something beyond that seems unrealistic.


It's Microsoft's license agreement, and clearly is something they considered or they would not have included it in the first place, so to me it's quite realistic. If this holds true, it's an exceptional value that everyone should take advantage of... one purchase can potetially license 3 PCs. It's not about the purchase prices, it's about the bang for the buck.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Drew2k said:


> It's Microsoft's license agreement, and clearly is something they considered or they would not have included it in the first place, so to me it's quite realistic. If this holds true, it's an exceptional value that everyone should take advantage of..


When you recall that Windows 3.11 cost a retail price of over $150 when it came out....$49 for WIN 7 seems like almost a no-brainer.

To me, the only real "question" on the pricing is for those who took the plunge into the world of Vista, only to be disappointed. Seems they should get some sort of migration special price.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> When you recall that Windows 3.11 cost a retail price of over $150 when it came out....$49 for WIN 7 seems like almost a no-brainer.


Yes, that's a great price and an even better value if it includes 3 licenses.

I'll let others take up the argument, but many have expressed opinions that Microsoft has been overpricing their software for years, so I don't see any problem with users getting 3 licenses at either the upgrade or full price. It beats going bootleg, helps MS retire older OSs, and gives users more secure OSs. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing!"


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

I would expect that the family pack would carry a premium in price too.. problably between 2 and 3 regular copies..


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Drew2k said:


> Yes, that's a great price and an even better value if it includes 3 licenses.
> 
> I'll let others take up the argument, but many have expressed opinions that Microsoft has been overpricing their software for years, so I don't see any problem with users getting 3 licenses at either the upgrade or full price. It beats going bootleg, helps MS retire older OSs, and gives users more secure OSs. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing!"


MS retail OS prices have always been quite high, but most dont use them. Most get their OS with their PC OR system builders often just used the OEM licenses which were reasonable ($100-$200 in most cases).


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Grentz said:


> MS retail OS prices have always been quite high, but most dont use them. Most get their OS with their PC OR system builders often just used the OEM licenses which were reasonable ($100-$200 in most cases).


Agreed...

So looking at it another way....

If tomorrow MS said you could get a 3-license pack of Windows 7 for only $147 retail.....I suspect most folks would say *SUPER*!


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## Hansen (Jan 1, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Agreed...
> 
> So looking at it another way....
> 
> If tomorrow MS said you could get a 3-license pack of Windows 7 for only $147 retail.....I suspect most folks would say *SUPER*!


It would be great if MS sold the family pack Home Premium for that price but my guess is that package will be announced after the current pre-release pricing expires and will be slightly higher...probably in the 189 or 199 range...maybe even higher given a single upgrade license is 119 retail.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Drew2k said:


> If you can get it for $49 and run it legally on 3 PCs, why pay $147 for 3 copies? Most people would rather save the extra $98...


when and if they do release a family pack pretty sure it is not going ot be 49.00. They offered Vista in a 2 license pack and the cost was a few percentage points below the cost of 2 license.

It also looks like if they offer it, it will only be on home premium - and in my case that is useless, it ill not work in my home environment with a windows 2008R2 active directory server


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Drew2k said:


> If you can get it for $49 and run it legally on 3 PCs, why pay $147 for 3 copies? Most people would rather save the extra $98...


Well, I am going to go out on a limb and say that if you think Microsoft will sell you a 3 license copy of Windows 7 (or any OS for that matter) for $49you'll end up being dissapointed. I would geuss we will be lucky if it is under $200 for 3 licenses, which is still not too bad if you lok at teh "full retail" price, but quite a bit higher than what the average person would consider a deal.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

No point in speculating about the family pack... IF Microsoft goes ahead with this program and IF there is a specific price for the program that differs from announced prices... they will be announced well before October 22nd.

If the pricing is substantially better for the family pack than for 3 pre-ordered licenses, there will be plenty of time to cancel the pre-orders AND to see what Amazon or NewEgg will offer the family pack for.

So relax... we have plenty of time for these decisions.

Larry



wingrider01 said:


> when and if they do release a family pack pretty sure it is not going ot be 49.00. They offered Vista in a 2 license pack and the cost was a few percentage points below the cost of 2 license.
> 
> It also looks like if they offer it, it will only be on home premium - and in my case that is useless, it ill not work in my home environment with a windows 2008R2 active directory server





Lee L said:


> Well, I am going to go out on a limb and say that if you think Microsoft will sell you a 3 license copy of Windows 7 (or any OS for that matter) for $49you'll end up being dissapointed. I would geuss we will be lucky if it is under $200 for 3 licenses, which is still not too bad if you lok at teh "full retail" price, but quite a bit higher than what the average person would consider a deal.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

wingrider01 said:


> when and if they do release a family pack pretty sure it is not going ot be 49.00. They offered Vista in a 2 license pack and the cost was a few percentage points below the cost of 2 license.
> 
> It also looks like if they offer it, it will only be on home premium - and in my case that is useless, it ill not work in my home environment with a windows 2008R2 active directory server





Lee L said:


> Well, I am going to go out on a limb and say that if you think Microsoft will sell you a 3 license copy of Windows 7 (or any OS for that matter) for $49you'll end up being dissapointed. I would geuss we will be lucky if it is under $200 for 3 licenses, which is still not too bad if you lok at teh "full retail" price, but quite a bit higher than what the average person would consider a deal.


I never said it would be $49 for three licenses. RIF.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Drew2k said:


> I never said it would be $49 for three licenses. RIF.


hmm



Drew2k said:


> *If you can get it for $49 and run it legally on 3 PCs, why pay $147 for 3 copies?* Most people would rather save the extra $98...


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Yeah, thats the way I read it wingrider01. 


Drew, if you meant 3 licenses each for $49 rather than 3 for $147 each, then the savings would be $294.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

wingrider01 said:


> hmm





Lee L said:


> Yeah, thats the way I read it wingrider01.
> 
> Drew, if you meant 3 licenses each for $49 rather than 3 for $147 each, then the savings would be $294.


Seriously, guys... 

I used an "if" ... it's a conditional statement. It doesn't say that I *expect* to get 3 licenses for $49.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Guys... I repeat... no point in speculating yet. Microsoft has not even acknowledged the clause in the EULA as being final, let alone that there will be a family pack.

Do I expect there will be a family pack... YES
Do I expect that there will be a substantial price break... YES
Do I expect an announcement soon... YES... after the RTM is announced and before Back to School (around Aug 15th)
Do I expect some kind of Special for Vista Ultimate Owners... YES

Pricing speculation is pointless at this time.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Larry, if speculation was not allowed at DBSTalk, 80% of all traffic here would be gone tomorrow.


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## Hoxxx (Jun 19, 2004)

LarryFlowers said:


> I like Windows 7... alot. It is a superb OS even in the beta and release candidate.
> 
> I am unsurprised by the announcement of the Windows 7 pricing, but I had hoped that they would take a different approach.
> 
> ...


I wish they would just follow Apples lead and charge one price for all. with multiple licenses the only difference.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Hoxxx said:


> I wish they would just follow Apples lead and charge one price for all. with multiple licenses the only difference.


Too simple. Microsoft's most important customers are their VARs and partners. As long as they make the licensing terms so obscure that you have to take classes to understand them, their most favored customers couldn't be happier.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

harsh said:


> Too simple. Microsoft's most important customers are their VARs and partners. As long as they make the licensing terms so obscure that you have to take classes to understand them, their most favored customers couldn't be happier.


How do I get to be one of those?


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## FaderMD (Jun 13, 2009)

I'm gonna ride the dual boot Ubuntu/Xp Pro train as long as i can.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Well, more rampant speculation. Ed Bott has said today that the Windows 7 family pack will be under $150 for 3 upgrade licenses. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1156

Looks like at least a couple of retailers jumped the gun and posted prices with official MS part numbers and or SKUs.

If this ends up being true, I will have to say this pricing is better than I ever thought it would be. THis is even a littel cheaper than the limited time single upgrade price if it holds.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

I looking at the announcement from google for there operating system-- I've had about enough from MS since 1994 win 3.1


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