Windows 7 Pricing?

[MichaelD]

I Googled and the best thing I could find was an article from February...that's old. It said W7 Ultimate (the only thing worth buying IMO) would be $319. :Q

I'm hoping that article is wrong...and it's at least $50 cheaper. I think there's a reason why the RC is the Ultimate edition; it's to get geeks like us hooked on the good stuff so we'll shell out the bucks for the good edition when the time comes.

I skipped Vista, so I didn't have to deal with that pricing scheme BS.

What's the latest news on the pricing? I realize that "It ain't final until it's final" but possibly one of you kind insider folks has some wisdom for us?

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
I Googled and the best thing I could find was an article from February...that's old. It said W7 Ultimate (the only thing worth buying IMO) would be $319. :Q

I'm hoping that article is wrong...and it's at least $50 cheaper. I think there's a reason why the RC is the Ultimate edition; it's to get geeks like us hooked on the good stuff so we'll shell out the bucks for the good edition when the time comes.

I skipped Vista, so I didn't have to deal with that pricing scheme BS.

What's the latest news on the pricing? I realize that "It ain't final until it's final" but possibly one of you kind insider folks has some wisdom for us?

There is no official word on either retail or OEM pricing. Most users will never need more than Win 7 Professional as only a few enterprise features are missing and all the rest is pretty much there. Ultimate will not be available at retail outlets and will only be offered in limited channels. Microsoft is aiming Professional at the enthusiast crowd and Ultimate at customers who require enterprise features on their home PC.

Either way it is better for most people to buy OEM if they plan to provide their own support and do not upgrade often since the savings are substantial. If you do not plan to upgrade more than once in the next three to four years, then OEM is the way to go pricing wise and still stay current with Microsoft opertaing systems.

 

[armstrda]

Why do you think the pricing will be much different that the "pricing scheme BS" that was Vista?

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: armstrda
Why do you think the pricing will be much different that the "pricing scheme BS" that was Vista?

Because Dell is in the news claiming Professional is more expensive than Vista Business and that some consumers will be put off by the price increase.

The reality is they are two seperate sku's and that Professional is a combination of Business and Home Premium, since it is a subset of all the features of HP and most of the features of Vista Business. It is much closer to Vista Ultimate than it is to Vista Business.

 

[MichaelD]

I'm sure the usual retail outlets will offer Ultimate OEM as long as you "buy it with qualifying hardware." Just like Vista and XP are sold today. I.E. You can buy this copy of the OS as long as you also buy this $5.99 floppy drive. <--it's hardware, afterall

I don't want a link to some chart...but what's the diff b/t Ultimate and Professional? Like everyone else, I'm using the RC of Ultimate (on 3 diff systems for me!) and really like it. I don't want any of the right-click menus/restore/backup options taken away.

I'm planning on buying Ultimate. With the RC not expiring until 2010 (April, IIRC?) there's ample time for the "channel copies" to get there.

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
I'm sure the usual retail outlets will offer Ultimate OEM as long as you "buy it with qualifying hardware." Just like Vista and XP are sold today. I.E. You can buy this copy of the OS as long as you also buy this $5.99 floppy drive. <--it's hardware, afterall

I don't want a link to some chart...but what's the diff b/t Ultimate and Professional? Like everyone else, I'm using the RC of Ultimate (on 3 diff systems for me!) and really like it. I don't want any of the right-click menus/restore/backup options taken away.

I'm planning on buying Ultimate. With the RC not expiring until 2010 (April, IIRC?) there's ample time for the "channel copies" to get there.

Microsoft has not been specific on how they will offer Ultimate, just that it will be very limited. The major differences between W7 Professional and Ultimate are as follows:

Ultimate will have but Professional will lack:

1. BitLocker & Bitlocker To Go

2. AppLocker

3. DirectAccess

4. BranchCache

5. MUI Language Packs

If you don't use these already or have no clue to what they are, then Ultimate is a waste of money for you.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: armstrda
Why do you think the pricing will be much different that the "pricing scheme BS" that was Vista?

And every other OS?

 

[heymrdj]

What if we simply want "the best" and what Ultimate for the title .

 

[coreyb]

because the best isn't the best if it only has extra features that you will have no use for. that's called wasting money.

 

[heymrdj]

Yeah I'll just be buying "professional". I want all the features of "home premium", but I need domain support, Remote Desktop, ect ect.

 

[Nothinman]

I Googled and the best thing I could find was an article from February...that's old. It said W7 Ultimate (the only thing worth buying IMO) would be $319

I never understood why people complain about the cost of Windows. Most are willing to drop $50 for a game that'll last them a few weeks or months at most but then question paying for an OS that will last years?

For $320 that's ~$26/mo if you use it for a full year. Chances are good that you'll be using it for longer than that, if we say 3 years that's ~$8/mo.

What if we simply want "the best" and what Ultimate for the title .

Then you deserve to pay whatever premium MS wants.

 

[Griffinhart]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
It said W7 Ultimate (the only thing worth buying IMO) would be $319. :Q

Why is W7 Ultimate the only thing worth buying? For the home user, what would it give them that they can't do with Home Premium or Professional?

 

[corkyg]

Subscribe to MS TechNet and get all major MS programs good for 10 installs each for the sum of $350. You can then download ISO files for all version, 32 bit, 64 bit, etc., etc. all for the same price. The more programs you use, the cheaper each one gets. On that basis, why get anything but Ultimate - the price is the same.

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Subscribe to MS TechNet and get all major MS programs good for 10 installs each for the sum of $350. You can then download ISO files for all version, 32 bit, 64 bit, etc., etc. all for the same price. The more programs you use, the cheaper each one gets. On that basis, why get anything but Ultimate - the price is the same.

wow thats a really good deal, 10 OS's, + 10 offices? How can this be true?

Why wouldnt everyone do this and split with friends?

350/10 = 35...

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: KeypoX

Originally posted by: corkyg
Subscribe to MS TechNet and get all major MS programs good for 10 installs each for the sum of $350. You can then download ISO files for all version, 32 bit, 64 bit, etc., etc. all for the same price. The more programs you use, the cheaper each one gets. On that basis, why get anything but Ultimate - the price is the same.

wow thats a really good deal, 10 OS's, + 10 offices? How can this be true?

Why wouldnt everyone do this and split with friends?

350/10 = 35...

IIRC, isn't Technet software licensed on a yearly basis? After your year is up, technically the software becomes unlicensed unless you renew.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
IIRC, isn't Technet software licensed on a yearly basis? After your year is up, technically the software becomes unlicensed unless you renew.

Microsoft does a pretty good job of hiding the licensing terms of TechNet Plus subscriptions.

My understanding is that the software:
Is limited to "Evaluation Use" only.
Is limited to a single user, unless you have the "Server" subscription.
Never expires, even if you cancel your subscription

The common business subscriptions offered by Microsoft:

MSDN - Restricted to a single person. Software is for development use only. Licenses don't expire
TechNet Plus - Restricted to a single person. Software is for evaluation use only. Licenses don't expire
Action Pack - Licenses can be used by company employees for business use. Ten licenses for most desktop OSes and applications. Single licenses for most server OSes. Licenses expire when subscription expires.

 

[Jader88]

The reason people complain about the price of windows is because every other operating system currently is a lot less expensive,

Mac Leapord 130

Linux free, or about 20 $ if bought at retail chains.

A game is 50$ , but compare that to 300 to 400 dollers for windows ultimate. That's outrageous.

 

[Nothinman]

The reason people complain about the price of windows is because every other operating system currently is a lot less expensive,

Mac Leapord 130

And with OS X there's a new release every year or two but with Windows most people end up using them for 5+ years.

A game is 50$ , but compare that to 300 to 400 dollers for windows ultimate. That's outrageous.

So you'll be playing that same game 3-5 years from now? Did you even see the math I did above?

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: Jader88
The reason people complain about the price of windows is because every other operating system currently is a lot less expensive,

Mac Leapord 130

Linux free, or about 20 $ if bought at retail chains.

A game is 50$ , but compare that to 300 to 400 dollers for windows ultimate. That's outrageous.

Few people pay $300-$400 for Windows. Most people pay between $50 and $75 for Windows since they recieved their copy through the system manufacturer at a steep discount.

Now go and try to buy OSX for $50 to $75 because that is what most people pay for Vista Home Premium.

I am damned tired of these people claiming how expensive Windows is. If Windows really cost $300-$400, then few could afford a PC to begin with.

Edit: Linux may be free of cost, but there is a cost in the extra time it takes to install and properly configure the machine. The exception is if you bought the PC from a company like Dell that offers preconfigured PC's with Linux on it. I doubt it was totally free since Dell has invested time and dollars in purchasing codec licenses and configuring the distros for their systems. The Linux PC's are not much cheaper than Windows PC's.

 

[corkyg]

Yes, a TechNet subscription is for one year. But - the rebnewal is only $250. Still a good deal.

 

[sportage]

Well what if MS went to a subscription service pricing?
For $19 a month you'd get updated to Win7, and all future
releases. That is, as long as you keep subscribed.

Current os -> win 7 basic $14 monthly fee.
Current -> W7 home $19 monthly.
Current -> W7 ultimate $25 monthly.

Or you can buy outright for $199 - $399.

A subscription guarantees all future MS os releases included.
(W8, W9, W10, etc)

Subscribe now and also get MS office in the deal + future releases.

Im just waiting for this...

 

[KeypoX]

wonder if win7 will be given away like vista was. Via poweroftogether or something like that? Anyone know? I have never bought windows and dont want to start now...

 

[Nothinman]

Edit: Linux may be free of cost, but there is a cost in the extra time it takes to install and properly configure the machine. The exception is if you bought the PC from a company like Dell that offers preconfigured PC's with Linux on it. I doubt it was totally free since Dell has invested time and dollars in purchasing codec licenses and configuring the distros for their systems. The Linux PC's are not much cheaper than Windows PC's.

The difference is that the time to install and configure is essentially a one-time fee and that only matters if you've got hardware that's not supported out of the box which is pretty rare these days. I've had this Debian install for ~3 years and the install before that lasted ~7 and the only reason I reinstalled was because I wanted to run a pure 64-bit installation. If I had decided to keep the 32-bit install I had I'd be at ~10 years with the same install right now. The fact that Linux PCs sold by Dell aren't much cheaper than Windows ones is a testament to the huge discount MS gives to OEMs, nothing more.

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
The difference is that the time to install and configure is essentially a one-time fee and that only matters if you've got hardware that's not supported out of the box which is pretty rare these days. I've had this Debian install for ~3 years and the install before that lasted ~7 and the only reason I reinstalled was because I wanted to run a pure 64-bit installation. If I had decided to keep the 32-bit install I had I'd be at ~10 years with the same install right now. The fact that Linux PCs sold by Dell aren't much cheaper than Windows ones is a testament to the huge discount MS gives to OEMs, nothing more.

Agreed, but wanted to drive home the point that nothing worth while in life is completely free and that people rarely pay more than $50 for Windows.