Microsoft have announced that they are going to be producing a “Family Pack” of Windows 7 Home Premium (which is the version most people are going to want, and has all the media features you’ll need) and the pricing has been confirmed at $149 US. Unfortunately it’s only going to be available in “select markets” but it’s a great start. For your $149 you’ll get 3 licenses for Windows 7 so it can be installed on 3 PCs, (wow that’s just $50 per PC!!!)
Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) pricing has also been confirmed, WAU is a built in way to move up the tree in terms of Windows versions. For example a user of Windows 7 Starter Edition (the version that will ship with netbooks) can upgrade to Home Premium and all it’s features for $79.99 or if the same person needed to be able to join that netbook to a business network (a “Domain) they could get Windows 7 Professional for $114.99.
Here’s the full pricing (would have been nice to see equal pricing but I guess it’s due to tax rates):
- Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium:£69.99 / $79.99
- Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Professional: £119.99 / $114.99
- Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Ultimate: £139.99 / $164.99
- Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional: £119.99 / $89.99
- Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate: £124.99 / $139.99
- Windows 7 Professional to Windows 7 Ultimate: £84.99 / $129.99
The sweet spot for almost everyone is going to be Windows 7 Home Premium so that Family Pack looks like a bargin!
[via The Windows Blog and MyDigitalLife]
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Just don’t understand the UK cost for Home Premium to professional. Seems just wrong.
I suspect that it’s to protect the pro price.
But only 5 quid more to go to ultimate seems odd
How can it be £119.99 ($204) for Home Premium to Professional but only $89 in the States — that’s less than half the price? This can’t be right even after say 10 – 20% for tax differential.
I’m working on finding out what’s going on with that….watch this space…