Windows 7 Pricing - Europe loses out!

Biggins

Microsoft will not be offering an upgrade version of Windows 7 in Europe.









In the past Microsoft has given people already using Windows a chance to upgrade to a new version when it becomes available.
While that option will be offered in the US, Microsoft said its efforts to comply with competition regulations meant it could not do so in Europe.
European regulators dismissed the claim, saying the move limited choices rather than opening them up.

No choice
Windows 7 is due to go on sale on 22 October around the world.
Anyone buying a new PC between now and then - running Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate - will get the chance to upgrade the operating system on it, at no cost, to Windows 7.
While Microsoft will not charge for the upgrade, some PC makers may impose a fee to ship disks with Windows 7 on them to customers.
The worldwide upgrade option programme is due to begin on 26 June
Those who want to upgrade to Windows 7 on a older PC will pay a reduced price for the software. Stand alone versions of Windows 7, that can run on more than one PC, will also be available.
Microsoft said these upgrade options will not be available to Europeans.
"We will not be able to offer an upgrade product within Europe," said John Curran, Windows business lead at Microsoft UK, adding that only the full version of the software will be available to Europeans.
In Europe, Microsoft will send buyers of new PCs a full version of the software rather than an upgrade version. The European edition will lack Internet Explorer.
Europeans who want to get hold of Windows 7 but have not bought a new PC will be able to buy it at a discount. In the UK, the Home Premium edition of Windows 7 will be £79.99 until 31 December 2009.



By contrast buying this edition after 31 December will cost £149.99.
The upgrade option was not available, Microsoft said, because it was trying to comply with European competition regulations. This means that IE is not onboard Windows 7 in Europe.
A Commission spokesman dismissed Microsoft's claim that it was taking the action to comply with European laws.



"The essential point of our case is consumer choice," said the spokesman.
"We would want to look extremely closely at the terms under which Microsoft is making Internet Explorer available to computer manufacturers," he said.
"If the effect of the technical separation of Windows and Internet Explorer is neutralised by particular terms and conditions they offer to manufacturers to install Internet Explorer, they're no better off."
The preferred remedy for Europe, he said, was to offer users a screen when they first switch on Windows 7 that gives them a choice between IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera.
"For them to claim that this is somehow imposed by the Commission or is going to resolve the problem with the Commission is far from clear," he said.
"It's certainly not because we've asked them to do it."

Dartz

Microsoft wrote:

**** You for getting in our way

That's basically it.

Biggins

Dartz wrote: »

That's basically it.

Yep.

They are getting their revenge!
Feck them, I'll just order my upgrade eventually from the states by web sales site or ebay.

Mena

Biggins wrote: »

The preferred remedy for Europe, he said, was to offer users a screen when they first switch on Windows 7 that gives them a choice between IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera.

What the hell is that for? If you don't know how to download and use a different browser you shouldn't be near a computer anyway!

Peppapig

What about peope using Windows 7 now?

Biggins

Peppapig wrote: »

What about peope using Windows 7 now?

If your talking about the pre-releases or the beta's out there, they expire in less than a year then a lot of features cut out in them.

Overheal

♪ She's a brick .... House... ♪

But then again, unless HP is going to republish my drivers so that they will install on Windows 7, I got nothing to celebrate anyway.

center15

Mena wrote: »

What the hell is that for? If you don't know how to download and use a different browser you shouldn't be near a computer anyway!

You can't even download a browser on the computer. You'll have to go to another computer and put IE or firefox etc on a usb drive or cd to install it on a windows 7 machine. going to be very annoying for general consumers

Biggins

center15 wrote: »

You can't even download a browser on the computer. You'll have to go to another computer and put IE or firefox etc on a usb drive or cd to install it on a windows 7 machine. going to be very annoying for general consumers

Very good point.
Especially for people that are not used to installing applications.

leninbenjamin

Hmmm, was hoping to upgrade my current Vista install when it comes out. The prices for the professional edition are prohibitive enough...

smemon

http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-Europe-customers-must-wait-to-upgrade-Vista-to-Windows-7/1246039724

upgrade availability and pricing for Windows 7 in Europe, including the UK, will be announced on July 15

in fairness this is not microsoft's fault... they were bullied in to ditching IE which fecked up their plans as they now have to give us our own 'special' versions of 7 which don't include IE but as people are point out - unless you have another PC you can't go online as you need a browser :-)

we will in fact benefit from this whole thing as we'll get full versions at upgrade prices.

Kinetic^

smemon wrote: »

in fairness this is not microsoft's fault... they were bullied in to ditching IE which fecked up their plans as they now have to give us our own 'special' versions of 7 which don't include IE but as people are point out - unless you have another PC you can't go online as you need a browser :-)

That's something I was wondering tbh.

I think I may get 7 Ultimate if I can get it in from the US.

Biggins

smemon wrote: »

http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-Europe-customers-must-wait-to-upgrade-Vista-to-Windows-7/1246039724

upgrade availability and pricing for Windows 7 in Europe, including the UK, will be announced on July 15

Seems to be a difference of opinion - the BBC say different but then they could be wrong if the latest reports are right.
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8118749.stm
I suspect we will have to wait some time this side of the water to get the upgrade in shops.

I'll be getting mine through the net from the states.

Guess we will have to wait and see what way Microsoft will jump!

Tea_Bag

center15 wrote: »

You can't even download a browser on the computer. You'll have to go to another computer and put IE or firefox etc on a usb drive or cd to install it on a windows 7 machine. going to be very annoying for general consumers

Not entirely true:D You could use CMD in an ftp session to download Opera or whatever you wish to use. sounds more complicated than it is really..

Biggins wrote: »

Very good point.
Especially for people that are not used to installing applications.

bummer.

but when buying a pc, even if OS is preinstalled, it still wont cater for you outthebox. setting up emails and other stuff isnt done for you afaik..

well if you cant install an app then you've got no hope inho..

theCzar

Microsoft wrote:

for Europe, we will not have a separate upgrade SKU for the packaged retail product versions of Windows 7 at GA. But we will be offering upgrade pricing on our full licenses to make sure that European customers who want to upgrade have the pricing options available in the rest of the world

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/06/25/announcing-the-windows-7-upgrade-option-program-amp-windows-7-pricing-bring-on-ga.aspx

Full version for price of retail version? Terrific. I wouldn't contemplate doing anything other than a clean install so that aspect bothers me not at all.

Still paying more than US of course but what else is new?

(Opera ftw )

lucideer

Just don't bother buying Windows 7 - get it free (kind of-ish).

(no I'm not talking about hacks or cracks or anything illegal )

Just get an evaluation version of Windows Server 2008R2 (fully featured server version of Win7 - comes with all the flashy glassy stuff, it's just turned off by default in the options) and go here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948472

I've been doing it with the R1 since it came out in beta

Capt'n Midnight

EU / UK prices for windows are usually higher than US prices
in addition US get extra special deals that we don't


Not having an upgrade option is not a major issue IMHO
Most people have OEM windows and so if they upgraded then the new copy of windows 7 would be bound forever to their current PC's mother board and would live and die with it.

In fact not having an upgrade option will prevent many people from breaking the law, which is what you would be doing if you moved the copy of windows to another PC ( unless you are one of the few non-coporate users of a transferrable windows license )

Mena

Slashdot wrote:

"European customers will pay up to twice as much for Windows 7 compared with US users, even though the new operating system will ship without a browser in Europe. Some of the money Microsoft stands to make on the European editions of Windows 7 comes from the weak dollar. Last week, for instance, the dollar fell against the euro the most in a month, hitting $1.41 per euro. For example, Windows 7 Professional, the key retail edition for businesses, will sport a price tag of 285 euros, or $400.60, and £189.99, or $313.84, at Saturday's exchange rate. In other words, EU customers will pay twice the $199.99 U.S. price; U.K. buyers will pay 57% more. And depending on your view on bundling IE, Europe's customers will be paying more for less, with Microsoft's decision to yank IE8 from Windows 7 in an effort to head off EU antitrust regulators, who may still force the company to take more drastic measures."

Source

It seems (besides the usual factors), the exchange rate will be knocking us for a six as well.

bk

Would there be any issues with getting a friend in the US to purchase the half price Windows 7 upgrades and to send it to me?

Would it work ok on my existing European Vista license?

TiGeR KiNgS

for internet explorer. presumably it will be possible to download it from windows update. ( no need for a browser to do that)

lucideer

TiGeR KiNgS wrote: »

for internet explorer. presumably it will be possible to download it from windows update. ( no need for a browser to do that)

Which means if you want to use an alternative browser, you will now have to download two things - first IE then use IE to get your other browser. Ridiculous. And people wonder why the EC objected to the decision by Microsoft to remove it.

Doomofman

Ok, so can anyone tell me what the deal is with buying a version of this. Will we (Irish people) be able to order a copy from the US Microsoft site or where are people planning to get their copy from?

conchubhar1

so there will be no ie? yay

is there still the registry?

is wmp still pre installed?

.Bob

even though im not a fan of IE, not having it would be a problem, a lot of programs use an IE activex blah blah blah to connect to the internet. ive programmed a few application and if IE wasnt there it wouldnt be able to connect to the net

theCzar

.Bob wrote: »

even though im not a fan of IE, not having it would be a problem, a lot of programs use an IE activex blah blah blah to connect to the internet. ive programmed a few application and if IE wasnt there it wouldnt be able to connect to the net

So download it and install it? This isn't a ban on IE, it's just not "as standard". Its an unnecessary inconvenience and not technically what the EU commission wanted but I think most of us will survive!

I emailed microsoft to ask about availing of the pre-order offer in RoI and they told me to ring their Irish office, might do so in the morning though I don't know if they'll have an answer.

Stephen

Yeah, its just a two-fingered salute to the EU from Microsoft. The EU was trying to get them to bundle alternative browsers etc with Windows rather than to ship it with no browser at all.

probe

They are already selling Windows 7 in the US in the microsoft online shop for $49.99 (Windows Home Premium upgrade) if you buy it now and wait until 2009.10.22 for delivery. I doubt if you will be able to purchase this in the EU, as the Windows versions available in the US have higher grade encryption compared with those sold in the EU. One can only assume that the US gov wants to snoop on everything going on in the EU.

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windows-Windows-7/category/102?WT.mc_id=msccomhpfeature_win7

Why isn't this advance purchase option available in Ireland I ask myself? Microsoft is availing of generous fiscal incentives in Ireland......

As far as non-advance sales of Windows 7 upgrades, my understanding is that MS will be selling the "full product" for the "upgrade price" after 22 Oct in the EU because they have technical problems removing IE from an XP machine which might be the upgrade target. But this is hyper expensive compared with the advance purchase Windows 7 available in the US now.

Mac OS X operating system sells for €129 - with the result that Mac users have no hesitation in upgrading to the latest operating system version every time. This simplifies the software platform for Apple and software developers because they don't have to support legacy software going back for decades, like MS Windows.

Microsoft is dumb. The only reason why it makes big money is because of its monopoly in Windows. It gets away with this because the competition regulators in the EU and the US are dumb, and are going after the wrong issues. The AT&T phone monopoly was broken up by a judge in the US. Not the FCC nor the competition authorities.

Most people use their PC for internet and office. You get this and zillions of other applications in Fedora for free. Looks like windows. As easy to use as Windows. Runs in 1 MB of ram, and performs as fast as Windows 7 on a 4 MB machine.

Windows is dumbing down the world and ripping people off. If schools adopted Linux (eg Fedora or another good distro) Ireland would have far more software developers!

download: http://www.fedoraproject.org/

I have Windows 7 RC running on a machine for the past month and it is quite good. But no better than Fedora - which is free. Fedora is at the bleeding edge of Linux software - technologies appear on it long before red hat makes them available to corporate clients.

Linus Torvalds uses Fedora! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds

conchubhar1

snow leopard will be 30 euros

i joke i joke

TPD

I didnt read the whole thread so someone may have pointed this out, but cant you browse the web through windows explorer?

center15

The Perfect Drug wrote: »

I didnt read the whole thread so someone may have pointed this out, but cant you browse the web through windows explorer?

No you can't when windows 7 ships here there will be no way to browse the web outta the box. One simply solution would have been to just give an option of firefox, IE and Opera when installing windows 7.

theCzar

center15 wrote: »

No you can't when windows 7 ships here there will be no way to browse the web outta the box. One simply solution would have been to just give an option of firefox, IE and Opera when installing windows 7.

which is what the EU intended. MS jumped the gun a little with their decision to simply strip browser functionality from W7. Fine them again I say!