Thursday, June 25th 2009
Microsoft Announces Windows 7 Retail Prices Ahead of General Availability
Microsoft unveiled the retail pricing structure of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, and its three important variants: Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, elaborating on the pricing on both the upgrade and full versions. Microsoft also announced that customers buying PCs pre-installed with existing versions of Windows from select sources (retailers or OEMs), will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 at "little or no cost". The company also announced that select retailers in certain markets will be able to offer for a limited period of time, a pre-order discount scheme that can reduce the price by as much as 50 percent.
Here are the prices (in USD):
Source:
The Windows Blog
Here are the prices (in USD):
- Windows 7 Home Premium - $199.99 (full version), $119.99 (upgrade)
- Windows 7 Professional - $299.99 (full version), $199.99 (upgrade)
- Windows 7 Ultimate - $319.99 (full version), $219.99 (upgrade)
244 Comments on Microsoft Announces Windows 7 Retail Prices Ahead of General Availability
Now if you wanted to wait until the next operating system comes out for Mac and compare the upgrade price then, then that'll be a fair comparison.
This is an actual new operating system (10.7.1). Just because Apple releases it this way doesn't mean it's a service pack, especially since Apple themselves doesn't refer to it as one, thus the general public counts this as market share. Mac OS X is a build that Apple upgrades. Similar to Windows 7 compared to Vista or even Windows XP.
Furthermore, I would say this qualifies more than a service pack:
www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html
In the past every seperate number as in OS9 and OSX have been seperate operating systems. Just because they're on the 7th update of OSX doesn't mean this has changed. It's all the same base OS with patches, tweaks and 'upgrades'. They don't sell these Service Packs as Service Packs because they don't want their fanbase to realize that they're paying for Service Packs.
Again when OS11 or X1 or what have you comes out, then we'll look at upgrade prices.
try again? You lose the price competition pretty hardcore when you follow that theme. Last I checked the 10.5.8 patch is gonna be free.
You're arguing that since its labeled OS X, its just a "service pack", but you clearly have no idea how vastly different 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 are.
Windows is still labeled windows. 7 is a $200 service pack for a terrible Vista. I can play the ignorance game too.
There is also most definitely no way 10.1 is even remotely the same at 10.6 is. Not only was 10.1 PPC only, and a terrible mach kernel, but almost all of it has been re-written for x86 64 bit, come 10.6. I actually have a 10.1 CD and its like comparing windows 98 to windows 7, vastly improved.
There is no way you can tell me that the difference between XP SP1 and XP SP2 was any shorter of a jump than between the Mac iterations. It's widely regarded as the Service Pack that saved XP. I'm glad 10.5.8 is going to be free. 10.6 is not. This is what I'm talking about. 10.6.1 may be free. But you still had to pay for 10.6. If you choose to ignore that please don't respond. Hell, even Mac people I've talked to have referred to these as Service Packs. Its also worth mentioning that if you're telling me OSX is comparable to NT, I don't remember paying for NT then paying for my OSes. After all 10.0 was 129 on release wasn't it? I bet you by the time we're done with OSX, people will have paid as much from start to finish as people who bought XP then upgraded to Vista and onward until the OSX run was complete. If not a very similar number. When it comes down to it, Jobs has just found a new way to sell it to you.
It's laughable to start saying Mac has paid less compared to Windows. Both have their own unique costs, and while I believe Mac's pay more I'm sure you disagree. Brings up an interesting point. I bought my Vista new for $130 CAD in an OEM deal. I have seen no downside in buying OEM and I wouldn't pay full price myself.
Iterations of Mac OSX, while still at the core the same, change the functionality and the visual experience of the OS, to the point where most w/ even a little background knowledge in OS X would be able to tell. Not a huge difference mind you, but about the same difference as say Vista>7. 7 is still Vista at it's heart, but there's a few things moved around and such and a handful of new features.
This is why MS in this instance imo should rightly be comparable w/ Mac. Snow Leopard is Mac's answer to 7, and it's fitting b/c the jump b/t the two is really about the same (at least as far as I can tell so far, until they are both fully released it will be hard to tell for sure). XP>Vista was a much larger leap and and IMO worth more money, as was perhaps you would say Mac OS 9 to OS X. In this price war though, it seems Mac has the rare advantage of being cheaper (did I really just say Mac was cheaper :laugh:), at least in the upgrade respect (Leopard>Snow Leopard is pretty similar to Vista>7).
In summation, you are totally wrong in saying OS X versions are like SP's, but it really depends on which exact versions you're talking about, b/c the history is staggered.
All you're stating is that paying a smaller amount more times which ends up equaling more is somehow better than paying one large sum all at once. Sure its made up for in the upgrade from 10.5->10.6 compared to the Vista to Win7 upgrade. However, like I said, over the course of OSX users will likely have paid just as much as Windows to keep their system up to date.
And of course you noticed, you knew you downloaded it. :laugh: Unless you were having very specific problems the SP fixed, I can pretty almost totally guarantee you that you wouldn't have noticed if somebody else updated to SP2 w/o your knowledge.
Windows 7 is "different" how so? last i checked the core of the OS was still very NT based, like XP, and Vista. Its the same for OS X. Both OS's have a firm foundation and are building, and progressing aspects of each. Both are also following an explicitly different development timeline. $120 for my OS. Brought up to $150 with Snow Leopard.
How much have you paid for Vista+ Windows 7?
$130+ Windows 7.
So what was that you were saying? try doing the math before bashing a product with blind accusations?
Infact, the math for a newer computer comes out to even less, because my Macbook pro is a really old revision and came with Tiger (My brothers Macbook has Leopard and qualifies for the straight $30 upgrade.)
Show me the math I have paid more for my OS than you. You cannot. Stop spreading lies.
This ties into my overall view of this thread, with people whining about how much the OS is going to cost them. You buy it, and it lasts you for 3-5 years. If you get it OEM like I do, you pay roughly 40 - 45 a year. Comparing it to the Mac's who get updated roughly every year and a bit, its not a huge price difference. Especially when it comes to having paid the Mac hardware tax.
Leopard was Introduced October 26, 2007. Snow Leopard is September 2009.
Windows Vista was Sept. 2005, and is now replaced Oct. 2009.
Leopard has a more aggressive update schedule yes, but that is because Apple has underwent an ENTIRE platform transformation, and Snow Leopard is 100% Intel only code.
Microsoft can't even get Windows 64 bit finished. The amount of progress shown from a development standpoint from Apple FAR outshines what Microsoft has done.
Not to mention their upgrade cycles are vastly different. Businesses are still running Windows 98.
Also I requested that if you were going to ignore what I'm saying, instead of actually providing me with the information to change my mind on the matter, to not reply. I'm willing to have a conversation about this but I'm not going to have one with someone being an asshat.
I think you are a bit of a MS fanboy mad at the Mac fanboys, and really you both have your points and neither of you will admit the other is wrong. People get annoyed w/ MS for the same reason that I get annoyed w/ Mac and MS and half of the capitalist world. If I'm going to have to give you my money, you damn well better earn it. Simple as that. If people don't feel they get what they pay for they whine. In this instance I agree, 7 is overpriced. But I'd never buy a Mac. :D
The only "Point" you have even bothered to express is Microsoft releases PAGES upon PAGES of **BUGFIXES**, while Apple releases bugfixes with feature improvements.
I challenge you: Name me 1 feature added with 10.5.X updates (NOT a bugfix, a usability improvement. i.e. interface change, or addition.)
Now, name me 1 feature added via SP3 that is not a bugfix.
Your definition of "Updates" cannot be applied to two completely different sets of software.
I'm going to break down your post piece by piece: So does OS X. Look up 10.5.7 Combo update. Ypu can update from a fresh Leopard CD install directly to 10.5.7 This is old news. Welcome to 2001. 10.5.0 < 10.5.7 too(However, 10.5.0 is perfectly usable, untweaked). Infact, apple added a specific stack option to one of the updates that I use a lot. User feedback ftw. I installed 10.5.0 the other day. I ran software update, and am now running 10.5.7.
I haven't had to tweak a thing to get proper performance. Why have you? My $130 OS runs bright and shiny out of the box. When I charge a client > $40/hr, this is clearly bad for my job security.
As for SP3, yea it was a roll together of bug fixes and previously supplied updates that brought new features rolled together all in one. Not the best update, but by that time I'd moved on to Vista.
So, you bought XP OEM in 2002.
Wheres that computer? Your OEM license is bound to that Pentium 4 or Athlon XP machine.
Otherwise, you're using your OS illegally. So, how many Licenses have you Legally been using?
And 10.0 won't run on Intel just FYI. Tiger/Leopard only. there are only 2 possible OS's for Intel mac users. Tiger came with, Leopard now comes with. I have a Macbook pro.
I'll be getting Win7. I never purchased vista so its not that bad on my wallet :)
Also how can you go wrong with Windows 7! It has WIN in the name! /sarcasm
I prefer to keep certain things from running on my OS.
Mainly like ad-ware. And anti-virus's. Why pay for that crap?
Its at my sister's place, running that license. So I guess that means I've been using 0 illegally? Thanks for the bold showing of concern.
I'm glad they dropped PPC. It was a bad processor. However if someone still has a PPC, as they wouldn't have been able to buy an Intel Mac when 10.0 came out, they'd have had to pay just the same. Or is 10.4 and 10.5 not backwards compatible to PPC. I don't know. If it isn't then Mac just forced them to update their hardware. Dandy, but its ok Windows does that too.