Microsoft announces WIndows 7 pricing, unveils upgrade program
Microsoft has unveiled the consumer prices for Windows 7. Here’s the rundown of prices for a full version:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: $199.99
- Windows 7 Professional: $299.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate: $319.99
The prices are lower for users who are upgrading from Windows XP or Vista:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: $119.99
- Windows 7 Professional: $199.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate: $219.99
But wait, there’s more. Starting tomorrow, US customers will be able to pre-order the operating system at much lower prices:
- Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade pre-order: $49.99
- Windows 7 Professional Upgrade pre-order: $99.99
Discounted Pre-order prices will also be available in Canada and Japan for the next few weeks. A pre-order program will launch in the UK, France, and Germany starting July 15th.
There will only be a limited number of pre-orders available. But here’s the other bit of good news. If you buy a computer running Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate from a participating OEM or retailer between June 26th, 2009 and January 31st, 2010, you’ll likely be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for little or no cost.
There’s no information on how much Microsoft will be charging computer makers for Windows 7 licenses, but odds are if you were in the market for a new computer anyway, the cheapest way to get Windows 7 will be to simply buy a new computer. PC makers tend to get much better prices than the general public.
