Article: Microsoft OS prices climb as PC prices fall
updated 04:10 pm EDT, Fri September 8, 2006
Microsoft OS Prices Climb
Microsoft recently released official Windows Vista pricing which, at an initial glance, appears to match Windows XP pricing. A full version of Vista Home Basic, for example, will retail for the same $199 as Windows XP Home Edition. Such practices belie an attempt to increase the overall pricing, according to a report from Business 2.0. The publication notes that Microsoft is making a concerted effort to drive buyers of both stand-alone copies of Windows Vista and PCs bundled with the new operating system towards Vista Home Premium, which adds $40 to the price regardless of how it is bought. This will drive the overall cost of Windows higher despite falling PC component prices, says author Owen Thomas. He urges buyers dissatisfied with the move and the relatively modest features of Vista to refrain from buying the OS as a form of protest, even if it means holding to an older PC. Vista Home Basic is noticeably reduced in features versus Home Premium, omitting features such as the Aero Glass interface and DVD authoring.
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2005
*sigh*
People like Owen Thomas never cease to make me laugh. He's expecting people to make some kind of protest over $40? I'm sure Vista will be a nightmare (I'm a Mac user so have no desire to use it), but if someone wants it on their PC or finds some of it's new features useful what good is holding back going to do? It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Are hordes of people are suddenly going to hold off switching for that? Of course not.