Vista Coupon Stumble

Microsoft's recently announced plan to offer Vista upgrade coupons as a means of shoring up computer sales during the holiday is "another Microsoft stumble," according to ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley. The coupon system, which offers different upgrade paths from Windows XP systems bought between October and March depending on the XP edition, is criticized by Kingsley for allowing widely varying discounts that may only serve to confuse buyers.

"Microsoft has taken what should be relatively easy and made it far too complicated by handing too much control over to the PC vendors," he says.

In particular, the article condemns the frequent ineligibility and contrasting prices for the upgrades, with many entry-level PCs being excluded entirely from free upgrades by system builders while owners of other systems face significant expenses. Dell customers are expected to pay $45 for an upgrade from XP Home to Vista Home Basic, Kingsley notes, while HP and Gateway offer the same upgrade for free. Other manufacturers will be allowed to charge unspecified fees that are likely to cause hesitation in buyers, who may be caught off-guard by hidden costs.

By Electronista Staff