Don't believe the $120 Windows 7 pricetag
- TAGS:Apple, discounts, Microsoft, Snow Leopard, Windows 7
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Linux & Unix, Operating Systems, Windows
Yesterday Microsoft announced that it will charge $120 for upgrades to Windows 7 when it ships. But don't believe that price; I expect that permanent discounts will ensure consumers will always pay less.
Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group, told Computerworld that the $120 pricetag is simply too high, especially considering that upgrades to Mac OS X 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, will only be $29 in certain instances. Apple is also offering a five-license pack for $49.
He told Computerworld:
"Apple's Snow Leopard pricing model is much more appropriate to driving adoption and raising customer satisfaction levels. This is a direction I would have much preferred to see Microsoft head."
Microsoft's two-week deal to pre-sell Windows 7 Home Premium for $50 has been a raging success, even taking the top spot at Amazon's best-seller list. I'm betting that Microsoft will use that success as a model. I would expect there to be constant special deals like that --- a similar deal upon product launch, for example --- so that the operating system will always be available at a marked-down price. If not, I don't think Windows 7 will be as much as a success as it should be.
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