Microsoft have today announced some firm details about Windows 7 upgrade pricing for Australian customers.
Basically the deal is that if you purchase a new machine from today (26th June) then when Windows 7 is released on 22nd October you can take advantage of the upgrade offer until the end of February 2010 and upgrade your system either for free or at a minimal cost (depending on the version of Windows you purchased).
Here’s a breakdown of the cost differentials:
|
Version |
SKU |
Windows 7 Estimated Retail Price |
Windows Vista Estimated Retail Price |
$ Cost Difference |
% Cost Difference |
| Upgrade Pricing Promotion | Home Premium | $199 | $199 | $0 | 0 |
| Professional | $399 | $399 | $0 | 0 | |
| Ultimate | $429 | $399 | +$30 | + 7.5% | |
| Full | Home Premium | $299 | $349 | - $50 | - 14.3% |
| Professional | $449 | $449 | $0 | 0 | |
| Ultimate | $469 | $449 | + $20 | + 4.5% |
Additionally, there’s an Education Tax Refund on offer from the Federal Government which means that if you’re eligible you’ll be able to get a refund of up to 50% on the cost of a Windows PC (and Macs too, although that wasn’t mentioned in the press release!).
It seems that not every system sold in ever store may be eligible for the upgrade though, so Microsoft are recommending that if you’re buying a new machine you should check the in-store stickers to see whether it’s part of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option, check the Upgrade Offer website for more details, and ask the in-store salespeople. In other words, you don’t want to buy a machine and discover that you’re not eligible, so as a consumer make a nuisance of yourself and if necessary get it in writing (just in case).
It’s interesting to see the cost of Home Premium coming down from Vista to Windows 7. Home Premium has proven to be the most appropriate and therefore the most popular SKU for home users, and perhaps the slight increase in pricing for Ultimate is designed to drive most consumers in that direction. Alternatively, it may be because of the larger amount of new features which are targeted more at professional consumers, but given that the cost of the Professional SKU has remained unchanged, the rationale is a little confused.
Here are some useful links for more information:
