Windows 7 official pricing
Microsoft just laid out the Windows 7 pricing grid for us, and here's the big takeaway:
Vista and XP users will need to pony up $119.99, $199.99, or $219.99 on October 22 to score their Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate upgrade, and those of you who want a full retail disc will need to roll up with $199.99, $299.99, or $319.99 respectively.
It's not quite that simple, though: starting tomorrow, June 26, you'll be able to pre-order upgrades at much cheaper prices -- $49.99 for Home Premium and $99.99 for Professional, just as we'd heard -- but pre-orders will be strictly limited in number and are expected to sell out quickly.
Obviously we'd prefer it if final pricing was $49 and $99 for everyone, but it's not a bad start, especially since participating manufacturers will be offering cheap / free upgrades to 7 on new computers sold after tomorrow with Vista as well.
So here’s the low-down on pricing for Windows 7. The estimated retail prices for upgrade packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the U.S. are:
- Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
- Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99
And the estimated retail prices for full packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the U.S. are:
- Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
- Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99