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Why does Microsoft’s Windows 7ista cost so much?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 · 1:18 pm · 41 Comments

“Why does Windows cost so much?” Bob Cringely writes for I, Cringely. “I know why.”

Cringely writes, “For a stark contrast, compare Windows 7 with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, its would-be competitor. I won’t get into the argument over which OS sees the other as competition, maybe they both do. In the marketplace, however, the upgrade version of Snow Leopard costs $49.95 ($99.95 for a five-machine family pack) while there are twenty different versions of Windows 7 to choose from with the most popular (Windows 7 Home Premium) priced at $119.95.”

MacDailyNews Note: Mac OS X Snow Leopard actually costs just US$29 for a single user upgrade and $49 for a 5-user family pack.

Cringely writes, “Is Windows 7 really worth $70 more than Snow Leopard?”

MacDailyNews Note: Make that $90.95 more, Bob.

Cringely continues, “The better question to ask is why Microsoft decided to set the price point where they did? And the answer to that one is quite simple: Microsoft doesn’t actually want you to upgrade to Windows 7 at all. Microsoft wants you to buy a new Windows 7 PC instead.”

Read the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Fred Mertz" for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

41 Comments

« Previous 1 2 3 Next »

Gosh

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:29 pm · Reply

Why? Lack of competition!
alsoran

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:31 pm · Reply

Fat Basterd said:
MIcrosoft wants people to buy a new PC because that will just further lock them into their platform.

You are very wise and very correct! The ONLY thing m$ has going for them is the monopoly status. Once that is gone m$ is done.
MidWest Mac

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:42 pm · Reply

And you can’t compare OS X — that has the entire OS without restrictions — to “home premium” that is crippled.

Don’t you have to compare it to the “ultimate” version of Windows? And wouldn’t that cost quite a bit more than “home premium?”
Because

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:42 pm · Reply

Because Windows 7 has more things in it than Leopard service pack 1…err, Snow Leopard does?
alsoran

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:43 pm · Reply

And another thought; Mac users upgrade their software because it is always ‘fun’ to use a new Mac OS upgrade, much as using a Mac tends to be fun in general.

But why would windowse users upgrade the windose OS? There is no ‘fun factor’ with windoz.
John E

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 3:00 pm · Reply

why does anyone pay attention to this bozo “Cringely” (a pen name)? he can’t even bother to get the price right.

and he’s only about the millionth person to figure out MS is trying to push XP users to buy new PC’s.
ChrissyOne

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 3:02 pm · Reply

@ Because

More “things”? You must be a programer.
ken1w

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 3:32 pm · Reply

Where is this guy buying this Snow Leopard, at the Microsoft Store?

Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are not competing products. The choices for a current WIndows Vista or XP user are, buy a new PC that comes with Windows 7, get a Mac, or upgrade current PC to Windows 7. There is no “buy Snow Leopard” choice (at least not legally).

So the price difference may be a nice marketing point for Apple, but a typical Windows user’s choice is not between Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. It is between buying yet another PC with Window or switching to Mac this time.
Gabochido

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 3:42 pm · Reply

Even at 120 dollars, the usual price for Mac OS X its still comparable to the ~100 dollars of upgrade price of the home version of any Windows.

The thing about Mac OS X and iLife is that they come included in all apple computers. So any version of it that you buy can only be installed in a computer that has already paid for an initial version… meaning, ALL versions of Mac OS X and iLife are actually upgrades and that is why they are sold so cheap, because they are always upgrade prices.

Microsoft doesn’t have that luxury, since you can install Windows on a computer that was without including the operating system.
Sarasota

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 4:07 pm · Reply

Anyone with an old version of Windows, yes, even Win2K, can use the upgrade version for what, $30?

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1477&tag=content;col1
Tommyr

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 4:11 pm · Reply

Superior suckage costs money. That why. Suckage don’t come cheap. Why do we need what, 6-7 VERSIONS of the same suckage??
Jubei

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 5:10 pm · Reply

“while there are twenty different versions of Windows 7 to choose from”

And that my friends is pure, one hundred percent STUPIDITY. For people to fall into getting various versions, then they deserve to be stupid enough to do it.
painkiller

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 5:19 pm · Reply

How many Mac OS’s have come out since XP? 6? That’s 5 x $129 + $29 for SL. Those .x upgrades add up.
NYH

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 5:34 pm · Reply

@ Sarasota

And that is exactly the problem. Microsoft doesn’t want users with an operating system that old upgrading to 7 for cheap, as that’s a huge jump to make; the jump from Vista to 7 is much smaller. They don’t have separate pricing, and they can’t, because so many users are still on XP.

Snow Leopard, from what I’ve read, ‘legally’ locks you out of upgrading from Tiger using an upgrade license, while you can obviously upgrade from Leopard (just like Vista -> 7, less of a difference there).

I’d argue that maybe Microsoft should have priced the two upgrades differently, but with the many ways to get these licenses cheaper than retail it’s hard to complain unless you really want to.
alansky

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 6:25 pm · Reply

Why does Microsoft’s Windows 7ista cost so much?

That’s an easy one. It’s because Microsoft knows that anyone dumb enough to buy their crap software is probably also dumb enough to pay outrageous prices.
the reason is

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 12:38 am · Reply

Apple sells Snow Job for such a low price so Mac users can afford to buy Windows 7. Thanks, Apple. Now I can purchase Windows 7 for my Mac.
pdxflint

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 2:32 pm · Reply

If Microsoft wants folks to buy a new computer… then a lot of them will choose Mac. Why not? If there ever was a time to switch, it would be when your older machine won’t really upgrade to Win7. Archive all your data, and just make a clean switch to a real upgrade – a shiny new Mac. Just opening the box will tell you you’ve entered a completely different world, and century.
Dick Nixon

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 3:25 pm · Reply

Windows 7 has twenty different flavors, all with the same cruddy taste…
Guy Jones

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 3:30 pm · Reply

It’s like Microsoft is adhering to a consciously designed plan — release an abysmal OS, followed by a version that is marginally better and somewhat competent, then charge users an arm and a leg to pay for the functionality and basic usability that should have been present in the previous OS in the first place. If Microsoft had an ounce of integrity, they would charge a minuscule amount for Windows 7, as an apology to their users for putting out such ill-conceived product.
derekcurrie

Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 6:42 pm · Reply

‘ Cringely writes, “Is Windows 7 really worth $70 more than Snow Leopard?”
‘ MacDailyNews Note: Make that $90.95 more, Bob. ‘

Why is Cringely such a dweeb? Well, at least he came up with a decent topic.

Also:

1) Why are there are 6 ( S I X) versions of 7ista? (… With 3 versions hidden from the general public). There just 1 ( O N E ) version of Snow Leopard.

2) Where is 7ista Server? Apple released Snow Leopard Server at exactly the same time as the client version. Meanwhile, Microsoft makes their server users wait at least another YEAR!

Same routine as Vista.