Buy Notebook Now or Post Vista?

[James Colbert]

I'm planning to buy a notebook and want Vista on it, which brings up a few
questions:

1) If I buy one with XP (Pro or media center) and go for the free Vista
upgrade many are offering, will I later be able to use the upgrade on any
system (one at a time, of course), or is it then tied to the OEM legalities?

2) I'd really rather have it pre loaded on the notebook to avoid the issues
that might arise with an upgrade. Does anyone expect notebook pricing to go
higher when loaded with Vista (comparitively. I understand that Vista
Premium ready machines mean more expensive hardware. I'm talking pricing
increases simply by virtue of having Vista preloaded).

So, I guess the real bottom line here is price. Will I get better pricing by
buying an XP notebook now and doing the upgrade?

Thanks,
James

 

[Dale]

I bet you could get a great price on an already-built XP notebook today but
I suggest waiting and getting Vista from the start. It's only a couple
weeks away. There have been way too many issues with upgrading to and
upgraded installations of Vista.

FWIW.

Dale

 

[Richard Urban]

Buy now, with an upgrade, and YOU are responsible for tracking down and
installing all device drivers and compatibility updates for your notebook.
If you wait 2 weeks and buy one with Vista already installed, the
manufacturer will have taken care of these chores for you.

Also, at that point the manufacturer will not be able to void your warranty
because you changed the operating system to other than what the computer was
shipped with.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[James Colbert]

Thanks, Dale & Richard, for the answers. Any speculation about the pricing
issues? I know that Vista is a little more costly, but is it anticipated
that the initial release of Vista will precipitate higher than justifiable
pricing, or that pricing will be similar to what we are seeing now? I have
to buy before mid-february.

Thanks again,
James

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Expect Vista launch to be the occasion for the roll outs of lots of new
laptops. Wait to see what appears and get Vista preinstalled. That way you
are guaranteed of everything being compatible and Vista optimized. Besides,
what are you going to do with a dead XP? I see no reason why you would save
any money buying now considering what the new machines being rolled out will
offer. Let somebody else buy old inventory and wait four to six weeks for
Vista to be delivered. You can have yours at the end of the month.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

I'm planning to buy a notebook and want Vista on it, which brings up a few
questions:

1) If I buy one with XP (Pro or media center) and go for the free Vista
upgrade many are offering, will I later be able to use the upgrade on any
system (one at a time, of course), or is it then tied to the OEM
legalities?

2) I'd really rather have it pre loaded on the notebook to avoid the
issues that might arise with an upgrade. Does anyone expect notebook
pricing to go higher when loaded with Vista (comparitively. I understand
that Vista Premium ready machines mean more expensive hardware. I'm
talking pricing increases simply by virtue of having Vista preloaded).

So, I guess the real bottom line here is price. Will I get better pricing
by buying an XP notebook now and doing the upgrade?

Thanks,
James

Wait two weeks.

 

[Guest]

I agree with everyone; best to wait.

We're talking 10 days here. I have heard rumours that Dell will be starting
to sell system preloaded with Vista up to a week before launch so that they
would ship at or before launch day, so that would mean systems should
starting showing up for ordering in the next few days.

 

[Robert Blacher]

So far, the early indications are that hardware prices will NOT go up after
January 30th for systems with Vista pre-loaded. I base this on companies
that are taking orders now for delivery after Jan 30th (or, for example,
systems that Costco is selling starting next month with Vista pre-loaded).

From my handy Costco coupon book, HP 15.4" Widescreen dv6253cL for $899 as
of Feb 26. 17" Widescreen dv9233cl for $1350 as of March 12. Both have Home
Premium pre-loaded. On HPs web site, I tried for configure machines with
similar specs, albeit with Media Center 2005 + the free upgrade, and ended
up pricing the systems higher.

One other factor to keep in mind: The "free" (more or less) Express Upgrade
program gets you only the 32-bit version of Vista. If you want x64, wait.

 

[James Colbert]

So far, the early indications are that hardware prices will NOT go up
after January 30th for systems with Vista pre-loaded. I base this on
companies that are taking orders now for delivery after Jan 30th (or, for
example, systems that Costco is selling starting next month with Vista
pre-loaded).

Thanks, Robert. That's the info I was looking for.

James