vista price

[michael555]

Taken from computer active



Microsoft hits UK families hard on Vista pricing



Our North American cousins get copies of Home Premium for £25 a pop after buying Ultimate



Emil Larsen, Personal Computer World 23 Feb 2007


UK households would have to pay three times as much as their North American counterparts for a family pack of Vista, Microsoft's new operating system.

Microsoft has admitted it is selling upgrade versions of Home Premium for $50 (£25) each to households in the US and Canada when they buy an upgrade or full copy of Vista Ultimate.

The $50 per Vista Home Premium deal on Microsoft's website is billed as a 'Family Discount' and represents a 60 per cent saving over US retail prices. By comparison the UK Vista Home Premium upgrade price is £149.99.

The family discount means upgrading a three-PC home in the US costs £185, whereas UK families will have to stump up £550 to do the same, based on a one Ultimate upgrade, two Home Premium upgrade package. The deal only allows for two copies of Home Premium to be bought.

Microsoft told PCW that the discount is a time-limited trial, provisionally ending on the 30 June 2007. After that the scheme may be extended to other territories.

Consumer outrage at the high Vista pricing is growing and a petition on the 10 Downing Street website has been signed by over 600 people within days of going live. The petition gives disgruntled users until 20 April 2007 to register their anger at the high price to the Prime Minister.

The Office of Fair Trading, the Department for Trade and Industry and the National Consumer Council, which represent UK business and consumer interests, all refused to comment on Microsoft's Vista pricing.

The move is another blow to customers after Microsoft started selling Windows Vista for 60 per cent more in the UK that the US. In a BBC interview, Bill Gates blamed the high price on exchange rates.






So the good old uk gets rip off again hey?

This is the reason why people download torrent files of vista,etc.

 

[Techy]

Were great at being ripped off. We moan a bit then buy it anyway. it's no suprise that nearly all companies are jumping on the band wagon.

 

[Anon_F]

Wonder how many people will considor vista to costly & migrate to Linux?

 

[Adywebb]

The move is another blow to customers after Microsoft started selling Windows Vista for 60 per cent more in the UK that the US. In a BBC interview, Bill Gates blamed the high price on exchange rates.

How on earth can this be? £1 = $1.95 - I could understand it if the £ was low against the $

Yep, yet again we are the cash cow for manufacturers

 

[muckshifter]

baa baa

OK, I'm not disputing we get ripped off here in the UK but, sorry, buy direct, then and you will get the correct exchange rate.

Not sure who is pulling the wool over who's eyes here, but did anybody really read the details for this "upgrade" or are you just a load of sheep?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/familydiscount.mspx#qualify


Just to point out what you have to pay, in the US, to "qualify" for this "upgrade" ...

http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/category.aspx?bcatid=1001&tabid=2

Petition away if you like, but our Government ain't controlled by politicians, big industry (inc Microsoft) do the dictation for you.


Shop around, I can buy Vista Home Premium for £60


Have a Nice day.

 

[Adywebb]

Wow - your even more grumpy than normal today Mucks

So they have to have purchased Vista Ultimate Full or Upgrade - upgrade is around $250 (£125) on the MS site (no doubt they also can shop around like you Mucks and get it cheaper too ) and then they get up to 2 copies of Home Premium at $50 each (£25).

So for $350 (£179) then can have 1 Ultimate and 2 Home Premium - now over here its going to cost around £220 for Ultimate and £260 for 2 x Home Premium Upgrade = £480 - and we're not getting ripped off?

Yes I accept you can search around and find these cheaper no doubt, and off course we can import from the US (remember to pay the VAT/Duty) - but is that really the point?

Baa to you too