ZDnet: Vista Prices Revealed

[Renew Deal]

It looks like Microsoft has accidentally leaked some details of the price of its next-generation operating system. At least for customers who live in the Great Frozen North.

The Retail Pricing page at Microsoft Canada lets you choose a product name from a dropdown list and see the current pricing. Surprise! It includes a slew of SKUs for Windows Vista. (Update 28-Aug 8:00AM PDT: Well, that was fast! The Canadian price list I viewed earlier this morning appears to have been taken down, probably to remove the Vista SKUs. That makes the information even more interesting. Oh, and be sure to see my note at the end of this post on the pitfalls of using currency conversions to compare prices in different markets.) The following prices are all in Canadian dollars, and for comparison's sake I've included the retail prices of current versions of Windows XP:

FULL versions (all prices Canadian)

Windows Vista Ultimate $499

Windows XP Professional w/SP2 $429

Windows Vista Business $379

Windows Vista Home Premium $299

Windows Vista Home Basic $259

Windows XP Home w/SP2 $259

UPGRADE versions (all prices Canadian)

Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade $299

Windows XP Professional w/SP2 Upgrade $259

Windows Vista Business Upgrade $249

Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade $199

Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade $129

Windows XP Home w/SP2 Upgrade $129

<and a whole lot more>

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=124

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. I got a one-word answer for those prices:

Linux.

Those prices are madness, especially for Ultimate.

Someone want to tell me what is so "Ultimate" about it?

[Canuckistanian]

3. Which Linux do you recommend?

I've been thinking about a second machine for my son with Linux (he should learn).

What are the main weaning steps from Windoze? Will it hurt?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Answers:

I rather like Mandriva. The Powerpack with a one-year MandrivaClub membership(Very helpful for someone new to it) is $131.00. Lots of free extra software for club members and the Powerpack DVD is just crammed with stuff.

I like Mandriva, especially for new Linux users because it is very easy to install and use.

Once you get the DVD, you can install it on as many machines as you like, as long as you don't sell it.

As far as weaning, well, I got me a story: A woman came to me. She knew I built and repaired computers and she had a friend with a naff computer. I got my hands on it. Gateway PIII with ME on it. ME was hosed to death by spyware and whatnot. There was no repairing it. She did not have the install disks. Ex-husband took off with them and would not return them. Asshole.

So, the Gateway was really End-of-lined. Since she was a single mother, no job, going to school and needed a computer, I made her a deal. I would build her a machine with a Sempron64 3000+, Gigabyte K8NS motherboard. 200 GB Samsung HDD, 1GB of RAM, Nvidia FX 5200 videocard, DVD-CDRW, Coolermaster Centurion case, and would waive the labor. To save her money, I would put Mandriva Linux 2006.0 on it. She agreed.

The machine turned out very well and she has never had a major problem learning or using it. She has really grown with it, even doing some things on the command line, learned all on her own.

Just one example. It is pretty easy stuff.

[Canuckistanian]

8. Great! Thanks for the info

I've used a very early version of Linux briefly in the past, but I know that it's sort of "branched out" lately.

I'll check out this Mandriva version.

[madokie]

11. that kind of makes me think of dos on steriods

command line

[MercutioATC]

2. Gimme a $49 upgrade from XP and I'll look at it...

Unless Vista provides really good oral sex with its OS, I don't see the value.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Remember, $1CA = $0.70US

That means the $259CA Vista Home Basic would cost a mere $181.30 -- though it would probably retail for $189.

Doesn't that make you feel a whole lot better?

I'm goin' Linux. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make CHMOD stick, and get WINE working with MSWord, and Bob's my uncle -- not Bill.

--p!

[mainegreen]

9. $1CA=$.70US??!! Ha! Try $1CA=$.87-$.90US!!! nt

[Dogmudgeon]

23. Oops! My mistake!

And I swear on the grave of John Alexander Macdonald that I'll check more closely in the future.

Eh-men, eh?

:evilgrin:

Vista is still going to be one big old honkin' expensive piece of shit.

--p!

[alfredo]

6. Damn!!! that is expensive. Wal Mart was selling

computers for less than Vista.

The Mac OS is only $129. Still too much for this retiree, but a hell of a lot better than $259.

[Atman]

10. Apple has OSX multi-pack for just $199

Jesus, I can install multiple legal copies of OSX on several machines for half the price of ONE Windows installation. Why on earth do people continue to put up with this? How much money does Gates actually need? The pricing is insanity, and probably meant more as job-security and make-work for office IT people, a HUGE industry in the MS world.

[alfredo]

13. One reason OSX is less expensive is because Apple is a

hardware company. The OS is there to add value to the hardware.

Bill Gates' wife has modified his behavior to the good. He is now giving away his money to worthy causes. All that started off as a PR move during the DoJ anti trust case. Now it seems they are giving for all the right reasons.

[originalpckelly]

16. Yeah, guilt.

This man has single-handedly held back competition and at the same time has charged an arm and a leg for the crappiest OS on the planet. (I know this having used most windows versions and most versions of MacOS and using FreeBSD for the past three years.)

[alfredo]

20. this computer will become Linux when I get a

new Mac Mini. I will keep an OSX partition for legacy PPC apps.

[The Anti-Neo Con]

7. How about downloading it from a BT site?

Cost $0.00

[edhopper]

12. Who cares?

The overwhelming majority of PC users get their OS with the computer. If you have a machine that runs XP it probably WON"T be able to handle Vista. And if your PC works now, why upgrade?
If you want Vista, wait until Sevice Pack 2 comes out in abuot a year and buy a new PC.
If you have to, have to, have to, have the cutting edge, you are going to pay for it.

[dasmarian]

14. I really dont see this as expensive . . .

$300 or so for the home edition does not seem like that much to pay. For god's sake its the OS all your stuff runs on! Internet Apps, Business Software, Web Servers, etc -- Put in perspective Broadband Cable Service from Brighthouse (where I live) is $44 a month, or almost $600 per year, just to connect my computer to the Internet. Even cheap Broadband connectivity like through DSL is a minimum of $20 a month and that is $240 a year. So since I have used XP on my home computer every day more or less for 4 years (with not one blue screen, and rare rare reboot requirements) for let's say a purchase price of $300, that works out to $6.25 a month and I am still using it and likely will be for another year. So $5.00 a month for something I use for at least a couple hours every day is peanuts -- 30 days * 2 hours = 60 hours per month which equates to roughly 8 cents an hour to use XP for me at this point.

I know that a lot of the people here hate the idea of a company charging money for a product and feel that they are entitled to own anything they desire for an arbitrary price that they decide is fair, and if the price is outside that range then the firm selling it is just a bunch of greedy capitalists. What a "progressive" view of economics you share! I would wholeheartedly encourage any one of you to start a company where you base your price on what the potential client feels is fair, regardless of your development, production or selling costs. I'll be first in line to buy your product.

[MyNameGoesHere]

15. I am so sorry for you

if i had a flame retardant suit i would lend it to you. Too many "Linux is god" and "MAC is god" on here. Here they come! Quick! Flame retardant on!

[Atman]

17. And for a $199 multi-user license, Apple INCLUDES the applications...

...that you feel so privileged to have run on Windows. Some of them are among the best on the market, at near any price. The HD Movie editor and DVD software is worth more than the OS alone! Try purchasing a near-professional level video editing package for Windows, with Windows INCLUDED, for less than $129 ($199 for the site license).

$300 for the OS is INSANE. It is larceny. Don't forget, there is also the added premium that's going to be stuck on all new PC -- the "Windows Tax."

[dasmarian]

24. To Each his own . . .

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. But you are also only comparing the price of the 'Ultimate' version, which is probably similar Win2k Enterprise for running businesses. The home edition is only $250. So first, please quit assuming that the Apple Crapintosh software OS that you use on your system is in this business OS league. It isn't.

So, here are a few questions for you:

Why is it that I can go to Target and get a MP3 player for $60 when a comparable IPOD is $350? It wouldn't be that Apple is (gasp) gouging prices would it? Is that insane too?

Or how about the fees for downloading music from the Apple store? Have you taken a look at Apple's profitablility from the venture? Maybe you should check it out. Give me a report.

Do you realize that Bill Gates donates billions of his dollars to fund AIDS and cancer research at levels beyond that capable of most entire's countries? Is that evil of him? How much does Steve Jobs give from his foundation? What? He doesn't have one?

Do you realize that Windows comes with movie editing software, word processing software, Internet connection and use software (browser, email, etc.)?

Do you realize that the software I am talking about purchasing/running on the system is one of thousands of applications that isn't available for a Mac -- in your bundle or otherwise?

[high density]

18. Amazon.com prices / US Dollar

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=125

Here's the price list, as charged by Amazon (full/upgrade):

* Windows Vista Home Basic, $199/$99.95
* Windows Vista Home Premium, $239/$159
* Windows Vista Business, $299/$199
* Windows Vista Ultimate, $399/$259

I know I haven't seen anything yet in Vista that would make me want to shell out $100 or $160 for an upgrade.

[Renew Deal]

21. I can't imagine what kind of upgrade it's going to do.

They re-architect a lot of the user experience. I'd love to know how they move all those files.

[high density]

22. I read about this on ZDNet a while ago

but I can't find the link. I believe they said that in an upgrade install Vista basically renames the Windows XP folder to Windows.old and does a fresh install of Vista. At the end of the Vista install process, it migrates settings and applications from Windows XP over to Vista.

[IChing]

19. If you are thinking about getting a new Mac wait

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has seen its share of the US notebook market double to 12 percent since announcing its first Intel-based notebook, the MacBook Pro, back in January.

In the three-month period ending July 1st, Apple reported record-setting shipments of Mac systems, including nearly 800,000 notebooks -- 75 percent of which the company estimated were Intel-based.

So far, the success of Apple's Intel systems has hinged on a single line of processors, the 32-bit Core Duo series formerly code-named Yonah. But in recent weeks, Intel has rolled-out far more capable chips in its 64-bit line of Core 2 Duo processors, including a mobile variant known by its code-named Merom.

The news has lead to widespread speculation over precisely when and where the new mobile chips will take their seat in Apple's product lines.

According to a source familiar with the Mac maker's plans, the company is slated to receive mass shipments of the new Merom Core 2 Duo processors by the first week of September and plans to be amongst the first PC manufacturers to introduce systems based on the new chips.

Although Intel has been shipping Core 2 Duo processors to system manufacturers since last month, it has been doing so in extremely limited quantities that have not been substantial enough to support new product launches, the source added.

Intel has said that Merom will be available in five different clock speeds, each running on a 667MHz front-side bus. Versions running at 2.0GHz, 2.16GHz, and 2.33GHz will pack a 4MB Level 2 cache and retail in lots of 1000 for $294, $423 and $637 a piece, respectively.
>>>>>>snip apple insider: http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1939