It's official! Windows 7 goes on-sale in the U.S. on October 22nd. Other good news is the cost. The price for the eagerly-awaited successor to Windows Vista is coming down. In the U.S., you'll only pay $119.99 for Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade, as opposed to the current list price for Vista Home Premium Upgrade, $129.99.
Estimated prices for Windows 7 Retail Products in the U.S. are as follows:
- Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
- Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99
- Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
- Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
- Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99
Furthermore, you can currently pre-order Windows 7 from participating retailers at a 50% discount. The Windows 7 Pre-Order Offer allows customers in the U.S. to order Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99 or Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99.99. Windows 7 Ultimate is not part of the program.
Current versions of Windows Vista correspond to versions of Windows 7 as follows:
Windows Vista Home Premium -> Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows Vista Business -> Windows 7 Professional
Windows Vista Ultimate -> Windows 7 Ultimate
You'll have to act fast, however. The offer ends July 11, 2009 or while supplies last, whichever comes first.
While this is good news for early adopters and holiday shoppers, people who need to buy a new PC now, such as for back-to-school, are wondering if they'll have to shell out $120 or more to upgrade to Windows 7 in a few months. The answer is: it depends.
Last week, Microsoft launched the Windows 7 Upgrade Option program. If you buy a new PC equipped with Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate between now and the end of January, you might be able to receive an upgrade to the corresponding version of Windows 7 at little or no cost.
I say "might," because the program only applies to eligible PCs, and eligibility varies by manufacturer and model.
In essence, the manufacturer has to "eat" the cost of the upgrade, so some PC makers might not participate in the program. Furthermore, even among those who do, some models might not provide enough margin and could be excluded.
You have to be on your toes. Check the package and/or accompanying documentation carefully, question the merchant, or contact the PC manufacturer before you buy a new PC. The make/model you're considering might not qualify.
Users planning to upgrade should also be aware that a true, in-place upgrade to Windows 7 is only possible with Windows Vista. If your computer is running Windows XP, upgrading to Windows 7 will be like upgrading to Windows Vista. The existing Windows directory will be renamed WINDOWS.OLD, and a "clean install" of Windows 7 commences thereafter. You'll have to re-install all your applications and manually move files from the old installation the wizard doesn't automatically transfer.
Before attempting any upgrade, make sure to backup all of your data and be prepared to reinstall your applications, which means locating the installation media and having license keys or other activation information handy.
Will it be worth the trouble? Most of the IT pros I encounter currently running Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) rave about it. I know some who have even rolled out the release candidate in production environments.
If your PC has hardware capable of running Windows Vista (one or more gigabytes of RAM, adequate hard disk space, a dual core processor, a decent display adapter, a DVD drive, etc.), you'll probably want to move to Windows 7. When in doubt, consult Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
If you own a netbook, like the ASUS Seashell, you might be wondering how you're going to install the Windows 7 upgrade, since most netbooks are too small to have a built-in DVD drive. It's unconfirmed, but reports say Microsoft is thinking about selling Windows 7 on USB drives for this fast-growing PC market segment.
Microsoft wants Windows 7 to be widely adopted -- and quickly. Rest assured if there's any way to coax users to abandon Windows XP for the latest version, the Redmond, Wa.-based software giant will make it happen.
