Windows Vista retail doomed unless Microsoft cuts prices?

[DR]

According to this you certainly get the MCE capability with Home Premium, so perhaps another way to save a bit of cash for the likes of Kempez etc?

As DR says, the OEM is exceptional value. The retail ain't cheap, but then Windows retail never has been.

Nail head, song sheet (y)

[Bob Crabtree]

Unfortunately people are not posting from experience they are posting from interpretation of the EULA

I've spoken to David about this and what he means is that some people who've bought the OEM "retail" version are telling him that they are indeed able to re-activate it after making wholesale hardware changes - by phoning Microsoft support.

What we don't know, of course, is whether this is permanent or a temporary aberration - but, hopefully, the OEM "retail" versions will turn out to be the solution to the problem of stupidly overpriced retail retail versions of Vista (if you see what I mean!).

Personally, though, I'll be looking to source any OEM "retail" versions I buy for private use from the USA - because I suspect that the differential between the UK and USA even on these versions is more than I will be able to stomach.

That said, I can't even find any sites in the USA showing me the cost of Vista OEM!

Any one got any suggestions?

[kempez]

And still I want Ultimate, which I shall get from the US

If Microsoft were to at least get close to US prices for the UK then I'd get a UK version

[Koolpc]

The price difference is a joke. I hope they will re-think them.

[kempez]

Bob Amazon had them up at @ $395 but have since taken them down

[Koolpc]

My mate said that over at Overclockers they are saying that Microsoft are going to be much stricter with the OEM Re-activation rule!! We will have to wait and see i suppose.

[excalibur2]

You don't know that, of course.

Until, that is, you click on the button that MS provides with each update to tell you more.

Or hadn't you noticed that?

.....and MS has never slipped something in, in the back door.

[dangel]

.....and MS has never slipped something in, in the back door.

Don't be silly - MS stuff is heavily monitored by the wider community - any 'backdoors' would be discovered and outed resulting in disaster for MS.

[5lab]

on a related note - anyone know when the beta licences for vista expire? march/april ring a bell but i'm not sure..

[Nick]

Think it was around then...

On another note, who's going for the superb Office 2007 pack as well?

[Koolpc]

On another note, who already has Office 2007?

[excalibur2]

On another note, who already has Office 2007?

My son and I..........it came out about 3 months ago for a 6 months trial. He has used it a lot for letters and has saved it all in the new file format, so I said to him are you going to buy it for about £300 when MS disable it after the trial expires.............huh so he had to open each file and re-save in the old word format, and he has free open office ready to use.

[Bob Crabtree]

Bob Amazon had them up at @ $395 but have since taken them down

Thanks for that but are you sure about that being the price for OEM "retail", rather than retail retail?

In the story I wrote on August 29, the prices that Amazon USA was quoting for retail product were:

1. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $399.00 Available for Pre-order

2. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $239.00 Available for Pre-order

3. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $259.00 Available for Pre-order

4. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $159.00 Available for Pre-order

5. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $215.00 Available for Pre-order

6. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $99.95 Available for Pre-order

7. Microsoft Windows Vista Business Upgrade Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $179.00 Available for Pre-order

8. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $89.95 Available for Pre-order

9. Microsoft Windows Vista Business Upgrade DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $199.00 Available for Pre-order

10. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $179.00 Available for Pre-order

11. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $359.00 Available for Pre-order

12. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $143.00 Available for Pre-order

13. VistaPro Renderer (Windows 2000 / 95 / 98 / Me / XP) [Odd man out. Not a copy of Vista!]
Buy new: $40.00 In Stock
Used & new from $19.90

14. Microsoft Windows Vista Business Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $269.00 Available for Pre-order

15. Microsoft Windows Vista Business DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $299.00 Available for Pre-order

16. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade Microsoft License Pack Additional License (Windows XP)
Buy new: $233.00 Available for Pre-order

17. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic DVD-Rom (Windows XP)
Buy new: $199.00 Available for Pre-order

[geo]

Microsoft will be offering buyers in those two countries a couple of further copies of the same version at an ultra-low price - $49.99 each - and will do so until June 30?

Mmm, I thot it was "buy Ultimate and get up to two Home Premium" for that discounted price? Which isn't as good a deal, obviously. If you need Ultimates, you need Ultimates. . .and if you don't, then they've jiggered you for an extra $100 (upgrade pricing) off the top.

[kempez]

That's what I saw on on Amazon's site...why would it only differ $5 to that you quoted and yet be an OEM Retail?

[Bob Crabtree]

That's what I saw on on Amazon's site...why would it only differ $5 to that you quoted and yet be an OEM Retail?

Weird!