Microsoft alters Windows 7 pricing for Europe
Microsoft said Monday that it plans in a week to end an offer that allowed those buying Windows 7 in Europe to get the full version of the operating system for the price normally charged for the upgrade version.
Those who want to pre-order the full version for the upgrade price have until Aug. 31 to do so, Microsoft said in a blog posting. After Sept. 1, users will be able to order an upgrade version or pay a higher price for the full version, which does not require an earlier version of Windows be installed.
(Credit:
Microsoft)
The discounted full version dates back to Microsoft's original plan to deliver Windows 7 in Europe in a special "E" version without a browser. At that time, Microsoft said it would not do an upgrade version, but would instead offer the full version of Windows 7 at upgrade pricing.
However, amid widespread criticism and indications the browserless options wouldn't fly with European regulators, Microsoft said last month it would scrap that plan and instead allow users in Europe to choose which browsers they want from a ballot screen.
Microsoft said it is still working out the details on that front. "I hope to continue to keep people updated on our ballot screen proposal as we have more to share," Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc said in Monday's posting.
As for the pricing, it varies by country, but Microsoft said it will offer a discounted rate on Windows 7 Home Premium upgrades for the remainder of 2009.
For now, in Britain, for example, the full version costs 99 British Pounds ($162). After Sept. 1 and through the end of the year, Microsoft will sell the upgrade version for 79 pounds ($130), while the full version will sell for 149 pounds ($245). Next year and beyond, the upgrade will sell for 99 pounds and the full version will be 149 pounds.
Microsoft also said on Monday that it will extend, for a time, a family pack option for Windows 7 to eight European countries-- the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Microsoft already announced plans to offer the family pack in the United States and Canada.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Are European's ever satisfied? Maybe Microsoft should plan to scrap selling windows in Europe...Or just tell them to Eff off and go play some Cricket. Knowone besides the EU REALLY cares about IE being an integral part of windows. Use IE to go get Firefox or whatever..Its called an installer. Get Some!
Don't they have bigger problems like poverty, hunger, crime?
Reminds me how politicians here are trying to protect private health insurance companies
I don't remember Microsoft ever stoppng you or anyone else from downloading other browers if they want to. Firefox has over 20% market share, and it didn't take the EU to force anyone to download Firefox at gun point to do it.
@ cougar888: "but I do web development and anything that gets people to switch off of IE and its lack of standards-compliance is a good thing."
The EU forcing Microsoft to put a screen with other browsers is about as relevant as the Green Party in a US presidential elections. For your information, China, India and the rest of Asia already have more people on the internet than the whole of Europe, and predictions are for Asia to vastly outpace the EU in both the number of people on the internet, and the growth rate. The EU's total market share of internet users has only one place to go, and that is DOWN!
The inward looking bigots of the EU bureacracy can go throw themselves off a very high cliff for all I care.
@ cougar888: " I get mad at my siblings whenever I see them using IE and they only do it because they don't realize that there is better out there"
Given that, it's almost certain you have repeatedly told your "sibblings" about all these oh so wonderful other browsers out there, and they are still using IE8, did it occur to you by any chance, that they CHOSE to use IE out of personal choice(like I do), and they are not as stupid as you make them out to be?
I agree
the EU is just trying to rescue a failed attempt at a browser
@cougar
if you get mad at your siblings for their choice of browser, you got serious problems
Football or as you American like to call it Soccer would of been a better example.
"I don't remember Microsoft ever stoppng you or anyone else from downloading other browers if they want to. Firefox has over 20% market share, and it didn't take the EU to force anyone to download Firefox at gun point to do it. "
That is EXACTLY why I said "I don't have a problem using IE to download another browser." As a technically competent person, It the current US solution works fine for me.
@Kwasiowusu: "The EU forcing Microsoft to put a screen with other browsers is about as relevant as the Green Party in a US presidential elections."
True, but I'll take anything that helps either reduce IE market share or encourages Microsoft to support standards. (I don't have any problems with Microsoft as a company. I use a lot of their stuff, it is just that every time I write a web application I have to find out 10 different hacks to make it work/look remotely similar on IE.)
@Kwasiowusu: "Given that, it's almost certain you have repeatedly told your "sibblings" about all these oh so wonderful other browsers out there, and they are still using IE8, did it occur to you by any chance, that they CHOSE to use IE out of personal choice(like I do), and they are not as stupid as you make them out to be?"
They don't "choose" to use IE. Just like almost everyone, they are creatures of habit. They are so used to using IE that it is practically a muscle-memory to open it. The reason the other browser doesn't stick is for a few reasons. First, I only see my siblings every few weeks and I only help them with their computer every few months. So they quickly forget the 2-second conversation we had when I said, "I put a new browser on you machine, so when you wan't to use the internet, click this instead." The second reason is that they forget what the new browser is called. They often tell me, "I was trying to find that thing you installed, but I couldn't remember what it was called so I just used the blue 'E'". The more technically competent siblings have switched just fine and never looked back (unfortunately, most of the world is not technically competent).
If you like using IE over something as fast/stable as chrome,safari or firefox, that is your choice. I have no problem putting some code in my pages to make sure the User-Agent isn't IE for people like you. It is the actual normal people that only use IE because they don't know better that I want to switch.
The EU is preserving competition to allow better products in their market.
Look what happened because of the USA's decision to allow Microsoft to bundle their browser.
No development for six years.
Wake up America.
The EU is making sure that the Web is not dominated by a crappy browser.
What they are doing is good for the Web.
BTW, I am not European or American, so no bias on my part, just common sense.
It won't.
The EU tried the same tack with the Real Player versus Windows Media Player a few years back. Where is Real Player's market share today?
The point is, the EU's market share of computers that are connected to the internet is just going to keep falling as a percentage of the total of those online worldwide. China is going to overtake the US in annual PC saes in another couple of years, and most of those PC's are going to have IE pre-installed, and they they are going to come online using IE. What is the EU going to do about that? The Chinese don't take crap from a bunch of imperialist Europeans who colonized and brutlaized China for centuries.
@ cougar888 :"They don't "choose" to use IE."
Of course they do.
If their technically savy relative keeps telling them to download what he calles a "much better browser", and they still keep ignoring him, and krep using IE, then they have chosen to use IE.
@ cougar888 :" Just like almost everyone, they are creatures of habit"
No one uses something from habit, when it's clearly "inferior", and there is an easily available "much better" alternative for free, and all it takes is the click of button to get that "much better" alternative.
Again, consumers are not as stupid as the open source crazies, and the Appple nuts make them out to be.
The fact that most consumers don't use your browser that you consider "superior", doesn't make said consumers stupid.
I wouldn't use Firefox if I had a gun pointed at my head, and I consider myself much smarter, and better informed than most of the open source idiots I see on here.
Looks like the resident Apple troll is still spewing out garbage..as usual. So what's new?
.
@ t8 August : "The EU is preserving competition to allow better products in their market."
The EU is preserving nuthin'.
No one has ever stopped Firefox or Opera or whatever from being downloaded onto a Windows PC. All it takes is the click of a button. With nearly everyone having braodband these days, it takes but a few minutes to download any browser you want. Firefox claim thay have had to the tune of a massive ONE BILLION Firefox downloads..alll done without ANY intervention by the EU vermin
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10301013-92.html?tag=mncol
@ t8 August :"Look what happened because of the USA's decision to allow Microsoft to bundle their browser. No development for six years."
I suggest you check your history, before you open your mouth and prove to everything exactly hw ignoramt ant cluless you really are.
@ t8 August : "BTW, I am not European or American, so no bias on my part, just common sense. "
Only Americans and Europeans have bias?
And you are neither American nor European so its impossible for you to have bias?
What kind of kind of stupid illogical nonsense is that?
This is coming from a charcter of dubious antecedents, that is notorious on this site for being an anti-Microsoft troll?
This will probably boost new hardware sales, since it would be cheaper in the long run to get a new PC than to upgrade an older one. That means more electronics will end up in landfills. Another FAIL of the EU fools.
Competition is good and gives the public great products.
Lack of competition and you have IE6 which had no development work for 6 years.
Wake up!
If Microsoft had a hall of fame, it would probably include, win3.1 (1992), win98 (1998) and winXP (2001) Will win7 change Microsofts fortune!, or is it for disgruntled Vista users!.
Say no and go for Android. It is better and free too.
You do know that is a PhoneOS right?
Did you mean Google Chrome? The So Called "OS" from Goog? Its not an OS at all, its a browser. Google isnt in the business of making OS's, and if they were, they wouldnt "make" it at all.
Hey look everyone. Its (yet) another Linux Distro with Googles name all over it..Kindof like NextSteP and OpenBSD being branded with an Apple logo!
I stick with Microsoft since they actually create Operating Systems
</Sarcasm>
- by JBDragon August 27, 2009 12:45 AM PDT
- I've downloaded and tried out Firefox, Opera, and others, and you know what? I'm using IE!! Yep, that's right. I happen to LIKE Internet Explorer. I REALLY like IE 8!!!
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(20 Comments)Windows is MS software and they should be able to have their own Browser on it, and not FORCED to have other company's Browsers on THEIR Disc!!! That's just B.S How come APPLE doesn't have to do that??? How come other Company's software doesn't have their Competition's software on their disc also!!!! MS should have just sold WINDOWS without IE8 on it, along with Windows LIVE Mail and Media Player and a few other things, and then Sell it on another Disc, for another $30, and say this is what the EU has cost you for their B.S. If it's NOT INCLUDED then there's ZERO problems. See you have to leave ALL that extra stuff out of Windows, if you don't, they'll get you for something else just so they can get a nice HUGE paycheck from MS!!! When it's on a second Disc for $30, it's no longer FREE. It's no longer bundled. Plus any company can Sell their own Disc for Firefox or whatever else. for a Browser. The PC company's can Easily have a striped Windows Installed, and throw in a Disc of whatever Browser you want at a cost. So it's not like you can't get onto the Internet.
No way should MS have to have Competitors Software on their Disc. You know what. MS isn't stopping any other company to make their own Operating System. It's not cheap to do. Make one better then Windows that people want and it'll sell. Look at the different O.S. on Cell Phones. Competition there. Not like MS stopped them, even though I like Windows Mobile for the most part., how many are their now, 3,4,5 different Cell Phone O.S.'s?
This is just a way to STEAL more money from MS for themselves. That's what it is!!! We the end users are footing their bill with Higher Costs. MS been getting sued for years. Lots of money going out every year and someone is paying for it. Wonder why the software costs so much. If Apple had to fight B.S. like this all the time, their costs would go why up also. Those Service Packs your paying for would double in price!!! It's always just fine when it's the other guy until it happens to YOU!!!