When Microsoft announced the Windows 7 Family Pack option, it said that the three-user bundle of Windows 7 Home Premium would be available only for a limited time.
That time, it appears, is drawing to a close. As noted by WindowsITPro, supplies are drying up fast.
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Amazon.com)
"The Windows 7 Family Pack was introduced as a limited time offer while supplies last in select geographies," Microsoft said in a statement. "Response has been very positive and in some cases, the offer has sold out. "
The company wouldn't say how many copies have sold or how many it allocated for the family pack option. It also said it has no current plans to extend the offer.
Microsoft's own online store appears to be sold out, though those in Orange County, Calif. or Scottsdale, Ariz. could check out the retail spots.
Amazon itself is sold out, although some other sellers are offering it on Amazon's site, but at prices well above its suggested price.
Computer users had been asking Microsoft since the days of Vista and longer to offer a discount to those trying to outfit more than one PC with the latest version of Windows. Microsoft finally confirmed in July that it would have a family pack option.
When it announced full details later that month, though, Microsoft said that the $149 package would be available "while supplies last." At the time I pressed them for more details and the company would not say how many copies it planned to sell nor how long the offer would last.
Apple, by contrast, has offered its Mac OS X family pack since 2002. That version covers up to five computers in a household.
Microsoft plans to offer a substantial discount for college students who want to pick up a copy of Windows 7.
Starting October 1--and for a limited time--those in the U.K. will be able to preorder Windows 7 for 30 British pounds, according to a Microsoft Web site. In a Twitter posting, Microsoft said that U.S. college students will be able to get the software for $30, but the Web site it linked to does not yet have details on the offer.
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"This offer is specifically designed for those students who are not planning to purchase a new PC this year but would still like to take advantage of what Windows 7 offers," a Microsoft representative said. Those who order the software will be able to download it when Windows 7 ships on October 22. Students interested in the deal need a valid college e-mail address.
Microsoft plans similar offers in Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico, France, and Germany, though the prices will vary somewhat.
In the U.S., students can preorder their copy of Windows 7 beginning later Thursday, while those in most other countries where the deal is being offered will have to wait to order until October 22. In most markets, the offer will end on January 3, though it will run longer in some places, such as Australia, where it will be available through the end of March.
The offer was noted earlier by Microsoft enthusiast site Neowin.net.
This is the latest deal from Microsoft, which earlier offered a preorder offer the let users buy the upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium for $49. That deal ended July 11 for those in the U.S. Microsoft is also offering a "family pack" option.
Microsoft said on Wednesday that it is looking into reports of a potential bug in the final version of Windows 7. However, Microsoft's top Windows executive said in a blog posting that the issue appears to be neither widespread, nor the "showstopper" that some are claiming it to be.
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Microsoft)
The issue, noted on several enthusiast sites this week, involves a fairly arcane process used to check for problems in a particular disk. Under certain scenarios, the site suggested Windows 7 would siphon off all the available memory to perform the scan, potentially crashing the system.
One report went so far as to characterize the issue as a potential "showstopper" that might derail the product's launch, while others such as ZDNet's Ed Bott have downplayed the threat.
However, in the discussion on one of the blogs, top Windows executive Steven Sinofsky said that the company is looking into the issue. But, he said that the company hasn't reproduced the crashing issue, nor has it gotten widespread reports of crashes.
"While we appreciate the drama of 'critical bug' and then the pickup of 'showstopper' that I've seen, we might take a step back and realize that this might not have that defcon level," Sinofsky wrote on the site. "Bugs that are so severe as to require immediate patches and attention would have to have no workarounds and would generally be such that a large set of people would run across them in the normal course of using their PC...So far this is not one of those issues."
Microsoft finalized the code for Windows 7 two weeks ago and is preparing to release it to developers in Microsoft's MSDN and Technet programs on Thursday, as well as make it available to some large businesses on Friday. Those plans are continuing, a Microsoft representative said on Wednesday.
The Microsoft representative also confirmed that Sinofsky's comments were authentic and that Microsoft was looking into the issue, but declined to comment further.
REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft said on Friday that it will charge $149 for the family pack version of Windows 7, which allows users to upgrade up to three PCs to the Home Premium edition of the operating system.
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Microsoft)
The software maker had previously said it would offer the family pack, but had not said how much it would charge. (It actually inadvertently confirmed the family pack by referencing it in the licensing terms of a test version of Windows 7 that leaked onto the Internet.) The family pack covers those moving from XP or Vista to Windows 7.
Microsoft also announced pricing for the Windows Anytime Upgrade option, which lets users move from one version of Windows 7 to another.
Microsoft said that the move from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium will cost $79.99. That is one of the key upgrades Microsoft is hoping to sell by convincing Netbook owners that they really want more of the Windows features.
Among the other prices, the move from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional will cost $89.99, while going from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate will cost $139.99. Although that last move is pricey, it still represents a 12 percent drop in the cost of going from Windows Vista Home Premium to Vista Ultimate.
Because the move involves only entering a new product code, Microsoft said the Anytime Upgrade in Windows 7 can be done in as little as 10 minutes. With Vista, the move also required the use of a special Anytime Upgrade disk.
In the U.S. and 11 other countries, upgrade codes can be purchased at a store or online.
Microsoft noted in some of its communications that the family pack is available "while supplies last." Given that Microsoft would seem to be in a position to make as many boxes as it wants, I pressed the software maker to understand how limited this offer will be. A company representative would only say that it is a new offer that Microsoft is testing and declined to elaborate on the time frame or the number of copies it was limited to.
This post was updated at 3:33 p.m. PST with more information about supply.
Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed that it does plan to offer a "family pack" for Windows 7 that can be used on up to three PCs.
The software maker acknowledged the move as part of a blog entry Tuesday afternoon. However, it still isn't saying how much it will charge for the family pack, which allows three installations of the home premium version of Windows 7.
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Microsoft)
The move was hardly a surprise, after Microsoft included references to the family pack as part of licensing terms in a test version of Windows 7 that leaked onto the Internet.
Windows users have been calling for a family pack since before Windows Vista, and Apple has offered a family pack for Mac OS X since 2002. With Vista, Microsoft had a promotion for a time that allowed those who bought a copy of the Ultimate edition to buy up to three copies of Home Premium at a discount. Apple's family pack covers up to five machines.
Earlier this month, Microsoft ran a deal where people in the U.S. could order Windows 7 Home Premium for $49 and Professional edition for $99, but that deal has ended. A similar promotion in Europe is still going on, although it has sold out in some places. Those who bought Windows Vista Ultimate complained that so far Microsoft has yet to offer a discounted way for them to move to Windows 7 Ultimate, feedback that Microsoft has said it is taking under consideration.
Microsoft is expected to announce by the end of July that it has finalized the code for Windows 7. The blog posting on Tuesday discussed the so-called "release to manufacturing" process but did not offer any update on the timing of that stage.
Microsoft appears likely to offer a "Family Pack" version of Windows 7, according to language in a leaked test version of the operating system.
This week enthusiasts started buzzing over wording in the license agreement in the test build that suggests Microsoft will have an option to buy a license for Windows 7 that covers up to three PCs in the same household.
Wording in a leaked test version of Windows 7 suggests that a long-anticipated Family Pack option may become reality.
(Credit: Microsoft)According to blogger Kristan Kenney, the license agreement included with the recently leaked version states that "if you are a 'Qualified Family Pack User', you may install one copy of the software marked as 'Family Pack' on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there."
Microsoft would neither confirm nor deny that it plans to offer the family pack.
"We will continue to work with our partners and expect to have other great offers in the future as we lead up to and beyond general availability," a representative said. "We have nothing to announce at this time."
Since 2002, Apple has offered a Mac OS X family pack that covers up to five Macs in the same house. Microsoft briefly offered a deal with Windows Vista that allowed Vista Ultimate buyers to purchase discounted copies of Vista Home Premium for additional PCs, but discontinued that offer after just a few months.
Vista Ultimate users are already upset that Microsoft's first discount offer for Windows 7 allows for discounted upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional, but offers no upgrade options for them. Microsoft said it may have more offers, but users will have to gamble if they want to skip the current pre-order program.
That option allows $49 upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium and $99 upgrades to Windows 7 Professional. Microsoft said that those deals will be offered only until July 11.
Windows 7 is slated to arrive on store shelves and new PCs on Oct. 22.
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