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.
Microsoft promised that by purchasing the pricey Ultimate edition of Vista users would get all kinds of extras.
However, for many, those extras turned out to be little more than a few screensavers and a poker game, prompting some significant grousing.
Now, that frustration has turned to anger after Microsoft offered its pre-order program for Windows 7. Through July 11, Microsoft is offering a steep discount for those moving to cheaper versions of Windows 7, but nothing for those who want to stay on Ultimate. Under the terms of Microsoft's discount pre-order program, users can buy an upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional at roughly half the list price, but the Ultimate version is offered at the full $219 price.
Among the versions of Windows Vista Ultimate that Microsoft sold was this limited-edition package signed by Bill Gates.
(Credit: Amazon.com)John Dabarno, a purchaser from Montreal, said that Microsoft is alienating exactly the wrong crowd. Dabarno notes that he is the person that friends and family turn to for computer advice. Indeed he has already pre-ordered Windows 7 copies to update his wife's desktop and laptop, but feels stuck on what to do with his Vista Ultimate machine.
"It would just be nice to have someone like Microsoft to say we know we did you wrong, here is a freebie on us, or let the Vista Ultimate users get some type of heavily discounted price on it," Dabarno said. "I think they would gain a lot of respect from all of their users with an offering like this, after Vista."
Lindsey Mundy, a corporate IT pro in Denver said that, as a consumer, she was particularly irked by Microsoft's actions with regard to Vista Ultimate.
"Vista Ultimate owners have already been ripped off once in paying for basically worthless 'Extras,'" she said. Now to rub salt in the wound, MS is leaving them out...for some reason best only known to them, when offering a reasonable upgrade price for Windows 7."
Some are taking the attitude of "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" and going with the pre-order and just downgrading to Windows 7 Pro or Home Premium. That's doable, but those who go that route will need to do a clean installation of their operating system--a process that involves backing up data and then reinstalling applications.
Among those leaning that way is Steven Wilczynski of Chicago.
"When I bought my PC about 18 months ago it came with a free upgrade to Vista Ultimate," he said in an e-mail. "I don't think it would be worthwhile to spend $219 in October to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate."
Others are still trying to figure out what to do.
"I have two copies of Vista Ultimate and I certainly do not want to do a clean install of (Windows) 7 Professional or pay the full price for 7 Ultimate," said Richard Wilbur, who works in clinical research in Clearwater, Fla., and notes he has been loyal to Microsoft since the days of MS-DOS. "They should be giving us the upgrade free considering the broken promises surrounding Vista Ultimate."
For its part, Microsoft isn't being too helpful. While the company hasn't announced any discounts for Vista Ultimate owners, it's not ruling them out either. But users have only until July 11 to take advantage of Microsoft's pre-order discount on Windows 7 Professional or Home Premium.
"This is the first of the offers and there will be more to come, but we can't get into specifics on any of that yet," a Microsoft representative told CNET News.
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