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Should licensed Vista users get free upgrade to Windows 7?
zridling:
According to Ed Bott, XP users who skipped Vista won't be able to use XP to upgrade to Win7.
Makes sense to OEMs. Not to mention the driver nightmares that would hit XP users. But would a lousy $25 discount kill them?
Carol Haynes:
I don't think he is talking about money Zaine - there seems to be no automatic migration method in the beta.
Sorry but after the Vista fiasco (with even MS saying it is OK to stick with XP until 7 is realeased and offering free upgrades to XP with Vista Business) MS would shoot themselves in the foot if there is no financial incentive to upgrade from XP to Windows 7. The sorts of prices they charge for full versions of Windows it simply would not sell to anyone except the OEM market who would be forced adopters. Businesses in particular (that don't use volume licensing) would ignore it completely.
If MS aren't careful they will end up with a customer base still using Windows XP in 2010 and a big reluctance to move at all to a new version of Windows. It won't happen but they should seriously look at Apple's pricing model.
Personally I think there is a lot to be said for releasing version 7 as a major service pack to Vista (rather like XP SP2 was a major update to XP). They are unlikely to do that though because they will want to kill the name Vista as soon as possible. I bet they don't stick to Windows 7 either. How about Windows XP reloaded - might con enough people into thinking it is a better version of XP ;)
zridling:
[Carol]: It won't happen but they should seriously look at Apple's pricing model.
--- End quote ---
I'd love to hear reasons 'why not' follow Apple's pricing model ($129/single user; $199/5 machine Family pack). But then, OS X doesn't have serial numbers or authentication either. Either way, in this global recession, seems like Microsoft would do well to incentivize any Windows purchase.
Carol Haynes:
Rather than wasting time and energy on copy protection and DRM MS should scrap all those technologies and make Windows cheap enough for home use (and license flexible enough in the home) to make it a no brainer to buy a copy. That would put piracy out of business and make the whole thing so much more user friendly.
If the movie studios don't like it tough - they can always try to introduce a cometing operating system with all the DRM crap included and see if anyone wants to buy it.
zridling:
If the movie studios don't like it tough - they can always try to introduce a cometing operating system with all the DRM crap included and see if anyone wants to buy it.
-Carol Haynes (November 30, 2008, 03:59 PM)
--- End quote ---
;D
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