We now know for sure the
sort of prices at which Windows Vista is going to sell in the UK - SCAN
Computers
having got Microsoft's permission to start taking orders and
immediately ship 32-bit and 64-bit OEM versions and sell retail
versions, full and upgrade, for shipping on the official launch day, January 30.
Retail versions look just as expensive as we feared - see this
HEXUS.lifestyle.opinion,
Windows
Vista retail doomed unless Microsoft cuts prices.
However, the OEM versions are far more reasonable, as
you'll see from the lists of prices below, but do have to be bought at
the same time as a qualifying piece of hardware - though this can be a
"non-peripheral computer hardware component".
SCAN's VAT-inclusive
prices for OEM versions:
Home Basic -
32-bit, £55.92; 64-bit, £56.98
Home Premium - 32-bit, £70.93; 64-bit,
£72.09
Business - 32-bit, £89.69; 64-bit, £91.04
Ultimate - 32-bit, £121.21; 64-bit,
£122.47
SCAN's VAT-inclusive
prices for Vista retail (with 32-bit and 64-bit
versions supplied in pack):
Home Basic -
£166.98; upgrade £84.53
Home Premium - £198.00; upgrade £133.41
Business - £246.05; upgrade £162.52
Ultimate - £330.53; upgrade £217.32
SCAN's
site includes the following extract from Microsoft's
OEM agreement,
PLEASE NOTE : The OEM agreement
for Microsoft OEM SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION.
If the individual software license is a desktop operating system
(including Windows XP Media Center Edition), we grant you a
nonexclusive right to distribute individual software licenses; provided
that each one is distributed with either (a) a fully assembled computer
system or (b) a nonperipheral computer hardware component.
A “fully assembled computer system” means a
computer system consisting of at least a central processing unit, a
motherboard, a hard drive, a power supply, and a case.
A “nonperipheral computer hardware component” means
a component that will be an integral part of the fully assembled
computer system on which the individual software license will be
installed.
Significantly, if the informed speculation in this
HEXUS.community thread
is correct, the "retail" OEM versions (if we can call them that) will
not be restricted for use with just a single PC, as are the hard-coded
OEM versions typically supplied with ready-built systems.
Instead - and like retail versions - it appears likely that they can
still be used if PCs are massively upgraded and also
migrated to completely different PCs.
This follows a change of heart by Microsoft - see,
this HEXUS.hardline,
PC
enthusiasts' clamour gets major change in Windows Vista EULA
and the preceeding HEXUS.opinion,
Microsoft
Vista EULA spits in the eye of self-builders worldwide.
While the OEM prices do make a move to Vista far more affordable,
there's still no sign yet that Microsoft will be offering UK consumers
anything comparable to the 'Windows Vista Family Discount'
scheme. This will allow US and Canadian purchasers of
Vista retail to buy two further copies of the same
version until June
30 at an ultra-low price - $49.99 each.
Similarly, Microsoft hasn't yet said whether we'll be able to partake
of two other schemes offered to our cousins on the other side of the
pond.
One is a
series of online upgrades (from Microsoft-selected resellers) for Vista
users wishing to move up to better versions, as detailed below.
Microsoft suggested
prices - Vista-to-Vista version upgrades:
Home Basic to Home Premium
$79
Home Basic to Ultimate $199
Home Premium to Ultimate $159
Business to Ultimate $139
The other is an online buy-and-download scheme for complete versions of
Vista offered on the Windows Marketplace - again from
Microsoft-selected resellers - and where residents of the USA and
Canada will also be able to buy and download the Standard, Pro and
Home-and-Student versions of Microsoft Office 2007.
So, some good news and some not so good.
We've already got some lively discussions going in the HEXUS.community
about Vista pricing, so feel free to share your
thoughts in
this
thread.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community
::
discussion
thread about Vista pricing
Scan
support forum on HEXUS.community ::
Vista
- Now Shipping OEM
HEXUS.lifestyle.opinions
::
Windows
Vista retail doomed unless Microsoft cuts prices
HEXUS.lifestyle.headlines
::
Windows
Vista to be delayed again, according to MS (yeah, it
looks like we were wrong!)
HEXUS.lifestyle.headlines
::
Further
delay for Vista consumer launch looks ever more likely (and
here, too)
HEXUS.lifestyle.headlines
::
Amazon
lists prices & Jan 30 availability for Windows Vista
HEXUS.opinions
::
Microsoft
Vista EULA spits in the eye of self-builders worldwide
HEXUS.hardlines
::
PC
enthusiasts' clamour gets major change in Windows Vista EULA
HEXUS.hardlines
::
Outrage
at UK/US Vista price difference
HEXUS.hardlines
::
Microsoft
proud to hand over Vista 'features' early (but you'll
laugh at this one!)
External.links
SCAN Computers -
Vista
(and Office) buying page
Microsoft USA -
Vista
home page
Microsoft USA -
Windows
Vista Family Discount (
not
live as of Jan 23, 07)
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HEXUS.community :: your right2reply
I'm not one for posting petitions since I think their a fruitless venture most of the time (the government will do what they like at the end of the day and they gain more tax from a more expensive product anyway) however some might want to sign it so here is the link:Clicky Linky (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/VistaOvercharge/)
News Source (http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=38294)Quote
Gates will be like:
"Why are you talking to me about your issue's....I don't deal with small Principality's"Quote
I purchased Premium Vista OEM on the release day. It was £85 (or there abouts) from overclockers.co.uk
Not too bad really I suppose, but it's crazy how the americans get their software cheap just because they have a weak dollar.
Am I right in saying that when I come to upgrade my motherboard and CPU (which I'm now wanting to because Vista is so damned slow) I will need to buy ANOTHER license? How will it know I've got new hardware?Quote
Just signed that petition. It's bloody outrageous.
I purchased Premium Vista OEM on the release day. It was £85 (or there abouts) from overclockers.co.uk
Not too bad really I suppose, but it's crazy how the americans get their software cheap just because they have a weak dollar.
Am I right in saying that when I come to upgrade my motherboard and CPU (which I'm now wanting to because Vista is so damned slow) I will need to buy ANOTHER license? How will it know I've got new hardware?
I've yet to see anything definitive about what will happen when OEM users upgrade their hardware and attempt to use the same copy of Vista.
I had originally thought that this would not be possible with any OEM versions but, as I think has been said already in this thread, there are two types of OEM version.
Some people are saying that the version you have, the retail OEM version, will let you upgrade your hardware and use the same copy of the OS - although doing that will likely require you to call MS (as part of the OS verification).
However, until someone comes on here and says - yes, I've done that with the retail OEM version (or I read it elsewhere), I simply can't confirm what the score will be with your copy of Vista.
However, it is probably the case that the other OEM version (can't remember how it's being described - but I think it's for use by big corporations and BIG system builders) won't let you use the same copy of the OS when you upgrade your hardware.
Again, though, that's simply the theory - I've not yet read anywhere of any first-hand experiences that show that this is actually the case.Quote
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