Getting Windows Vista online
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Microsoft wants to make it easier for you to buy, upgrade and download Windows Vista software online, and is unveiling three new programs to help you do just that. |
The new Windows Anytime Upgrade program applies to customers in North America, Japan and Europe who already have a version of Vista installed on their PC, and lets them upgrade to a premium version of the product at a significant discount to the retail price for the same, boxed, upgrade software.
Microsoft wouldn't be Microsoft if they didn't make sure that when you start your Vista PC, this offer to upgrade pops up at you. But Bill Manion, the director of marketing for consumer and small business on the Windows client team, tells me that you can easily stop the offer from popping up again.
And worry not! Should you change your mind later and decide you do want to upgrade to another version of Vista, the Windows Anytime Upgrade option is conveniently included in the Vista Start menu.
The suggested retail prices to upgrade online to the premium editions of Windows Vista under the program are: $79 from Home Basic to Home Premium; $199 from Home Basic to Ultimate; $159 from Home Premium to Ultimate; and $139 from Business to Ultimate.
So as not to upset its OEM and retail partners, Microsoft has also developed a new e-commerce infrastructure that allows them to offer Windows Anytime Upgrade as online merchants.
If you live in North America, have multiple PCs in your household, and are willing to cough up some $399 for a retail copy of Vista Ultimate, the Windows Vista Family Discount could be helpful.
This promotion, which runs from January 30 through June 30, lets you buy two additional licenses for the Vista Home Premium Upgrade product at $49.99 each, a discount of more than 60 percent of the estimated retail price of $159 for the boxed, upgrade software.
But, before your order will be completed online, you will have to enter a valid Vista Ultimate key.
Microsoft will also, in a first for Windows and Office, make Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office release available for direct download via Windows Marketplace, an online destination for buying software that runs on Windows.
These downloads will use the digital locker technology, which also securely stores purchased software and license keys, resumes downloads if they are interrupted, and manages the overall installation process.
Asked why Microsoft was adding Vista and Office 2007 for sale through Windows Marketplace now, Manion told me that a number of factors had come together to make this possible.
The simultaneous release of the two products, combined with the fact that, since it relaunched Windows Marketplace last August, Microsoft has also gained experience with the download of very large files by consumers, mostly multi-gigabyte gaming downloads, as well as the security and ease-of-use of the digital locker download experience, had all combined to make this possible now.
"In addition, analyst firm IDC is predicting a 34 percent annual growth rate in electronically downloadable software through 2009, while Gartner is predicting that 80 percent of all consumer software will be delivered electronically by 2008," he told me.
The 32- and 64-bit English-only upgrade editions that will be available on Windows Marketplace from Jan. 30 are: Vista Business, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Ultimate, Office Home and Student 2007, and Office Professional 2007.
Comments (9)
Eventually we all must come to Windows, it is inevitable.
Posted by Jeffrey Fallang | January 19, 2007 12:39 AM
Is there going to be Windows XP to Vista special upgrade pricing?
John
Posted by John | January 22, 2007 7:45 PM
...i don't get the only can reload 2 times idea, or did I miss something.
I'm constantly reformatting my computer once a year or some of my test one's downstairs more then that. I found that Office can only be reinstalled 12 times. Well, what's the sense of buys a product that has limited shelf life.
But I guess 5 years from now, people will be saying "ewwww, you still running XP?", just like we do for those with Win2k or 98.
Posted by tomax7 | January 22, 2007 11:31 PM
If I was to buy the v i s t a, I want to be able to re install it as many times as I want on my computer. I also do a flat line on my computer every six months to clean out the suckbags.
Sence money O soft holds all the cards and gives us the two joke cards, we will have to pop tranks and take it without a reach around.
The new generation is bent on everyone else running there daily living, this is what we will have to live with.
As far as a new os, who has the time to learn something new while we are all poping tranks and working 48/7 on a 24/7 time day.
Have a nice day.
The Gazebo!
Posted by Gazebo | January 23, 2007 11:50 AM
Will there by a special upgrade pricing from Windows XP Pro to the equivalent in Vista?
Posted by Dorothy | January 24, 2007 8:28 PM
Will there be an upgrade from Windows XP PRo to the equivalent in Vista?
Posted by Dorothy B. | January 24, 2007 8:31 PM
http://www.winsupersite.com/vista/
Has been great for looking at vista and the "what's in the box" mentality....
Posted by Rhino | January 24, 2007 8:48 PM
Mr. Peter Galli:Thank you for the informative article on getting Windows Vista upgrades online. You should mention that Windows Marketplace & the "digital locker" does not accept payment by credit card unless it is a U.S. card and the buyer has a U.S. address.My only complaint is that you quote prices in the format of "$139" for example. When will you, and thousands of other U.S. companies, finally come to realize that quoting a price with a dollar symbol means almost nothing to the rest of the world. There is life and even e-commerce beyond the geographic boundaries of the U.S.A.If the price is in U.S. dollars, not Canada dollars (CAD), Australia dollars (AUD), New Zealand dollars (NZD), Bahamas dolars (BSD), or any other currency called "dollars," please use the international format "139 USD."Thank you
Posted by MouthyCanuck | September 12, 2007 2:37 PM
My brother brought the SONY VAIN VGNN320E laptop with vista OS in US and the activation is expired and now i tring to activate with my product key & it was not working. give me some help tips to me to activate my VISTA OS.
Posted by pawana kumar | November 8, 2007 1:27 AM