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Vista Home Basic: $199/$99.95, Vista Ultimate: $399/$259

For those that have been waiting for Microsoft's long-delayed Windows Vista operating system, pricing for the company's first consumer OS release since Windows XP in 2001 has been leaked. Ed Bott's Microsoft Report initially discovered that Microsoft's Canadian site had revealed pricing for the numerous Vista SKUs. However, later in the day, US pricing was found on Amazon's website.

For those looking to jump on the Vista bandwagon, here are the prices listed (full/upgrade):

  • Windows Vista Home Basic, $199/$99.95
  • Windows Vista Home Premium, $239/$159
  • Windows Vista Business, $299/$199
  • Windows Vista Ultimate, $399/$259

Even more interesting is that Amazon lists the shipping date as January 30 2007. The corporate line has been that Microsoft is aiming for a January retail launch for Vista. Bill Gates has even been quoted as saying that there was an 80% chance that Vista would ship in January. If this launch date provided by Amazon is any indication, Microsoft looks to be sticking to its guns as far as the January launch is concerned.

Vista means big business for Microsoft so it wants to make sure that it gets the launch perfect. The company has announced that it is investing a total of nearly $1 billion USD into the launch of Windows and Office and the latest build, 5536, has been well received by testers and the press.

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Ya OK...
By Tsuwamono on 8/29/06, Rating: 0
RE: Ya OK...
By IamKindaHungry on 8/29/2006 10:45:56 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
If they payed me those prices to run their crappy product i might install it but if it isnt free or better im for sure not getting it. I will stick with my XP and linux since all Vista is is a system hog pretty version of XP. I see no reason to upgrade at this time.


Sigh.. every new MS OS release brings out the same statements...

Funny though everyone called XP a "system hog pretty version of win2k"... two weeks after its launch the same people who bitched and whined were the same ones bragging about having XP...

Fact is... you WILL get Vista, you WILL like Vista and then you will come here brag about it and be completely oblivious to your own hypocrisy...


RE: Ya OK...
By EODetroit on 8/29/2006 2:35:44 PM , Rating: 2
Fact is I still run Windows 2000. Ok... I have another box that runs XP, but I haven't bought another XP copy to replace my perfectly good 2000 OS. I don't think I'll buy Vista at all, stick with 1 box running XP and another running 2000 for a few more years. Vista simply doesn't have any new features I want. Neither did XP, but when I put together a 2nd box, it made sense to buy XP at that point instead of another 2000 license.


RE: Ya OK...
By The Boston Dangler on 8/29/2006 8:23:35 PM , Rating: 2
"Fact is... you WILL get Vista, you WILL like Vista and then you will come here brag about it and be completely oblivious to your own hypocrisy..."

IamKindaHungry, I promise you I will not be installing Vista on my own PC's, ever. Once XP runs out of steam, Linux here I come. As for hypocrisy, save that for the Apple fans.


RE: Ya OK...
By ToeCutter on 8/30/2006 8:56:37 AM , Rating: 2
Hehe, yeah, quite a few folks were bitching when XP came out. But, I think things are different this time around.

XP did offer quite a few improvements over Win2K and was overall a much smoother OS. Driver support was dramatically improved even in early builds of XP. This doesn't seem to be the case with Vista. I mean seriously, what are we getting with Vista? DX10 and an assload of DRM? I just don't see anything new here besides a flashy interface, most of which can be duped with WindowsBlinds, etc.

When it comes down to brass tacks, what are we getting for the coin? I don't thinnk anyone can confidently answer that question. And $400 for Ultimate? That'll leave quite a few deciding: Do I want Vista or a new video card?

I can say that I'm far more geeked about getting my hands on the new Mac I just ordered. Perhaps things will change by the time Vista rolls out, but I'm not too excited about it now.

I'm sure not excited about discovering what hardware won't work with Vista when it ships due to driver support. Despite the promises made by MS, I'm sure we'll all be waiting 6 months for reliable drivers, so this upgrade is WAY out on my schedule.


RE: Ya OK...
By drwho9437 on 9/1/2006 7:26:29 PM , Rating: 2
I dl the test of Vista, and yes it should be better for the novice not getting spyware and it def has some good under the hood improvments too. But the fact is I don't need much of what it offers. In fact the biggest things pushing me toward vista are some programs that don't support win2k anymore (adobe lightroom for instance) and 64 bit support which while not needed now will perhaps become useful within the next OS cycle.


Expensive
By BuddyHolly on 8/29/2006 9:49:33 AM , Rating: 4
Hmm, I know these prices will drop slightly over time, but does this seem a bit steep for something that does not, at least on paper, appear to be much more than a slight upgrade for Windows XP?




RE: Expensive
By Lazarus Dark on 8/29/2006 11:02:57 AM , Rating: 2
well...you will need this to play halo 2 on your pc. pfft-hahaha. but seriously, i need a full review of actual retail version before i consider this, cause as previously stated this looks like little more than a prettier xp. winfs is coming to xp now right? so... why do i need to upgrade? even an oem version of super-mega-ultimate-vista is gunna be like $300 right? even $200 seems expensive compared to the $130 i paid for my oem xp pro.


RE: Expensive
By MrDiSante on 8/29/06, Rating: 0
RE: Expensive
By CKDragon on 8/29/2006 11:46:02 AM , Rating: 3
Little did I know that hard drive file structure = North American video standard.

NTSC != NTFS


RE: Expensive
By Assimilator87 on 8/29/2006 12:25:41 PM , Rating: 2
Wow, I got my XP PRO OEM for $80. The $399 retail for the Ultimate Edition is pretty steep. This is really gonna cut into the budget of my next build.


Way too expensive
By dgingeri on 8/29/2006 12:48:54 PM , Rating: 2
OK, so MS lists the retail full version of WinXP Pro as $299 and it can be found, OEM version, for as little as $115 right now, and was about $140 at the time of release. (I know that because I got mine release day for that.)

Win Vista Ultimate full version is $399 according to MS, so that means it could be around $190-$210 for the OEM full version? Nope. Ultimate will only be available retail box. So you pay full price ($399) or you don't get it. That sucks big time.

The business version will be missing any gaming capabilities and the home version will be missing full networking capabilities, so I'd have to go with the Ultimate version. I simply will not pay $399 for a version of Vista that does what my current version of WinXP does now. Once DX10 actually starts getting used, maybe, but certainly not on release day.

This will be the first MS OS that I will miss on release day since DOS 5. They have really upset me with this pricing scheme.

I have also always paid for my Microsoft software, as well as any others. I am a good customer. I am an IT professional. Why would they screw over good customers and IT professionals with such things. I may have to go looking for a way around spending $400 for a stupid OS that has very, very little over it's predecessor.




RE: Way too expensive
By blwest on 8/29/2006 1:14:44 PM , Rating: 3
Get Vista cheap, buy a $299 dell. :)


RE: Way too expensive
By Tebor0 on 8/29/2006 1:30:11 PM , Rating: 2
You do know the difference between retail and OEM licenses right? You going to use Vista on that $299 Dell?


RE: Way too expensive
By Tebor0 on 8/29/2006 1:28:15 PM , Rating: 2
You're right. These prices are way too high and are causing many to question the purchase.

As an IT Professional.... why are you paying retail?


RE: Way too expensive
By QueBert on 8/29/2006 3:35:45 PM , Rating: 2
If the Ultimate version really won't have an OEM version, they won't be getting my money. With the exception of a rare sale, the Win XP retails I see are basically the same price the day it came out. $399 is TOO MUCH! $299 would be too much for me. I could do $250, but that will never happen retail.
way to screw the customer Billy.


Dell, HP, ect must be quite unhappy.
By VooDooAddict on 8/29/2006 10:57:12 AM , Rating: 2
Dell, HP, ect must be quite unhappy.

With this news ... many people will wait to buy a PC till after Christmas. Sure, not everyone. But anyone who has a techie whispering into their ear will wait. And that's sure to knock off a few % points from the end of year PC sales.




RE: Dell, HP, ect must be quite unhappy.
By Teletran1 on 8/29/2006 11:01:32 AM , Rating: 2
I am going to wait until the next release of windows after vista to buy a new computer. That is what some techie told me. Although this eternal waiting strategy hasnt worked out for me considering I am using a 086 and windows 1.0.


By Lazarus Dark on 8/29/2006 11:08:59 AM , Rating: 2
i know what you mean- first i was waiting for cheap dual core to upgrade, then i was waiting for conroe, now i'm waiting for kentsfield. everytime price gets down to where i can upgrade something twice as fast is just around the dam corner.
i think i'll wait to upgrade my OS when MS Windows super-duper-God Version comes out.


RE: Dell, HP, ect must be quite unhappy.
By haris on 8/29/2006 12:13:26 PM , Rating: 2
IIRC I came across an article mentioning that Hardware vendors were trying to push MS into giving free Vista upgrade coupons for people buying PCs this holiday season. Haven't seen anything new about that in weeks, but not holding my breath either.


By vanka on 8/29/2006 3:13:52 PM , Rating: 2
Why not, they did it for XP. True I'm not sure whether it was Microsoft or the vendors that paid for the coupons.


OEM
By microAmp on 8/29/2006 9:55:58 AM , Rating: 2
I'll wait for the pricing of OEM disc. Aren't they usually about the same cost as an upgrade version?




RE: OEM
By Nightmare225 on 8/29/2006 9:59:18 AM , Rating: 2
They're usually quite a bit cheaper. Try checking out the comparisons between the OEMs and Retail XPs now. ;)


RE: OEM
By Nightmare225 on 8/29/2006 9:59:19 AM , Rating: 2
They're usually quite a bit cheaper. Try checking out the comparisons between the OEMs and Retail XPs now. ;)


RE: OEM
By blakflag on 8/29/2006 8:00:02 PM , Rating: 2
Weren't the OEM of XP available before retail? So maybe we'll even be able to get it earlier than the end of January on a new PC?


January 30
By jeffbui on 8/29/2006 9:45:00 AM , Rating: 2
Look like that's when I'll be picking up my new computer.




RE: January 30
By RMTimeKill on 8/29/2006 9:51:51 AM , Rating: 1
While still expensive, its not as bad as I was expecting. I got a "legal" version of xp around here some where *searchs through stacks of bittorrent cds* I wonder if it will support the full install after reading the original disc...


RE: January 30
By xlmussel on 8/29/2006 9:56:48 AM , Rating: 2
maybe these are prices for the retail boxed version of Vista? Most of us will be getting the OEM version of Vista, if at all, right?


RE: January 30
By NagoyaX on 8/29/2006 10:04:55 AM , Rating: 2
Your right, most likely those are the prices of retial versions, i would expect OEM to be bout 50-75 dollars cheaper. Still worth it though ^^


Vista is required for DX10 isn't it?
By rushfan2006 on 8/29/2006 11:15:46 AM , Rating: 2
Just got to thinking in my mind since the pricing was released now and trying to weigh the benefits of upgrading to Vista from XP Pro....someone mentioned to me about a month ago that DX10 will not be supported on pre-Vista OSes...is this true or just more stupid rumors?





By TomZ on 8/29/2006 11:26:40 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
someone mentioned to me about a month ago that DX10 will not be supported on pre-Vista OSes...is this true

Yes, that is true - DX10 relies on the new Vista video driver model.


By Laitainion on 8/29/2006 11:31:22 AM , Rating: 3
it is true that DX10 is Vista only as it redefines the way the OS talks to the graphics hardware, and thus requires a new driver model so it simply can't be back ported to XP without losing most of the things that make DX10 so shiny.
Vista also has other nice bits, the audio subsystem has been completely redone using floating point calculations rather than integer. According to what I've read elsewhere, this has improved performce so they could improve the audio quality. They also redid the network stack to give it native IPv6 support, don't know if that'll make any difference at this point though.


Quit crying
By bunnyfubbles on 8/29/2006 5:05:14 PM , Rating: 2
A. If you read the descriptions of the different versions, you'd realize that Ultimate is for elitist suckers. A smart XP Pro user's natural upgrade path would most likely be Home Premium or even Business, which if you go with upgrade/OEM pricing, it would be right about the same price you most likely paid for XP Pro (assuming you didn't buy retail)

B. If the OS lasts us as long as XP did, I'd wager paying up for Ultimate is a bargain compared to paying $130-200 every year for an Apple OSX redo.




RE: Quit crying
By MonkeyPaw on 8/29/2006 5:40:54 PM , Rating: 2
Actually, OSX is updated formally every 1.5 years. Even then Apple still updates the previous version of OSX several times after the release of the new version (not saying MS doesn't do the same thing). As for $129, yes, that's the retail price, but when Tiger was released, I saw it selling with a $50 MIR on select weekends. It appears that Apple is a bit more generous about getting people to their newest version of OSX . A while back, I bought a refurbed iBook from Apple.com that was listed to ship with 10.3 installed, but when it arrived it shipped with a copy of 10.4 in the box. Of course we can't say if MS would do the same thing since they don't sell PCs, but one could argue that Apple "lost a sale" by doing what they did.


RE: Quit crying
By Nekrik on 8/29/2006 11:00:58 PM , Rating: 2
A timely article on just the pricing subject:
"By releasing its operating system more often and at a slightly higher cost, Apple Computer is better able to maximize its profitability in the OS field compared with its rival, Microsoft. "

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0%2c1895%2c2009273%2...


Eh...
By Locutus465 on 8/29/2006 10:47:02 PM , Rating: 2
Got a notification to download 5336 32b edition... It installed in record time, that is for sure... But died a horrible death when I tried to install the nVidia display drivers. I guess I can't say much since this is the first OS beta I've followed this closly, but it seems to me like Microsoft has a long way to go.




RE: Eh...
By Locutus465 on 8/29/2006 10:47:50 PM , Rating: 2
correction, 5536....


RE: Eh...
By Nekrik on 8/29/2006 10:58:01 PM , Rating: 2
were those Microsoft's drivers or nVidia's?

Every machine with an nVidia card in it that I've run the install on and used the drivers installed with the OS has been fine.

The only drivers I see on the nVidia site are for Vista Beta2, not RC1.


Wait
By sweetca on 8/29/2006 12:55:34 PM , Rating: 3
I would suggest waiting until the first big Service pack. There are gonna be a crapload of bugs discovered in the first six months. It's always a good idea to wait til the first revision




RE: Wait
By Aquila76 on 8/29/2006 5:09:42 PM , Rating: 2
My thoughts exactly. I kept off XP until SP2 was released.


DON'T ASSUME THE DATE
By peternelson on 8/29/2006 2:34:04 PM , Rating: 3
I don't think it is wise to make any predictions about launch dates.

This is not from Microsoft, it is from Amazon.

Amazon probably heard Bill's "80%" statement, and thought it reasonable to assume Vista will be out January. If it isn't they just blame Microsoft for failing their "probably January" claim.

But Amazon didn't know WHAT DATE in January. So they hedged their bets by saying it'll be out by the END of January ie to launch BY 30 JAN (if MS meet their "80%" target).

Then Anandtech read it and think Amazon have heard a precise date from Microsoft, so it must be true.

Follow this story up. Anandtech CALL AMAZON and ask them the basis of why they advertise "30 Jan".

Either this date has some basis in fact or is wishful thinking.

True we would all like to know when it will be released, but knowing is not the same as wishful thinking.

Please investigate the basis of this report, and refrain from circulating it as fact rather than supposition until we KNOW how the date was derived, and by whom.




RE: DON'T ASSUME THE DATE
By rushfan2006 on 8/29/2006 3:18:26 PM , Rating: 2
Nah I can wait....I'm honestly in no hurry to drop another wad of cash on my system. The "real" OS isn't until SP1 is out anyway....so plenty of time for the first round of "I got it first" types to get the kinks out of it anyway.

Finally, if you were a gamer you'd be condition to the fluff that is known as the release date and wouldn't be phased at all. This is SOP for publisher's of most software, but especially games...they always give initially early release dates and I have to tell you about 75-80% of them never stick to the first release date.

Its all about hyping up pre-order sales for the retailer.

nothing more, nothing less.


So what's the difference...
By Loc13 on 8/29/2006 10:24:39 AM , Rating: 2
So what's the difference among the different versions listed in the article? The price listed are retail/oem?




By Chris Peredun on 8/29/2006 10:28:18 AM , Rating: 2
The prices listed are for Full/Upgrade versions respectively.

Differences between versions can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/edi...


.
By JaredExtreme on 8/29/2006 10:39:41 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah it'll be released January 30........... January 30th 2009 !!




RE: .
By PLaYaHaTeD on 8/29/2006 10:55:41 AM , Rating: 2
Hmm, i wonder when it will be available with our Universal MSDN subscription. Based on previous estimates, it should be around november... which is good because I don't want to wait that long to build my next computer: Core 2 Duo + nVidia DX10 (G80) + Vista = crazy delicious.


Not too bad :)
By tuteja1986 on 8/29/2006 6:10:43 PM , Rating: 2
I will be buying Windows Vista Home Premium at jan 2007 :)





RE: Not too bad :)
By SteelyKen on 8/29/2006 7:39:21 PM , Rating: 2
This mean Vista MCE will be delayed?


Dell
By Ruark on 8/29/2006 10:31:57 AM , Rating: 2
How much will Dell pay?




RE: Dell
By TomZ on 8/29/2006 11:27:25 AM , Rating: 1
Who cares?


I suppose it could be worse...
By erios999 on 8/29/2006 1:17:14 PM , Rating: 2
and be alot like other software companies (Adobe) and releasing a new version every year for 500 frickin bucks with no cheaper options. Either all or nothing ya know. I've recently gone independent and I want all my software to be legal but this is really tough on the little guys like me. If these prices remain throughout the life of the OS then piracy will prolly shoot through the roof.

On another note, with all that talk about HD/BD only being supported on 64bit Vista, are any of these 64bit or is that going to come out at some later time?




I'm an intel windows fanboy, but
By lemonadesoda on 8/29/06, Rating: 0
By gramboh on 8/29/2006 2:13:02 PM , Rating: 2
Corporate will never use Apple, it's a lot cheaper to buy 5000 Dell machines/noteobooks with adequate performance than it is a base level MAC. I'm in professional services and have NEVER seen a client use anything besides Windows for client interface.

PC isn't going anywhere because of corporate, price point (budget range ~$500-750) and gaming.


Just buy the upgrade disk?
By umerok on 8/29/2006 2:12:16 PM , Rating: 2
What can the full versions do that the upgrades can't? You can full install off the upgrade versions of XP (it just asks to see a disk from a previous MS OS before it formats, I use my old 98 disk). I would assume you could do the same with Vista. Are there any other differences between the full version and the upgrade?




No thanks
By CheesePoofs on 8/29/2006 3:46:10 PM , Rating: 2
I think I'll just be sticking to my Linux + XP combo. Windows for gamin, Linux for everythign else. Now if only had virtualization on my processor and could run windows inside of Linux, I'd be set.




Vista OEM??
By restrada on 8/31/2006 3:20:56 PM , Rating: 2
Anyone see anything for a price for Vista Ultimate OEM edition??




Wow
By IamKindaHungry on 8/29/06, Rating: 0
RE: Wow
By Teletran1 on 8/29/2006 10:57:18 AM , Rating: 1
I was waiting for someone to compare this to the PS3 price. Almost every thread has a PS3 comment. Its like the new First Post. Nobody is getting one apparently but everyone has PS3 console envy or something. Or should I say P$3?


We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk." -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs

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