Re: Analyst: $120 for Windows 7 'Way Too Much'

"El Castor" <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:fgph459og0r72cdq4v99nebm22ieiip8hb@xxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:32:17 -0500, "Glenn" <minorgo@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"El Castor" <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:rd3g45h19utlklin5mr4f9p1bspmh0640r@xxxxxxxxxx
On 28 Jun 2009 18:47:10 GMT, awouk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (arthur wouk)
wrote:

In article <cq6d45tksh081ktbur2dq4o2s12urop9r1@xxxxxxx>,
El Castor <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
:On 27 Jun 2009 18:21:06 GMT, awouk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (arthur
wouk)
:wrote:
:
:>
:>
:> June 25, 2009
:>
:> Analyst: $120 for Windows 7 'Way Too Much'
:>
:> By GREGG KEIZER of Computerworld, IDG
:>
:> Microsoft's pricing of Windows 7 threatens to derail its
efforts to move
:> users off the aging Windows XP and make them forget the bad
taste of Vista,
:> a retail research analyst said today.
:>
:> "I'm very disappointed in the upgrade pricing," said Stephen
Baker, an
:> analyst with the NPD Group. "I would have much rather seen
Microsoft come
:> out aggressive, and wipe the world clean of all the Vista
problems."
:>
:> Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled list prices for Windows 7,
which put
:> the lowest-priced upgrade -- an edition of Windows 7 Home
Premium -- at
:> $119.99, a price cut of less than 8% from Vista's comparable
version.
:>
:> "That $120 is a pretty big nut, especially when you can buy a
new PC for
:> around $300," said Baker, who's dubious about Microsoft's
upgrade pricing.
:>
:> Earlier on Thursday, Baker took Microsoft to task over
pricing in a post to
:> the NPD company blog, calling $120 "way too much for the
software" and
:> adding that Microsoft could hamper migration to the new OS.
"It is in
:> Microsoft's best interests to erase all vestiges of Vista
from consumers'
:> homes, and by making the upgrade expensive, and a bit
painful, Microsoft is
:> creating a large disincentive for consumers to move to a far
superior
:> platform with a better user experience," Baker said.
:>
:> He also slammed Microsoft for not providing a multi-license
offer for
:> upgrading all of a family's PCs. "In a world, at least in the
U.S., where
:> most homes are moving into a multiple PC environment, it
would enhance the
:> consumer home experience if they could upgrade all their home
PCs at a
:> single low price with a single boxed purchase," Baker said.
:>
:> Baker compared Microsoft's pricing and lack of a "family
pack" to Apple's
:> aggressive moves at the beginning of the month when it
announced that Mac
:> OS X 10.6, the performance and stability upgrade known as
"Snow Leopard,"
:> would be priced at just $29 for a single-user license, $49
for a
:> five-license pack. Apple traditionally charges $129 for an
operating system
:> upgrade.
:>
:> "Apple's Snow Leopard pricing model is much more appropriate
to driving
:> adoption and raising customer satisfaction levels," argued
Baker. "This is
:> a direction I would have much preferred to see Microsoft
head."
:>
:> Microsoft's response, when asked if it was planning a
family-pack for
:> Windows 7, was noncommittal. "We expect to have other great
offers in the
:> future as we lead up to and beyond general availability," a
spokeswoman
:> said via instant messaging. "[But] we have nothing to
announce at this
:> time."
:>
:> On the bright side, said Baker, Microsoft has so far managed
the rollout of
:> Windows 7 "pretty darn well," especially when compared to the
disaster of
:> Vista, which launched in January 2007, one of the
worst-possible months to
:> introduce an operating system at retail.
:>
:> "There's plenty of time between now and October for people to
buy PCs, and
:> get free upgrades," he said, referring to the Windows 7
Upgrade Option
:> Program, which Microsoft also announced today. "And they've
dramatically
:> reduced prices of some upgrades with the $50 offer. That's
pretty slick,
:> and a great way to build up buzz."
:>
:> Starting Friday, Microsoft and a limited number of U.S.
retailers --
:> including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Office Depot, Quill.com
and Microsoft's
:> own online store -- will take pre-orders for a $49.99 upgrade
to
:> Windows 7 Home Premium and a $99.99 upgrade to Windows 7
Professional.
:>
:> Microsoft's covered both the holiday and back-to-school
season with Windows
:> 7, said Baker, even though the OS won't be shipping in time
for the latter.
:> "They would have had to have it out now, not in October, to
make
:> back-to-school," said Baker. Instead, back-to-school PC sales
will continue
:> as usual -- the Oct. 22 launch is much too late to entice
students and
:> parents to delay a summer or early fall purchase -- and most
will be
:> eligible for the free upgrade from Vista.
:>
:> "Overall, there's more positive here than negative," said
Baker, who in his
:> blog gave Microsoft's Windows 7 effort thus far an "A+"
grade.
:>
:> But there's still room for improvement. "I don't think
they'll extend [the
:> pre-order discount] now. They'll let it run its course and
see what
:> happens." But the $50 pre-sale price, which Baker applauded,
shows that
:> there's some flexibility in the Microsoft's pricing for
Windows 7. "It
:> clearly says that they're hedging their bets a little."
:>
:> Later, as the Oct. 22 launch approaches, Baker said he
wouldn't be
:> surprised if Microsoft didn't return to that discount well.
:>
:> Copyright 2009 IDG. All Rights Reserved.
:
:If you had bothered to read the article, you would know that
Amazon is
:currently taking pre-orders of Home Premium upgrades for $49.99,
and
:free shipping. Won't last long, so get in the order now.

i do not currently run any windows machines. i had one running as
a radio
tuner for a while, but i replaced with a powermacG4. apple does
better as
a radio tuner, particularly older ones which seem to run forever,
about as
good as my even older sun hardware. the sun hardware runs the
latest OS
just fine. the G4s (i currently have two hand me downs from my
daughters)
may be limited to OS 10.4, probably, but that is a minor
limitaiton.

i am putting linux on the wintel machines. cheaper, better,
faster.

And also not a lot of choices when it comes to software and
hardware
drivers, but whatever floats your boat.

I too would like a better radio or at least information on how to
get those satellite subscription radio broadcasts. I get the local
stations through the cable to Media Center but I want to get the
rebroadcasts of the radio I listened to as a youth. My wife gets it
on her car radio and I got hooked. You know, the Shadow knows.

I assume you are talking about Old Time Radio (OTR). Collectors all
over the country are searching the attics and basements of radio
stations looking for records containing the shows of Amos & Andy, The
Green Hornet, Sergeant Preston of The Yukon, etc. -- and they're
finding it. 99% is out of copyright, so those shows are being
converted to mp3 and can be downloaded for free from various web sites
and news groups, and either played on the computer or an mp3 player.
Here are a few sources:

http://www.archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
alt.binaries.sounds.radio.oldtime.highspeed
alt.binaries.sounds.radio.oldtime
http://www.otr.net/
http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/


Not exactly. My dial-up connection is too slow. What I need is XM Everything, without Sirius, fed into Media Center the same as TV and local radio. If it can't be done, I'll drop by Best Buy when my ankle is better. Conflicting and amateur medical advice on web sites has convinced me to avoid Google et.al.

--

Glenn

.

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