Vista pricing leaked?

Now that the commercial release of Microsoft's Vista operating system is just around the corner (well, probably), the question on most people's minds is, "how much is it gonna cost me?" Fortunately, the titular Ed Bott of "Ed Bott's Microsoft Report" over at ZDNet blogs came across some rather interesting information on that very topic this morning; it appears that Microsoft Canada's website accidentally posted the SKUs and matching prices (in Canadian dollars, of course) for all of the forthcoming flavors of Vista. Although the items have since been removed, Bott managed to copy down the prices, and they read as follows: $499 for Ultimate, $379 for Business, $299 for Home Premium, and $259 for Home Basic, with the corresponding upgrades listed at $299, $249, $199, and $129, respectively. Now keep in mind that these are Canadian prices for the Canadian market, so simply doing the currency conversions won't give us an accurate idea of what these packages will cost in the US. In order to put things in perspective, Bott compared the relative prices of future Vista versions with current XP versions in both markets, and extrapolated likely US pricing from that data. Based on his calculations, retail pricing for the full / upgraded flavors of Vista in America should look something like this: Ultimate going for $349 / $199, Business at $269 / $179, Home Premium for $239 / $139, and Home Basic priced around $199 / $99 -- in other words, not much more than you'd be paying for XP today, and nowhere near the high of $450 that'd we'd previously heard.

[mitch @ Aug 29th 2006 11:35PM]

k this guy can't add.... I live in Canada and I don't know where or how this dude calculated his prices but $349 does not look like the correct price, possibly $449, remeber that the american dollar isn't doing that great, apple has picked up on that and put the ipod down to 349 from it's former 379, i think the price will be in the 400's but only time will tell

[E1n[-]A3nD3R @ Aug 28th 2006 8:26PM]

Don't forget that OEM versions will be even cheaper! So basically its the same price as XP.

[LukeA @ Aug 28th 2006 8:33PM]

So basically it's way more expensive than Leopard.

[biscuitus @ Aug 28th 2006 8:46PM]

Hey, is there any reason that i should want to get Vista for my personal home use? Ever?

[el indiano @ Aug 28th 2006 8:48PM]

its windows version of Leopard.

plus i bet they will wait a few months after Leopard is released next year so they can borrow(incorporate) new features that apple hasnt shown us yet.

[Ethan @ Aug 28th 2006 8:48PM]

Yeah, but Mac is for pussies that don't know how to use computers.

[Chuckle_h0und @ Aug 28th 2006 8:50PM]

@LukeA

Ah, but at least Microsoft doesn't expect you to pay every 6 months for their updates....erm...I mean important and obviously not superfluous new operating systems.

[Juaquin @ Aug 28th 2006 8:50PM]

There's no way I'm paying more than $200 to upgrade to Vista Ultimate, if I ever do. And I think a lot of other people feel likewise.

Microsoft dropped the ball on this one - not only is it massively late, but now they're going to have to charge quite a bit to make up their loses.

Few new features, many bugs, and poor compatibility and driver support. They have a lot of work to do before the release. I hope these prices hold, because anything higher and there won't be any incentive to upgrade.

[_man1c_ @ Aug 28th 2006 8:51PM]

yay! but wont upgrade till round summertime. :)

[John Doe. @ Aug 28th 2006 9:01PM]

"So basically it's way more expensive than Leopard."

Its also more then the incrimental upgrade that Leopard is. 10.4 -> 10.5 vs. XP -> Vista is a hell of a better deal. Fanbois really need to stop talking crap. Makes them look foolish.

PS- I own a MBP.

[jake @ Aug 28th 2006 8:53PM]

Wow what a damnr ripoff. Things like this make me wish there was a real competitor to Windows.

[el indiano @ Aug 28th 2006 8:55PM]

no ethan, macs are for smart, creative people.

everything you see on tv, film, web, magazines, video games and music (at one point or another) has been edited, designed or recorded using a mac.

why should mac users appologize for having an easy to use computer.

go play with your spreadsheets and minesweeper ethan.

[Jeff L. @ Aug 28th 2006 8:56PM]

@ Ethan-you're a fucking idiot.

[Intrepid @ Aug 28th 2006 8:57PM]

"So basically it's way more expensive than Leopard."
...Yes, but then Vista (unlike Lepoard) isn't a glorified Service Pack...

"plus i bet they will wait a few months after Leopard is released next year so they can borrow(incorporate) new features that apple hasnt shown us yet."
...You realise that most (if not all) of Lepoards features were anounced by Apple YEARS after they were announced as Vista features...

Poor mislead (gullible) children...

[Chuckle_h0und @ Aug 28th 2006 9:00PM]

El Indiano, everything you use day in day out from your ATM to this web server runs on either Windows or Linux. Does this mean you should bow down and play with your transparency effects? No of course not.

Macs are tools just like PCs. Actually, Macs are PCs. The only difference is a false assumption that owning them makes you better than the rest of us. If you honestly care that much, then fine. The rest of us will enjoy that smug sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that whatever you enjoy using is the correct choice.

[Kim @ Aug 28th 2006 9:01PM]

Who let the trolls out?

[John Doe. @ Aug 28th 2006 9:02PM]

"Ah, but at least Microsoft doesn't expect you to pay every 6 months for their updates....erm...I mean important and obviously not superfluous new operating systems."

Apple's updates may be incrimental but hardly superfluous. And I'd hardly call the crap that MS puts into a service pack == to any of Apple's point releases. WOO HOO they have better firewall support and DEP support. WEEEE!)
Every OS version has pushed more and more of the GUI onto the GPU to the point that while Vista is doing this in one version upgrade Apple's is a hell of a lot more refined. And some of the features added from version to version are pretty damn useful.
Finally, no one is forcing Mac users to upgrade. People on 10.3 are still running happily to this day. I swear to god fanbois on both sides are are retarded as ever.

[LongshotX @ Aug 28th 2006 9:03PM]

Whats the price for Ultimate Pirated Edition?

[cc @ Aug 28th 2006 9:06PM]

El indiano, and you go play with your Photoshop and... er... Photoshop? :)

Kidding... why does every thread have to turn into a Mac vs. Windows thing, though? Tons of people have both, and would love for the Windows machines they need to use have an OS halfways as cool as the Macs that they love to use...

[Mac or Windows Costs? @ Aug 28th 2006 10:12PM]

So, we get a crippled version of Vista for the same price as al of the features of Ultimate, also called Mac OS 10.5...

I'm going to finally make my move to Mac, it's sounding WAY less expensive to maintain and upgrade....

[el indiano @ Aug 28th 2006 9:10PM]

El Indiano, everything you use day in day out from your ATM to this web server runs on either Windows or Linux. Does this mean you should bow down and play with your transparency effects? No of course not.

Macs are tools just like PCs. Actually, Macs are PCs. The only difference is a false assumption that owning them makes you better than the rest of us. If you honestly care that much, then fine. The rest of us will enjoy that smug sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that whatever you enjoy using is the correct choice.


as i said earlier, mac are for creatives. there is nothing creative about designing a linux database for an atm. sorry.

mac are tools just like pc's. perhaps this false asumption that makes macs better is not an asumption at all. i work on both platforms and i prefer mac.

[Chuckle_h0und @ Aug 28th 2006 9:12PM]

Tsk tsk John Doe. Is it conventional ethics to call someone a retard for voicing an opinion. Or did I trundle into the wrong neck of the internet.

Apple's "updates" certainly cost a hell of a lot more than anything Microsoft has churned out. And whilst MS has a competent and easy to use Media Centre OS, Apple is still trailing behind.

Hell I'm still shocked that the default media player in OSX doesn't allow fullscreen playback unless you spend $30!

Nobody is forced to upgrade, but Apple still does a fair job of making anyone using "yesterday's" (actually are quotes necessary, they are bringing out new iPods daily now aren't they?) hardware uncool. And since Apple's entire USP is that using their hardware/ software makes you cool/a rebel/different/special then all the fanboys rush out.

It's a nice OS, and I enjoy using it. But I really hate the zealots.

[Matt @ Aug 28th 2006 9:12PM]

Linux, nuff said

[Intrepid @ Aug 28th 2006 9:16PM]

"everything you see on tv, film, web, magazines, video games and music (at one point or another) has been edited, designed or recorded using a mac."
...no no no. A lot of companies use Mac, but more and more they are using Linux and Windows (lower costs of running).

"Apple's updates may be incrimental but hardly superfluous. And I'd hardly call the crap that MS puts into a service pack == to any of Apple's point releases. WOO HOO they have better firewall support and DEP support. WEEEE!)"
...And free updates to Internet Explorer, Media Player, Movie maker, Photo Story, .NET Framework, etc - these aren't big updates???

@ LongshotX
LOL! But it may be a while before this baby is hacked

[Chuckle_h0und @ Sep 2nd 2006 5:37PM]

"as i said earlier, mac are for creatives. there is nothing creative about designing a linux database for an atm. sorry.

mac are tools just like pc's. perhaps this false asumption that makes macs better is not an asumption at all. i work on both platforms and i prefer mac"

And I'm a graphic design student who has avoided the Mac platform for the very reason that it attracts the unhinged masses.

As for nothing being creative about designing a database, I've got a few friends who'd disagree with you on that one. If you're truly a creative person, it has nothing to do with creating emotive products like art or literature. It's about being able to approach a problem in an elegant and successful manner. An inability to see the merit in all things is the first sign of a closed mind.

[Scabies @ Aug 28th 2006 9:17PM]

re:CC
Agreed. Cant we all just get along? No? Flame one another elsewhere, use this space for something more important than trying to 1-up eachother all the time.
What makes an upgrade different from anything else? Why is Ultimate $500CAN while Ultimate Upgrade is $300CAN? Does that mean that folks without XP right now are looking at a larger investment than the rest of us?
and still, that DX10 mystery, will cards today run DX10 apps?

[Intrepid @ Aug 28th 2006 9:20PM]

"and still, that DX10 mystery, will cards today run DX10 apps?"
...no, and DX8 cards couldn't run DX9 apps either :S. That's not news for anyone, is it?...

[Optimus Rhyme @ Aug 28th 2006 9:23PM]

I'm sorry but $500 is way too much to pay for an OS.

Oh, and well if those prices hold up in Canadian terms, well the US dollar/Canadian Dollar is at 90 cents right now, so it's not likely the prices would be too different, or Canadians would buy it from the US.

[Joe @ Aug 28th 2006 9:24PM]

Enough with the "macs are for creative people" Anyone that has been trained on Abobe or Macromedia would know that the applications are virtually identical on both mac and pc. I was a mac user years ago, mac does what it does well; however, a pc does what a mac does and then virtually everything else too.

Don't worry about the pricing, buy an OEM version with a piece of hardware and install it yourself.

[DZ @ Aug 28th 2006 9:23PM]

Come on now really, Macs? Who cares? I'm getting my g/f a Mac but that's because she doesn't really know how to use a computer. Myself? Please, don't make me laugh.

[delldude420 @ Aug 28th 2006 9:33PM]

no ethan, macs are for smart, creative people.

everything you see on tv, film, web, magazines, video games and music (at one point or another) has been edited, designed or recorded using a mac.

why should mac users appologize for having an easy to use computer.

go play with your spreadsheets and minesweeper ethan.

Posted at 8:55PM on Aug 28th 2006 by el indiano [ ]
****************************************************

sorry but film industry uses pcs mostly, very few still use macs. Avid is the number 1 professional video editing program. its been around forever. was mac only at one point, but eventually went pc, and on pc it has more features and isnt as limited, you can do way more video streams at once to edit. this is the only program i'd use, everything else trys to play catch up but lacks on the most important features. final cut really isnt made for industry people so much. avid even is also detailed in film industry terms, because thats what is made for.

its not a crack agaisnt macs, because i love em for other things, just not video editng, maybe the intell macs will finnaly catch up. i guess it was the hardware limitation of the g5 dunno.

[Tull @ Aug 28th 2006 9:30PM]

@ LongshotX
Your bittorrent bandwidth..., so basically free. :P
P.S. I'm totally not running pirated xp right now.

[kerunt @ Aug 28th 2006 9:47PM]

Price won't be the only thing leaked... lmao

[Dan @ Aug 28th 2006 10:06PM]

Intrepid, what the EFF are you talking about!?!!!??? Microsoft is having trouble putting features in Vista that OS X has had for up to 5 years now.

[NivZ @ Aug 28th 2006 10:14PM]

This is never gonna end till MS buys apple or Apple buys MS someday.. (Which will make me move to linux cuz they prolly will fuck up both OSs)

[Will @ Aug 28th 2006 10:20PM]

MS made computers easy to use. Vista makes it look complicated like Mac OS and Linux. Mac and Linux are for the more advance users, if you tell someone to buy and computer with Mac OS or Linux, they won't know how to use it. I reaseon I love Windows XP is that everything is right there, made simple. To access web pages, its right in front of you.

[Superdotman @ Aug 28th 2006 10:38PM]

Whoa, it's like 2004 all over again. We're paying $150 to play Halo 2!

[Afterthought @ Aug 28th 2006 10:36PM]

Hasn't Bott ever heard of taking a screenshot? It's very simple: 1) hit the PrtScrn button 2) paste in MS Paint 3) save.

At least we could have a visual this way.

And to all who are complaining about the price (already): get a fake copy, jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

[Rick @ Aug 29th 2006 8:25AM]

BS - like I intend to donate more $ to Gates so he can feel good donating it. Think I'll warm up Agent and alt.binaries here I come.

[joe @ Aug 28th 2006 10:55PM]

mac fanboys: your operating system is what happens when unix has an illegitimate child with a bloodsucking capatalist whore with white earbuds.

windows fanboys: the plot of halo is shooting aliens with a gun, nothing new. i am also sick of you asking me how to "make my PC uber fast!" and "fix this thing! its on crack or sumthin, its broke!" burning money and beating yourself with a bag of hammers is a good alternative to windows, it looks a lot nicer too.

GNU!

[sabaka33 @ Aug 28th 2006 10:55PM]

Whats the price for Ultimate Pirated Edition?

Posted at 9:02PM on Aug 28th 2006 by LongshotX


WGA notification in Aero Glass :)

[ian @ Aug 28th 2006 11:08PM]

i'm sorry, but those conversions (even when accounting for market) don't make sense. if the canadian price really is $499 then the US price would be $399 to $449. even apple doesn't charge that much ($349->$499) of a premium on $CAN products.

[360 @ Aug 29th 2006 3:27AM]

Does upgrade version count for me? I have Windows XP Home that came with my Vaio, but no CD. Only serial key and in the form of recovery cd.

[Matt @ Aug 28th 2006 11:27PM]

Mac OS is far superior, from a technological standpoint, as well as ease of use and how intuitive it is. It's far more thought out... for example there's no 3 step process to take a screen shot for Mac OS X... just Command + Shift + 3 and you hear a snapshot sound and all of a sudden there is an image file sitting right on your desktop, pretty cool.

[Andrew Fong @ Aug 29th 2006 7:30AM]

Actually, for those of you comparing Vista and OS X, you'll actually need to add in the cost of iLife. Vista comes with Windows Movie Maker, some new photo management apps, etc. When I bought Tiger, I didn't get a free iLife upgrade as well, and I imagine it'll be the same with Leopard.

So, added up, $129 (Tiger) + $79 (iLife) = $208. If Engadget's conversions are right, then that's comparable to an upgrade to Windows Ultimate (upgrade pricing since very users slap OS X on a brand new system). Granted, iLife comes free with new Macs, but Vista will be included in new PCs.

I like OS X, but if you keep upgrading, the cost of a Mac is, on average, greater than Windows. Of course, if you were really concerned about price, you'd get Linux right?

[soupcancooloff @ Aug 28th 2006 11:39PM]

I installed Mac OS X 10.4.7 x86 on my pc...works great after fiddling with kernal extensions(ie. drivers) to make accelerated graphics and ethernet to work.

best of both worlds.. without the ridiculously expensive mac hardware.

[Whiplash @ Aug 28th 2006 11:40PM]

I'm so sick of this Mac vs. PC crap. Grow up, children.

Personally, I've used everything from Atari, to Amiga to Mac OS to Windows, to OS2, to several flavors of Linux and BSD, and for me, Windows XP has been my favorite, most useable OS.... Until the most recent version of OSX came out. That's a slick piece of software. And now that I can run my few must-have Windows apps on a Mac using Parallels or the upcoming VM-Ware, there's no reason to go to Vista, which in my opinion is bloated, ugly, non intuitive, and way to expensive.

But I'll tell you what; If Vista 2.0 comes out punching in 2008 and give me a compelling reason to use it, I'll be switching right back. It's just stupid to have any kind of loyalty to a freaking piece of software. I've got stuff I want to do and I'll use whatever suits my needs at any given time to get that stuff done. I don't care what it's called or who makes it.

[crescentdave @ Aug 29th 2006 12:03AM]

Don't any of you fanbois ever use programs like photoshop or dreamweaver? If you did, you'd know the programs are almost entirely identical- so much so that single manuals are printed for both apple/windows versions.

You'd think the obvious might suggest something to you .... Then again, if you never used these "creative" programs before, if you really were a knob, you wouldn't know what to think, unless you'd been taking notes while watching your favorite commercials.

[TeleCustom @ Aug 29th 2006 12:07AM]

"WGA notification in Aero Glass :)

Posted at 10:55PM on Aug 28th 2006 by sabaka33 [ ]"

...shouldn't be too long before it's worked around in Vista. There was an XP crack for it within weeks of it first coming out.



...and other than getting a new computer, I'll stick with XP, since I'm going to need two dual-core CPU's and 4gb RAM to run Vista.

[Juaquin @ Aug 29th 2006 12:12AM]

I totally agree with Whiplash.

Whatever works for you, use it. If it doesn't work for someone else, don't bash them for it.

I run Windows because I love my games. Emulation on a Mac is just too slow on games that already tax my system, so that's not a practical OS for me. Linux is too much of a hassle and also doesn't have much compatibility with games. I'm happy with XP, and I don't see upgrading to Vista for a couple years (unless the price comes down to a realistic level - say, $100-$150 for an upgrade).

I'll agree that OSX can be a little friendlier. That sad, I don't think it is as powerful for my needs, and I'm willing to do a little work to have things done my way.

However, the "Apple is for creative people" thing is bs and you all know that. There are a wealth of programs for video, sound, and image editing for both platforms, and none has any "better" software than the other. The only thing more creative about Apple's is that they have that sick Apple cut-out on the lid (which I admit I envy).

Of course, Apple hardware is overpriced for what you're getting, while with Windows you can built your own machine from scratch (like I did). I'm a hardware junky so that only left me with windows and linux, and linux support for some hardware (specifically, my TV Tuner card) is spotty.

So when it comes down to it, it's all about what works for you.