So...it's not MS. When you buy a license, you can use it for any older version you want (granted the key will not work, but the way bulk licensing like Dell and others have works, is that you can use any older version with a license for whatever version you buy). This is the OEM's who choose to do this and make the money doing so.
MS isn't making a dime on the downgrades. It's the OEM's who are charging the difference and I am sure the reason for the fee is because supporting a 3rd OS beyond it's expiration can be costly. Dell, if it could would prefer to sell only VISTA and drop XP, but consumer demand is keeping it alive long past it's prime.
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What a brain dead idiot. Like others have said, MS can charge whatever it wants. XP is a different product as well!
It's the wording that's getting MS into trouble, doesn't it sound ridiculous to pay for a DOWNgrade?
So...it's not MS. When you buy a license, you can use it for any older version you want (granted the key will not work, but the way bulk licensing like Dell and others have works, is that you can use any older version with a license for whatever version you buy). This is the OEM's who choose to do this and make the money doing so.
MS isn't making a dime on the downgrades. It's the OEM's who are charging the difference and I am sure the reason for the fee is because supporting a 3rd OS beyond it's expiration can be costly. Dell, if it could would prefer to sell only VISTA and drop XP, but consumer demand is keeping it alive long past it's prime.