Buying Windows 7 in the UK
Microsoft have finally published pricing for Windows 7 and, guess what, the news is not great for UK users.
Because of the EU ruling around anti-competitive behaviour, MS have been forced to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 7 for EU users. This in turn means that they have to ship a special version (Windows 7 E), and also means that MS won’t be offering an “upgrade” version of Windows 7 to EU users. Instead, we have to buy a full version of the product.
The net effect of all of this means that in the US you can currently pre-order a Windows 7 upgrade for as little as $50, whereas in the UK it’s going to cost at least £50!
OK, so we get a full version and not an upgrade, which means you don’t need an older version of windows, but since most people already have an older version it is, in effect, penalising us for being a part of the EU. Thanks!
At least the good news is that this is still considerably cheaper than buying in October when Windows 7 is officially released, so roll-on July 15th when we 2nd class citizens of the UK can at last pre-order!
Filed under: Windows 7
