Pricing for Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 operating system has been something of a roller coaster ride for British consumers.
Back in June, we were told to expect browser-less Windows 7 E editions as Microsoft attempted to comply with European law. As a result, Microsoft announced that full editions of Windows 7 would be made available to European consumers at upgrade prices. That all sounded good, until Microsoft did a u-turn and revealed that the Windows 7 E editions wouldn't see the light of day after all.
Fast forward to August, and with under two months to go until the official launch of the software, Microsoft has finally confirmed that European customers will get access to the same versions of Windows 7 shipped elsewhere in the world. That means we'll be seeing upgrade media, full retail editions and the now-confirmed Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack.
Want to know what you'll be paying come October 22nd? Here's the complete breakdown:
| Product edition | UK pricing |  |
US pricing |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade) | £79.99 (in 2009) £99.99 (in 2010) |
$119.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade) | £189.99 | $199.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade) | £199.99 | $219.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Home Premium (Full) | £149.99 | $199.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Professional (Full) | £219.99 | $299.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Full) | £229.99 | $319.99 | ||
| Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack (three-user license) | £149.99 | $149.99 | ||
Those who missed out on the Windows 7 pre-order promotion will note that the Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack offers identical value for money - providing buyers with three licenses at under £50 each.
However, prices elsewhere refute previous claims from Amazon.co.uk that suggested the full version of Windows 7 Home Premium would remain priced at £65 indefinitely. British buyers hoping for a bargain will in fact find that the full Home Premium software will be priced at £149.99.
Many retailers, including Amazon itself, have yet to update their product pages with both upgrade and full editions of the software. However, our understanding is that Microsoft will honour all pre-orders of the Windows 7 E editions with a full retail copy of Windows 7 - good news for those who decided to bag a bargain at the time.
Although pricing is now clearly defined, Microsoft continues to puzzle with awkward developments. The upgrade edition of Windows 7 Home Premium will be priced at £79.99 up until December 31st, and it'll then rise to £99.99 at the turn of the new year. The Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack, meanwhile, looks to offer the best value for users with multiple PCs, but Microsoft adds that the three-license bundle will be "available in limited quantities" only. Furthermore, the Dollar-to-Pound conversion is hardly accurate.
*Update*
Microsoft has confirmed that all of the above pricing will take effect on September 1st. Commenting on the announcement, Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc states:
"For customers who have already pre-ordered the full version of Windows 7 E in the EU – either as part of special pre-order offers or otherwise – they will receive full versions of Windows 7 that include Internet Explorer 8. These customers, and any other customer who pre-orders Windows 7 before upgrade versions are available on September 1, will still be able to get upgrade pricing for Windows 7 full versions."
