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Microsoft Offers Windows Anytime Upgrade Promotion

Apr. 2, 2010 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Just in from Microsoft:

Given the upcoming PC buying season with graduation and then on to back to school, there is a new offer coming to market for consumers to allow them to easily get the version of Windows that works best for them on their new PC. Beginning April 4, 2010 at participating retailers, people who buy a new PC will have an opportunity to add Windows Anytime Upgrade to their purchase at a special low price.

In the US, the prices are as follows:

Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium  $49.99 (versus everyday price of $79.99)

Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional  $79.99 (versus everyday price of $89.99)

This offer will be available at the Microsoft Store and participating retailers and for a limited time only. (In the US this offer ends July 3.)

Details vary by retailer and geography, so check with your local retailers to see which PCs they are offering. Retailers in over 20 countries will participate in this offer.

Participating retailers also choose which Windows Anytime Upgrade path to offer. Some may offer Windows Anytime Upgrade for going from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium, while others may offer Windows Anytime Upgrade for going from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional. Others may offer both.

You can learn more on the Windows Team Blog.

Discuss this Article 17

whiplash55
on Apr 2, 2010
Cheaper is always better, but not much to get excited over.
yoshipod
on Apr 2, 2010
So when your new computer comes with a crippled OS, you can pay a "Microsoft Tax" to get it to run as it should have in the first place.
anonymous
on Apr 2, 2010
This post was mentioned on Twitter by thurrott: Microsoft Offers Windows Anytime Upgrade Promotion: Just in from Microsoft: Given the upcoming PC buying seaso... http://bit.ly/dDyOfF
johnbaxter
on Apr 2, 2010
The delta between Starter-->Home and Starter-->Professional is such as to say that if there is the slightest doubt about wanting Pro one should pick that. Moving up costs lots more later.
rr0de74@live.com
on Apr 2, 2010
At two local universities near where I live, they are GIVING away Windows 7 to students at the school book stores. I am not sure if they are upgrades or what but they are the Pro version. I guess the school gets is very cheap and then eats the cost per student? I am sure MS will count these as sales somehow and tout their numbers, Paul will follow shortly after with a dig at Apple. SSDD.
johnbaxter
on Apr 2, 2010
It makes sense to move the students up to Win 7, to reduce support and IT costs. No matter how much cost (at .edu prices) is being eaten to do the upgrade, reduced costs should pay for it.
Dipsh t Admin
on Apr 2, 2010
Someone is buying them for the school. Either it is the school, through tuition and miscellaneous expenses, the state, through taxes, or the feds, also through taxes. They were purchased copies, so I don't know why they wouldn't be counted.
rr0de74@live.com
on Apr 2, 2010
I have no doubt someone is paying for them. Probably some annual book/book store fee to the students. They have to show their ID I do know that. If the school provides support then I would want all students to be on Windows 7 or OS X purely as a malware prevention step.
Logjamming
on Apr 2, 2010
And of course, like with the 'free' Windows 7 upgrade, you should add some 25 dollars worth of shipment costs. Nothing is free in Microsoft world. In fact, marketing on awful OS (Vista) and a less awful OS (7) in three years for at least 180 dollars each is a rip-off beyond measure. But hey, that's the Microsoft-tax at work for you. They do have to pay these lawsuits for stealing software (Word infringement, anyone) and monopoly abuse (EU ring a bell?).
ggolcher
on Apr 2, 2010
Hey logjamming, you say Windows 7 is leff awful than Vista... how has it improved? You see, I'd love to hear you say something positive besides the constant criticism... you know, for a change...
Logjamming
on Apr 2, 2010
@ ggolcher It looks more like OSX than Vista did. And appearances do count for something.
Dr. Daniel Jackson
on Apr 2, 2010
Nothing is free in Microsoft world. Yeah because Apple just gives stuff away for free all the time.
Backup77
on Apr 2, 2010
I can see this being useful if you have purchased a netbook with Windows 7 Starter edition pre-installed and would like to upgrade to Home Premium.
robertsjoe
on Apr 2, 2010
Smart students get a MacBook. Or in this season an iPad. You wouldn't want to be the lame kid with a Windows POS, would you?
robertsjoe
on Apr 2, 2010
It's the same with the thinkers and innovators in technology. Go to a conference and you'll see mostly Macs. Why? Because those people are intelligent. They don't just buy any POS.
Dr. Daniel Jackson
on Apr 2, 2010
"It's the same with the thinkers and innovators in technology. Go to a conference and you'll see mostly Macs. Why? Because those people are intelligent. They don't just buy any POS." That is possibly one of the dumbest things I have ever read, but then I remembered that you wrote it. I like Appple too, but they are far from being the only innovators in the technology world. Written from my POS windows machine that I built for 600 bucks, that also runs 10.6.3 better than your iMac
anonymuos
on Apr 2, 2010
What lame discounts and missing exactly the upgrade I want: Home Basic to Ultimate and Professional to Ultimate.

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