Windows 9 is actually what Microsoft wants to sell you

[Columbo]

Why is it always so bloody expensive?

A Win 8.1 Pro key is what, £199 from MS themselves? Why when Apple can sell their OS' for what, anything from £20-50?

If it was £30 uptake would be a LOT better and they would even sway pirates to purchase it imo.

I would have thought that was obvious.

Microsoft are primarily a software company they need to make money from the sales of software. Apple's OS is simply a stepping stone to the app store where they can sell you lots of other software stuff and make money from you that way, add in the fact that the punter has probably already been fleeced through the nose for over priced hardware as well, its not really in the interest of Apple to sell OSX at an expensive price.

Besides Windows is not expensive, I paid £79 for my copy of Win 7 and it has currently cost me 0.06p per day, it's not even worth doing the calculation on cost per hour. I always find it amazing that people are willing drop hundreds of pounds on new hardware and the latest games yet moan at the cost of the OS. In relative terms it's by far the cheapest part.

 

[russell664]

I just hope Microsoft don't make a big boo boo like they did with Vista and 8, and a couple before that

 

[Trifid]

Besides Windows is not expensive, I paid £79 for my copy of Win 7 and it has currently cost me 0.06p per day, .

You don't work for Verizon by any chance? http://verizonmath.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/verizon-doesnt-know-dollars-from-cents.html



Windows 8 was also excellent value on launch though, wish I bought an extra licence to run in VMware.

 

[russell664]

I got my Windows 8 for £25, I think it was worth every penny. It just took some time to adjust to the new layouts etc...

 

[Elevon]

think its because like all things, let the early adopters get hit with any bugs and most folk wait for feedback before deciding if they want it or not, which ofc is after the price has gone back up.

if its free i'll defo be checking it out on the laptop before deciding if the big rig could benefit from it. if its cheap i'll do exactly the same thing but use it a lot more to make my mind up before the price goes up.

I've always been an early adopter ie XP,Vista,Win7,Win8 etc not had any major issues with any of them,sure you get bugs but then that's why you have Windows Updates every month with security and bugs fixes etc..


Technically you can never have a 100% bug free OS even after release date not even on Linux.

 

[Elevon]

I just hope Microsoft don't make a big boo boo like they did with Vista and 8, and a couple before that

To be fair I think its more FUD by users then a big boo boo,I've used both from the very early days and they were ok at the very least,far from what some users make out,ie they like to make a mountain out of a very small mole hill.

I bet some users will do the same to Win9,they do like to make something major out of something trivial.

 

[FoxEye]

Much like XP, I expect to continue with 7 until something truly compelling dictates I move on.

Win8 wasn't compelling (far from it) ******for me******

Will Win9 be compelling? That's yet to be seen.

 

[spoffle]

To be fair I think its more FUD by users then a big boo boo,I've used both from the very early days and they were ok at the very least,far from what some users make out,ie they like to make a mountain out of a very small mole hill.

I bet some users will do the same to Win9,they do like to make something major out of something trivial.

People did it over XP when it first came out as well.

 

[Trifid]

People did it over XP when it first came out as well.

I still do. Never liked XP and used Ubuntu until Vista was in public beta...

 

[spoffle]

I still do. Never liked XP and used Ubuntu until Vista was in public beta...

I should have really expanded upon my point, in that people originally did it with XP, then look at how hard they clung to it for so long.

It seems people get butthurt with every release of Windows.

 

[KIA]

Besides Windows is not expensive, I paid £79 for my copy of Win 7 and it has currently cost me 0.06p per day, it's not even worth doing the calculation on cost per hour. I always find it amazing that people are willing drop hundreds of pounds on new hardware and the latest games yet moan at the cost of the OS. In relative terms it's by far the cheapest part.

Amazon (boxed product): £153.39 for 8.1 Pro
Microsoft (digital download): £189.99 for 8.1 Pro

 

[darth.mader]

Amazon (boxed product): £153.39 for 8.1 Pro
Microsoft (digital download): £189.99 for 8.1 Pro

That is too much. Hope MS bring Wins 9 to half that price or cheaper?

 

[Elevon]

That is too much. Hope MS bring Wins 9 to half that price or cheaper?

OcUK have it at £109.99 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-164-MS (Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-Bit DVD - OEM).

Also http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-165-MS&groupid=33&catid=1555 £74.99 for Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM.

 

[Ploppy2k3]

Originally Posted by darth.mader View Post
That is too much. Hope MS bring Wins 9 to half that price or cheaper?

At full price is £5.50 a month. £1.27p a week over the 3 year life cycle. Come on thats not expensive.

 

[spoffle]

At full price is £5.50 a month. £1.27p a week over the 3 year life cycle. Come on thats not expensive.

I don't understand why you'd bother working it out on a per month/week basis. It's irrelevant, because people are comparing the prices to other things. Hours used doesn't really matter.

 

[Wizzfizz]

Much like XP, I expect to continue with 7 until something truly compelling dictates I move on.

This.

I only moved to Windows 7 because I had to upgrade.

 

[OspreyO]

At full price is £5.50 a month. £1.27p a week over the 3 year life cycle. Come on thats not expensive.

Compared to what?

 

[OspreyO]

Anyone who types "MS" has no valid opinion. Additionally it doesn't have "UI Flaws for mouse and keyboard users" it's perfectly usable, different and is actually faster to access stuff via the start screen than other version of Windows.

Also, there wasn't actually much wrong with Vista, Windows 7 is a slighly refined version, there are more differences really between 7 and 8 than there are Vista and 7. The actual issue with Vista was to do with OEMs and hardware manufacturers.

Some just couldn't sort their drivers out, and had class actions brought against them, and OEMs were installing Vista on computers that barely met the XP spec. Vista on a good spec computer was fine.

I'm not sure I'd agree that the changes to UAC, better drivers and reducing hardware spec are minor. Especially if you are running on a lower spec. They change the whole experience of the OS. Most of the machines you find running Vista are regular people who shouldn't have to know these kinda things. All they know is one experience is better than the other.

 

[OspreyO]

Much like XP, I expect to continue with 7 until something truly compelling dictates I move on.

Win8 wasn't compelling (far from it) ******for me******

Will Win9 be compelling? That's yet to be seen.

Have to agree with that. I upgraded because I could. There was nothing really in most of these updates that I "needed" (compelling).

With the exception of supporting newer hardware better, getting better performance out of hardware.

 

[spoffle]

I'm not sure I'd agree that the changes to UAC, better drivers and reducing hardware spec are minor. Especially if you are running on a lower spec. They change the whole experience of the OS. Most of the machines you find running Vista are regular people who shouldn't have to know these kinda things. All they know is one experience is better than the other.

Changes to UAC weren't a fundamental part of the OS, it could have been as easily implemented with Vista.

Drivers are down to the manufacturers who produce them.

The hardware spec didn't go down, the base line of hardware went up between the release of Vista and 7, thus giving the impression that 7 flew compared to Vista.

I'm not saying there wasn't a difference, the were differences that were definitely for the better, but being able to make improvements doesn't mean it's awful.

As I said, there are more differences between 7 and 8 than there are between Vista and 7. Neither has a baring on what's better or worse than the other.