Life in the old dog yet: Windows 7 tops Amazon pre-order charts

US, Canadian and Japanese buyers are responding to 50%-off Windows 7 early-bird discounts - big time. Aussies will get Windows 7 at close-to-Vista pricing, while Europeans will pay double. Where will New Zealand fit into this crazy melange?

To goose demand for its new operating system, due October 23, Microsoft has resorted to a good old hard sell.

If customers in the United States, Canada or Japan pre-order before July 11 (HURRY! LIMITED TIME!), they can pick up Windows 7 at a more than 50% discount.

Under the deal, participating retailers Best Buy and Amazon are offering the Windows 7 Professional for $US99.99 ($NZ145), or the Home Premium edition for $US49.99 ($NZ73).

Customers (or at least American customers) can also order the half-price Windows 7 directly from Microsoft.com.

After July 11, however, it’s blahsville, with pricing only around 8% less than Windows Vista.

Microsoft Australia also released its Windows 7 pricing today, which also more or less matches Vista.

An upgrade to the Home Premium edition will cost $A299 ($NZ358), to the Professional Edition $A399, and the Ultimate Edition $A469.

Aussies may be jealous of the Japanese and North American customers, but they should also be glad they don’t live in the EU.

There, Microsoft is embroiled in an antitrust spat with the European Commission (the EU’s anti-monopoly watchdog), which has seen the software giant take the radical step of removing its web browser, Internet Explorer, from the European version of Windows 7 in a so-far unsuccessful effort to head-of an antitrust suit (in other markets, people will get the option to “turn off” IE, itself a historic concession.)

Ironically, European customers will have to pay more for less, with the EU version of Home Premium costing 10% more than the US; the Professional version 41% more, and the Ultimate version nearly 100% more - although UK, German and French buyers who pre-order before August 15 will get a similar half-price deal to the US, Canadian and Japanese customers. Simple.

Microsoft New Zealand has yet to reveal any pricing.

New Zealanders can, however, claim a free Windows 7 upgrade if they buy a new PC between now and the new OS’s October 22 release - as long a PC maker is participating in the trial (Microsoft’s upgrade offer website has details of participating manufacturers. Note not all PC makers include all models).

Meanwhile, Apple continues its policy of selling a one-size-fits-all edition of the MacOS for one price. And the netbook version of Google’s Android OS, due on laptops from Acer and others in October, also has a simple price plan: it’s free.