Windows 7 in Europe will have no upgrade options and up to double the pricing
Windows 7 fans in Europe are in for a major disappointment. According to ComputerWorld, European customers will have to pay up to double the price for Windows 7 compared to the American counterparts. No particular reason was given as to why Windows 7 will be priced so high in the EU. Windows 7 in the United Kingdom will be priced differently, but will still have significantly higher prices than their US counterparts.
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that European copies of Windows 7 will not contain IE8 as a response to the criticism coming from EU antitrust regulators. A browser-less version of edition called Windows 7E will be shipped instead. However, this has forced Microsoft to not allow its customers to perform any in-place upgrades from Vista, which would leave some version of IE on the computer.
Below are the prices for Windows 7 in the EU. Prices in the United Kingdom are different, but pricing in both regions are still significantly higher than the cheapest option offered in the United States. Below are the prices in Europe and the UK. Enclosed in the brackets are the same prices converted into US dollars according to today’s exchange rate. Alongside are the differences in pricing compared to the Upgrade edition of Windows 7 in the US. We compared the Upgrade edition prices in the US since the full editions in Europe are being offered at the European upgrade edition prices.
Windows 7 Home Premium – €119.99/£79.99 ($168.69/$132.22) – Up $48.70/$12.23
Windows 7 Professional – €284.99/£189.99 ($400.63/$314.05) – Up $200.64/$114.06
Windows 7 Ultimate – €299.99/£229.99 ($421.69/$380.17) – Up $201.70/$160.18
Prices in the UK are cheaper than those in the EU, while Windows 7 Professional costs twice as much as its counterpart in the US. Windows 7 Ultimate, which retails for $219.99 in the US, costs almost 90% more in the EU, and 73% more in the UK.
Fortunately for some Europeans, Microsoft does plan to offer its great Windows 7 pre-order special in France, Germany, and the UK. The pre-order program for those countries will begin on July 15 and run while supplies last, or until August 14th. The pre-order pricing are as follows:
- Windows 7 Home Premium €49.99/£49.99
- Windows 7 Professional €109.99/£99.99
Be sure to mark your calendars for July 15 and come back to check out our Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ and more info regarding where you can pre-order Windows 7 in Europe!
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Tags: windows 7, windows 7 europe, windows 7 pricing
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15 Responses to “Windows 7 in Europe will have no upgrade options and up to double the pricing”
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OMG! This is just wrong! Its not the consumers who punished microsoft this year, yet we are getting the hit.
i guess microsoft just had enough of the EUs way of telling companies what to do.
personally i think its stupid to take wmp and IE out of windows, since most of the OEMs CAN and DO install their own apps on a sold-to-be computer.
Or it could be possibly a ploy to sweep in lots of revenue during the pre-order period which will most likely result in higher sales than just having a cheaper retail price at launch.
Although something does tell me this has something to do with the EU. Not much information was provided. Please comment with your opinions =)
I agree that it’s stupid to take those things out too. No one should tell a company what they can put or not put in their software. IE8 doesn’t prevent other browsers from being installed or anything of the sort.
What this mean anyway?If I want a full equiped windows 7 they will sell it without explorer and media center?I don’t think the european people users of microsoft’s windows will agree with that.Personally I don’t.
UK got owned
I’m sure aiming after the en-US Ultimate, and use the da-DK LP to get the result i can live with.
I’ts BULL to strip this great OS from this and that, and i will not take this stupid idea lying down.
There is no en-UK version, what are they gonna get ? an en-US for sale in UK ONLY ? huh
Isn’t it en-gb? Didn’t really understand you there.
I think what he’s saying–and not in any kind of orderly fashion–is that he’s gonna buy the US version and install a GB language pack? I don’t know because I’ve never used a UK copy, but…. would you REALLY need that? I mean, are the two Englishes more separate than chips and french fries?
I guess you could do that. You’d probably save more after paying shipping. Or just get a friend to buy the CD Key and you know what to do for the next step… not that I’m endorsing this action or anything.
I just know Canadian and British English spells some words with ou instead of o (favorite vs favourite). Didn’t know there were much other differences =\
[...] Windows 7 in Europe will have no upgrade options and up to double the pricing Windows 7 fans [...]
Here’s a comparison of full Windows 7 vs. full Windows 7E:
Windows 7 Home Premium – ($168.69/$132.22 vs. $199.99) – Down $31.30/$67.77
Windows 7 Professional – ($400.63/$314.05 vs. $299.99) – Up $100.64/$14.06
Windows 7 Ultimate – ($421.69/$380.17 vs. $319.99) – Up $101.70/$60.18
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