Microsoft punishes Linux, Mac and white box PC builders

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 02 July 2009 07:45

Opinion and Analysis

Now that Microsoft’s Windows 7 pricing has been unveiled, changing very little from Vista pricing (aside from a cut in price for Windows 7 Home Premium), it’s clear that Microsoft’s policy of charging full price to Linux and Mac users has changed very little, too.

If you buy Windows 7 pre-loaded onto a brand new computer, the cost of Windows 7 itself is far, far lower than Microsoft’s retail prices.

Actually, it looks like Microsoft is trying to charge OEMs more for Win 7 licenses, too – which if true is guaranteeing Microsoft a boost in revenue right in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.

Although Microsoft has enjoyed headlines claiming a drop in price for Windows 7, the truth is that prices really are little changed, with the biggest drop being a discount on Windows 7 Home Premium compared with Windows Vista Home Premium.

It’s great they have dropped prices here, any price drop is always welcome, after all – but in the great scheme of things it is little more than a token gesture.

The other truth is that if you are upgrading an older system, or if you are a Linux or Mac user, you will pay the full upgrade price, or the full retail price, depending on what version of Windows, if any, you already have.

It’s also the case that if you are building or buying your own “white box/yum cha” computer system, this level of OEM pricing seems to be much more expensive than OEM prices paid by Dell, HP or other companies.

In a world of free Linux, much cheaper upgrade and retail prices for Mac OS X, and the availability of ‘family packs’ for Mac OS X, it’s clear that Windows users who aren’t buying a brand name computer system are being right royally ripped off when it comes to Windows!

Why are retail Windows buyers being so unrighteously ripped? Please read on to a ripper page 2!