Windows 7 pre-order is now avalable at Amazon.com . According to the issuesed press release Windows 7 will be available in select retail outlets all across the United States from July 11, 2009. Users can buy an upgrade copy of Windows 7 Home premium for $49 or Windows 7 Professional for $99.
For india we can see a differnet line up for upgrading. The Win 7 SKU lineup for India:
Windows 7 Starter (OEM only, won’t be sold in the retail market)
Windows 7
Home Basic
Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Ultimate
Retail Version:
The retail versions will be sold after the official launch on October 22. As I said, the retail prices are kept under wraps but the interesting change is in the two versions – Home Premium and Professional.
Microsoft will be selling these two versions at about 15-25 percent less than the prevailing Vista versions, i.e. Vista Home Premium and Vista Business.
The ongoing retail prices of Vista Home Premium and Vista Business are Rs. 6,325 and Rs. 12,100 respectively. With a 15-25 percent fall, expect Windows 7 Home Premium to cost in between Rs. 4,745-5,375 and Windows 7 Professional to be around Rs. 9,075-10,285 range.
Microsoft also confirmed that the Indian pricing for both, Win 7 Home Premium and Win 7 Professional will be less by 25-40 percent than in the US or any other developed markets. If you work it out with the US pricing, it does hover around that figure.
For the rest of the Windows 7 lineup, Microsoft will sell it at the same price of Windows Vista.
