Should Microsoft give Windows 7 away for free?
If you’ve arrived at this article because of the headline and assume Microsoft has announced it’s giving Windows 7 away for free, I apologize. Nothing of the sort has (yet) been announced. And it probably never will be, because that isn’t the way Microsoft usually plays it. But is the idea of giving the next Microsoft OS away for free an inspired one or just plain dumb?
Windows 7 is getting a lot of attention, and unlike its predecessor, Vista, the vast majority of it is positive. Here is the Microsoft operating system that Vista should have been. It does everything Vista does well, fixes what it does badly, and adds new innovations on top.
Both Gizmodo and ZDnet are now arguing that Microsoft should give Windows 7 away either for free or at a much-reduced price, especially to those already using Vista. I’ll be honest, this idea hadn’t even crossed my mind before I read the two articles because, well, Microsoft giving away something for free? That’s a crazy suggestion if ever I heard it. But the more I read on, the more sense it made.
There’s no doubt that Vista left a nasty taste in the mouths of many Microsoft users, so much so that some have left the company behind to experiment with new operating systems such as Linux, or even switched to the old enemy, Apple. Giving Windows 7 away for free would do more than anything else to sweeten the aftertaste of using Vista.
Then there is the obvious good PR which would be wrangled from heading down this path. Were Microsoft to give away Windows 7, it would make headlines around the world and make people trust, and even like Microsoft once again. That would probably be worth more to the company in the long-term than the profits it could make from Windows 7 in the short-term.
Even if Microsoft couldn’t quite bring itself to give away a guaranteed money-spinner for free, reducing the cost for existing Vista users to upgrade would suffice. As good as Seven is shaping up to be, there may still be a problem in selling it immediately. XP users are going to want assurances from early adopters that they should abandon the OS they’ve stayed loyal to for so many years. While Vista users are likely to have almost new hardware. Will they be willing to pay the asking price for an OS which is regarded as an upgrade to what they are already using?
I think Microsoft will announce some sort of deal where Vista users can get Seven for cheaper than the rest of us. But I don’t think it’ll adopt the idea of giving the OS away for free. And that’s a shame because in these troubled financial times, the gesture would blow away the competition and make Microsoft shine in people’s minds once more.
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February 2nd, 2009
There is also the issue that with Vista Ultimate, MS promised big and delivered next to nothing! MS Promised to make available to VU purchasers special exclusives and extras. In real terms, they’ve given nothing.
February 2nd, 2009
They should give it away, as it is also known as “Vista SP2″.
February 2nd, 2009
I don’t think Vista SP2 is windows 7.
If it were then vista users wouldn’t need a free copy of 7.
Think before you post nghh.
February 2nd, 2009
Vista didn’t impact the bottom line. People installed XP. Much as I would have welcomed a better result, OSX moved from minuscule to tiny, Desktop Linux moved from microscopic to minuscule.
It would actually be a smart move to offer an discounted upgrade. The Beta, at least, will run well on hardware Vista choked.
July 21st, 2009
bill gates you scrowed up so pay up after all you where the one that made windows vista crap not us.