Ron Schenone

Should Microsoft Extend The Windows 7 Student Deal To All Consumers?

Posted by on Sep 21, 2009 | 3 Comments

Yesterday I was talking to my nephew about the deal Microsoft is offering to students who can purchase Windows 7 Home Premium for $30. My nephew wondered out loud why this wasn’t being done for all consumers? It made me think why wasn’t Microsoft giving all consumers the same deal?

IMHO I believe that Microsoft does owe we consumers a deal especially for those who bought computers with Windows Vista installed or who bought the OS as an upgrade. For some of us, myself included, have not experienced any issues with Vista. Personally my computer with Windows Vista runs great and I have been fortunate not to have any problems that others have experienced with the OS.

But I do believe that for many of you, Vista has been a challenge. I also believe that Windows 7 has fixed many of the problems that originally plagued Vista. If Microsoft wants to extend some goodwill to consumers who use their operating system, this would be a great time to offer an upgrade to all Vista users at a reduced rate.

There is another reason for a discount for us Vista users. Recently Apple introduced their Snow Leopard upgrade for only $29. If Microsoft followed Apple’s lead, they could use this as ammunition in their next Apple vs PC advertisements. Couple this with the lower pricing for a PC compared to the Mac could be a real winner. Kind of a win-win situation for both Microsoft and we consumers.

What do you think?

Comments as always are welcome.

Source

  • anthony

    i will get windows 7 but it will be nice to get a discount on windows 7.

  • Kyle

    I just got the Windows 7 deal, as I am a college student with a .edu e-mail address. As a college student, I have little to no money to spend. I think it’s great that Microsoft is cutting students a break, seeing as College’s drain our bank accounts every semester. As to why they don’t give the discount to everyone, look at their profits. If they went from selling them for nearly two hundred dollars to thirty dollars, they wouldn’t exactly be making money. Keep in mind, they’ve already paid all their specialists and engineers and programmers a lot of dough just to get to where they are now. If they cut the cost down for everyone, they probably would lose money on the product. I already think that they are being overly generous for giving us students this discounted rate. I think no, they should not extend the discount beyond students. Microsoft deserves a pay cut, and they are just trying to give students a much needed break.

  • PK

    I find it humorous that college students keep claiming that they uniquely need the discount because they are “poor students.” Here’s a hint “kids”: if you are in college, you are *nowhere* near “poor.” Get a clue. The poor are working…sometimes two and three jobs. Many others are no longer working in their field given that unemployment is nearing 10%. BTW, *real* poor college students don’t even own their own computer…they use computers in labs.

    College students need a deal? Seriously? Many of them can already get the OS for free from MSDNAA. In fact, MS has countless programs already for college students. e.g. MSDNAA, dreamspark, bookstore discounts, etc.

    How about those who lost their jobs this year, folks facing foreclosure, dual working parents, etc? i.e., the group who can’t get MS products using preexisting student discounts?

    Whatever. The OS upgrade is a luxury for anyone. No one needs it…regardless of what MS tries to make us all believe. $30 for everyone would cause a general stampede toward this OS, but $120 for a home premium *upgrade* (not full license) with limited transfer rights between computers pretty much assures that those of us who are non-students and have either a) been burned by Vista, or b) are pretty damn happy with XP will just keep using our existing OSes thanks. Well, not all of them. Some will upgrade. Perhaps half as many who pirate it…because at $120 folks (and $199 for a premium *upgrade* that is available to students for $30), it’s worth pirating.