Discount or Free Versions of Windows Vista
Come 2007, you might see a lot of computer vendors or OEMs bundle Vista into their Dual Core PCs, etc as was done with Windows XP. That will be good news for computer users but whether this will apply to users in Asia is another story. Piracy is rampant in that part of the world but freebies and discounts will be a good way for Microsoft to slash piracy statistics over there.
If Microsoft and computer makers offer free or discounted versions of Windows Vista to PC buyers this fall and winter, the way promotions for XP were run in 2001 will offer some clues, said a research analyst.
“Most likely, we will have some sort of promotion at the consumer level,” Mike Sievert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows client marketing, told CRN. “It’s important that people see value right up until the launch of Vista.”
Five years ago, as Windows XP’s fall debut neared, OEMs began offering either free upgrades to XP for new PC buyers, or charged for a coupon that entitled them to a Windows XP disc. Compaq — prior to its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard — gave away the upgrade to XP, while other OEMS, such as Gateway and Dell, charged handling fees ranging from $15 to $39.
