Windows Vista Pricing Revealed

Online retailer Amazon.com has started taking preorders for various Windows Vista versions, which the company says will be available January 30, 2007. Not surprisingly, the prices Amazon lists for Windows Vista are quite similar to roughly equivalent Windows XP versions.

According to Amazon, the prices for Windows Vista fall like so:

Windows Vista Home Basic

Windows Vista Home Basic Full: $199.00
Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade: $99.95
Windows Vista Home Basic Full (Additional License Only): $179.00
Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade (Additional License Only): $89.95

Windows Vista Home Premium

Windows Vista Home Premium Full: $239.00
Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade: $159.00
Windows Vista Home Premium Full (Additional License Only): $215.00
Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade (Additional License Only): $143.00

Windows Vista Business

Windows Vista Business Full: $299.00
Windows Vista Business Upgrade: $199.00
Windows Vista Business Full (Additional License Only): $269.00
Windows Vista Business Upgrade (Additional License Only): $179.00

Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows Vista Ultimate Full: $399.00
Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade: $259.00
Windows Vista Ultimate Full (Additional License Only): $359.00
Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade (Additional License Only): $233.00

While not every Vista version correlates exactly with an XP product version, the pricing is inline with XP pricing. For example, XP Home is $189.00, compared to $199.99 for Vista Home Basic, while XP Home Upgrade is $89.97, just two cents off from the Vista Home Basic Upgrade.) Upsells won't be particularly expensive, either: Pricing for the much more capable Vista Home Premium are just $40 to $60 higher than that of Home Basic.

Amazon hasn't yet listed the box art that Microsoft will use for its retail versions of Windows Vista. Earlier this week, Microsoft Canada also slipped with a bit of Vista pricing info: The company's Web site briefly reported that Windows Vista Ultimate would cost CN$450 in that country.

--Paul Thurrott
August 29, 2006

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