Total Members Voted: 50
Microsoft later this month plans to roll out an Express Upgrade program that gives buyers of Windows XP-based PCs a coupon for a free or discounted upgrade to Windows Vista through March 15.As part of the deal, designed to drive PC sales though the holiday season, Microsoft will include coupons in each Windows XP SKU that will entitle users to a free or discounted Vista upgrade when the next-generation operating system ships in the first quarter of 2007, industry sources said.For instance, customers who buy PCs equipped with Windows XP Pro, Windows XP Pro Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP Pro x64 Edition are entitled to a free upgrade to Vista, sources said. Customers will be responsible for fulfillment costs.Not all of the coupons will be for free upgrades. Customers who buy systems running Windows XP Home Edition can upgrade to Vista Home Basic Edition for a flat $49 fee and to the higher-end Windows Vista Home Premium Edition for a cost of $79.The Windows Vista Technology Upgrade Program runs from Oct. 26, 2006, through March 15, 2007. Distributors are expected to have the new SKUs in house for system builders by Oct. 15. News of the planned coupon and promotion emerged in June.
So when yuh buy a copy of Vista, it seems that yuh cant give nobody else yuh CD-Key. EVER!!!What about if I have 4 PCs home (which I do) and a notebook. Must I now purchase a separate Vista disc for each system?Microsoft makin it hard for niggas to WANT to buy their software yes.
Umm dude, legally you're supposd to own a license for each PC in your house. If you have 4 PCs and yuh have 1 copy running on all 4 that's illegal. So no DUH yuh need 4 licenses for Vista. However you can use 1 Install CD.
People asked for it, and here it is, Windows Vista RC2! We wanted you to be the first to get these bits; next week they’ll be available to a broader set of customers via MSDN and TechNet.All your great feedback has helped us focus on nothing but bug fixes over the past month since RC 1 — each and every day. There are thousands of quality improvements since Windows Vista RC1. You’ll probably notice improvements in performance, application compatibility, as well as fit and finish work. We will continue improving quality until RTM. If you are an ISV, please use this build (certainly at least RC1 or later) to get certified. Visit www.innovateonvista.com for more information on logo certification.You are integral to this creation and refinement process. We are just around the corner from RTM and shipping this great product to the world. This will be the last build made available prior to RTM, so please keep the feedback coming so we can hit the finish line. Thanks for your help in finishing the job!
Microsoft claims Vista's adoption will be twice as quick as XP's Bob HopeBy John Sherwin: Monday 09 October 2006, 12:05 MICROSOFT has high hopes for it's up-and-coming Vista operating system and is expecting business customers to adopt it twice as fast as any previous release of Windows. It says ten times as many business desktops will be deployed at release compared to any previous Windows version. We’d put this down as more than a tad optimistic. Nevertheless, Brad Goldberg, general manager of the Windows Client Business Group at Microsoft remains buoyant, claiming the company "has made a concerted effort to give customers the tools and training they need to adopt Vista across their businesses".He went on to say that the Vole had "put test versions of the OS into as many people’s hands as possible, with at least five million users having access to Vista RC1". Microsoft’s expectations seem at odds with a survey taken in August by Computerworld US, which found that just 17 per cent of IT professionals are considering rolling out Windows Vista in the first year. Forty-one per cent have no plans to roll out Vista, and 35 per cent will begin testing Vista only after it ships. This seems much more realistic, at least to us here at the INQ. µ
Microsoft Corp. plans to charge and arm and a leg to allow users of Apple Computer's Intel Macs to run its next-generation Windows Vista operating system under virtualization.In its licensing terms for Vista published this month, the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said users of Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic "may not use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system."Instead, Microsoft will require that users purchase a Vista Business or Vista Ultimate license, which will retail for $299 and $399, respectively, in order to emulate the Windows environment."You may use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed device," the company wrote in the licensing agreements for the higher-priced systems."If you do so, you may not play or access content or use applications protected by any Microsoft digital, information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft rights management services or use BitLocker."Apple, which plans to allow Windows operability as part of its own next-generation "Leopard" operating system, has so far stated that it will do so through its Boot Camp software -- a dual-booting solution that runs Windows operating systems natively and without the need for emulation.
SEATTLE — People who buy certain Windows personal computers this holiday season will be offered free or heavily discounted coupons to upgrade to Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, under a program designed to spur sales despite Vista's delay, Microsoft said Tuesday.Vista is currently scheduled to be released to consumers sometime in January, after numerous delays that forced the Redmond, Wash., software maker to push the launch date beyond the holiday season. It's also scheduled to be released to big business clients in November, although exact launch dates for both versions haven't been made public.The coupon program begins Thursday and runs through mid-March. Particulars of the deal will vary depending on the computer maker and retailer.Among the plans by larger computer manufacturers:• Hewlett-Packard spokeswoman Tiffany Smith said people in North America who buy certain HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario and HP Digital Entertainment Center computers equipped with Windows XP, Microsoft's current version, can upgrade to Vista for free. There may be shipping and handling fees, depending on the retailer.• Gateway will offer free upgrades for people who buy Vista-capable computers directly from the company. Gateway spokeswoman Kelly Odle said shipping charges or duplication fees may be charged people who buy Gateway computers through other retailers.• Dellspokesman Bob Kaufman said buyers of Vista-capable Dell computers running Windows XP Home Edition will be able to buy Windows Vista Home Basic at the discounted price of $45, plus shipping and handling charges. Buyers of computers running Windows XP Media Center or Windows XP Professional will only have to pay shipping and handling to get a comparable Vista version, he said.Mike Sievert, corporate vice president for Windows marketing at Microsoft, wouldn't disclose the financial terms reached with the computer makers. Microsoft estimated it would have to defer about $1.5 billion in revenue from its fiscal second quarter, which ends Dec. 31, to its fiscal third quarter ending March 31 because of the promotion. But the company said it would have no impact on its overall fiscal 2007 results.In its last earnings report, the company forecast revenue of $49.7 billion to $50.7 billion for the full 2007 fiscal year ending in June. Microsoft reports fiscal first quarter earnings on Thursday.Matt Rosoff, an analyst with independent researchers Directions on Microsoft, said Microsoft's revenue deferral estimate struck him as high. "They're assuming a lot of coupons will be given out," he said, adding that he's not sure how many computer buyers will be willing to go through the process of upgrading to Vista.Sievert said it was hard to say how many people will actually install Vista on a new Windows XP computer, even if Vista is available for free."What we wanted to do was make it available," he said.Microsoft and computer makers have offered similar deals in the past to try to lure people to upgrade.The cost to upgrade or buy a new version of Vista at full retail price will range from $99.95 to $399, depending on the version.Microsoft said it also is backing a similar program for people who buy computers that come pre-loaded with the current version of its business software, Office 2003, and want to upgrade. The new version of the software suite, Office 2007, is due out to consumers in January as well
Microsoft backs down on Vista re-installsVole listens, licence changedBy Nick Farrell: Friday 03 November 2006, 07:31Click here to find out more!CHIP FIRM Microsoft has done a complete u turn on Vista licensing so people can uninstall the operating system and install it on another machine.Vole has been progressively watering down its tough licensing policy over recent weeks. Initially it was not going to allow the software to be transferred at all, then last week we reported how it was going to allow one re-install. Now according to the Windows Vista bog, Vole seems to have abandoned the idea completely.Vista product manager Nick White, here says that the original terms were geared toward fighting pirates. However, Volista has realised that those original terms were perceived as cheesing off PC and hardware enthusiasts."You who comprise the enthusiast market are vital to us for several reasons, not least of all because of the support you’ve provided us throughout the development of Windows Vista," White said.Microsoft "respected" the time and expense they went in customising, building and rebuilding hardware and Vole heard on the grapevine that the previous terms were seen as an impediment to that."I hope that this change provides the flexibility you need, and gives you more reason to be excited about the upcoming retail release of our new operating system," he said. It's a moot point whether Microsoft has vision or not, but it certainly seems to lack foresight. µ
Vista finally goes finalManufacturers, here it comesBy Dean Pullen: Wednesday 08 November 2006, 21:38MICROSOFT TODAY announced at 11am PST (7pm GMT) that the new Windows operating system Vista has gone gold and has been released to manufacturers (RTM).Now the RTM has been announced the build should be readily available on MSDN according to Microsoft's press release from Monday, which states:"The availability to MSDN Premium subscribers of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system on release to manufacturing".However, a conference call with Microsoft today stated that it will appear on MSDN 'within 7 days'.As reported by the INQ last Thursday the release dates had already been leaked. Tuesday November 30th will see the release of Vista to corporate customers, and standard retail customers purchasing from stores or OEMs should be able to get their copy of the new Microsoft OS from Tuesday January 30th 2007.The Windows Vista blog has been updated with the news reported serious degradation in near-final betas.Expect RTM reviews and analysis from the hacks at the INQUIRER very very soon. µ
Poll
